Make a splash with deep water and floating pond plants - they’re some of the most attractive and interesting varieties around. From graceful water lilies and healthy green oxygenators to fabulous foliage and stylish rushes, we’ll help you choose the ideal combination of submerged and floating plants for the deepest water in your pond, lake or container garden. Take a deep dive into our specially curated collection - it blows other plants out of the water!
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Nestled amongst wildlife meadows and resident ducks, Caroline’s award winning pond plant nursery in Enfield has been making a splash since 1965, when they invented the (recycled, obvs) aquatic basket. Sixty years and multiple RHS gold medals later, they’re still surprising us with new varieties every year!
Need help picking?
Why choose deep water and floating plants?
If you’ve got a medium to large-sized pond, then implementing some floating plants can help add visual impact as well as wildlife appeal, and also contribute to a healthier pond environment overall. Few plants can rival the elegance of the water lily, while the hornwort plant provides cover for amphibians and fish. For a happy, healthy and highly attractive pond, whack some floaters in there.
What types of floating plants are there?
There are both flowering and foliage floating plants. We’ve already touched upon the water lily, Nymphaea, which is arguably the best flowering plant for deep water, but the water-crowfoot (Ranunculus aquatilis) gives it a good run for its money, with its dainty, buttercup-like blooms. So too does the water hawthorn plant (Aponogeton distachyos), thanks to its fresh fragrance. On the foliage side of things, there are a huge number of brilliant plants from which to choose, including the aforementioned hornwort, the water lettuce with its salad-like rosettes, and water violets with their fabulously ferny fronds.
Planting and caring for deep water plants
Planting floating plants is easy; for plants you want to keep submerged, like deep water oxygenators, you can attach a weight when planting to help keep them anchored in position. For floating plants like water lilies, it’s as simple as tossing your plant – gently, of course – straight onto the water and letting it do its thang. Consider adding a slow-release aquatic feed each spring to help give your plants a boost.
