Pondside plants thrive in moist and damp soil conditions prone to water-logging. Plant these around the edge of your pond, anywhere in a bog garden or in a frequently flooded area. These plants are otherwise known as bog-plants and are not necessarily aquatic, however thrive in wet conditions. Try the Iris Sibirica for moist and damp soil, Slender Tufted Sedge for streams or Mimulus Guttatus for vibrant perennial groundcover ideal for rock gardens.
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?
What is a bog garden?
If you don’t have a pond, but rather a perennially damp and boggy garden – or if you do have a pond but are looking to plant up the surrounding area – then you’re going to be needing very particular plants; plants that love consistently moist (even wet) soil but don’t like being submerged or planted in open water. Bog gardening, as it’s often referred to, offers an effective way to make good use of a sunken, sodden area of the garden that’s especially prone to waterlogging.
Our picks for pondside and moisture-loving plants
For your pondside/bog garden planting scheme, you want to choose a mixture of flowering and foliage plants, and what better place to start than with the iconic woodland classic, the cowslip (Primula veris). Other primulas, like bee’s primrose, (Primula beesiana) orchid primrose (Primula vialii) and Bulley’s primrose (Primula bulleyana) also all grow well in damp conditions. Other flowering plants to consider include the cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis) and dragonwort (Persicaria bistorta). From a foliage perspective, ferns, hostas, heucheras and acorus plants are all hardy perennials that tolerate damp to wet soil.
Care tips
The key thing to remember is that these plants need a lot of moisture. If you’ve decided you just like the look of these plants and want them in your regular beds or borders, then you’ll need to keep a close eye that they don’t dry out, and give them a regular watering – particularly in dry summers. Full to partial sun is preferable and you should look to plant during the springtime. Bog plants like a nice, rich soil so mulching with organic matter like leafmould can be beneficial.
