Questions & Answers
Mail order, bog garden and pond plant queries.
Container and wildlife pond queries now have their own separate pages.
Also read our pond owner's blog page for events happening in your pond now.     
Our new account facilities for 2012.
We have launched an account facility so that you can receive more services from us if you want them.
Log in as a New Member with your email address & create a password - the site will remember any previous orders you have made with us with that email address.
You can now create a 'Wish list' for plants 'currently unavailable'. You will then receive an email when an item becomes available. By logging in you can then transfer it easily to your shopping basket.
You can create a shopping basket and plan to purchase later - this can be done as an account holder using 'Save basket'. This means you can research an order in Winter and have it ready to transfer to checkout in Springtime with least amount of hassle. By combining a 'Saved basket' with a 'Wish list' where items have recently become available your complete purchase will become quicker.
Your account will hold your mobile phone number and delivery details and these will be reused automatically on any purchase. We hope this will mean less forms for you to fill in on the way to checkout (unless of course you need to change the details for a particular delivery).
You can still purchase without an account - it is not compulsory for a purchase.
Can pond plants be successfully sent by mail order?
This question is best answered by a testimonial from one of our customers.
'Thank you so much for the pond plants I ordered, not only were they delivered within 48 hours they were in excellent condition. I have recommended you to a friend and she is delighted with her plants. My patio pool looks great especially as the lily has 2 flowers already.'
She ordered from this website's online shopping pages.
2010 was a good year for mail order through this website. The redesign last winter has proved popular with more and more customers feeling happy to purchase their pond plants by mail order. Our service of supplying ready rooted pond plants that can be placed straight into the pond rather than bareroot pieces in need of potting by the customer has also been well received.
2011 has been even busier for the mail order side of the business and we have undertaken less Shows away from the Nursery to keep the plants being sent as quickly as possible after the placement of each order.
2012 sees the launch of account facilities for those that want them. We are not making an account a necessity - please feel free to buy without an account if you wish to.
Here are a few comments received this year:
We want to thank you so much for your help and prompt service. We would not hesitate in recommending your products to anyone.' June 2011
'Just to let you know, my order - 3 brunnera plants - arrived safe and sound on Tuesday. They were so well packed and were planted within half an hour of my receiving them! They looked really healthy when they arrived. So thank you for such an excellent and efficient service!' received August 2011
'I have to write and tell you how pleased we are with our order of plants that arrived this morning, wrapped beautifully and in perfect condition AND in less than forty eight hours of placing the order!!! Well done. We will tell all our friends who to buy their water plants from in future.' Response received September 2011
'Hi Plants have just arrived. Thanks again for yet again wonderful plants.' Comment received October 2011
We aim to help our customers with good advice and send out plants by mail order promptly and carefully and these comments are a testimony to all our hard work.
How long until my order arrives?
Plant orders will be sent out at the beginning of a week after the order is received (Monday - Wednesday inclusive) to avoid plants being kept wrapped whilst in transit over a weekend. (If we are attending one of our 4 Shows a year and are away from the Nursery delivery will be extended by a week.) They should be delivered to you in 24 hours by UK Mail. Some small orders will be sent First class post. Container ponds will be sent by the manufacturer within 3-4 weeks of receipt of the order as these are made to order.
Do you accept card payments on a secure site?
Yes, your card payments are taken through the Paypal system not by ourselves. We do not see your card details but are informed by Paypal that your card payment has been accepted. You can pay by Visa, Mastercard, Delta, Maestro, Switch and Visa Electron as well as by your Paypal account if you have one.
Will VAT be added to the prices I see on the website pages?
No, we are not registered for VAT so the price you see on each plant is the price to you with the addition of the delivery charges for postage and packing which is included in the running total in the shopping basket on every page. Delivery is calculated on total order value as follows: £0.00 >£19.99 = £ 5.00 delivery, £20.00 >£60.99 = £12.00 delivery, £61.00 >£199.99 = £24.00 delivery and £200.00 or more = £36.00 delivery. There is an additional cost of £20 for parcels being sent to a non - mainland destination.
Can I pay by cheque?
Yes cheque payments are acceptable to us - they need to be posted to Waterside Nursery, Sharnford in Leicestershire. Don't forget to add the postage and packing costs. See delivery details page for further information.
What are the keywords to use in your search box?
Tips to using our Search box are to use the same terms as we use in the descriptions of our plants. Search by plant name (Latin or Common), plant feature - Native or fragrant, flower colour or planting conditions (use the words: moist, wet mud, sunny, shaded, shelf 0, shelf 1, shelf 2 or shelf 3.)
What size are the baskets you supply pond plants in?
Our plants come to you in 9cm= (3"), 1 litre=11cm (4") and 2 litre=15cm (6") high baskets. Take these basket depths into account when deciding which plant will be right for a shelf in your pond or refer to our shelf depth 0,1,2,3 in question below.
Our marginal pond plants can be placed immediately into your pond or patio container pond as they are already rooted in aquatic compost in open mesh baskets. You do not need to purchase any other baskets or compost and do not have the worry that bareroot pieces will 'float up' when you lower the basket and plants into their position on the shelf of the pond.
What is shelf 0, shelf 1, shelf 2 and shelf 3?
Shelf 0 is an area of wet mud where water will stay (especially in Winter) on a stream edge or wet bog garden or a shelf in a pond 10-15cm(4-6") deep where water will just cover the top of the basket by 0-5cm(0-2").
Shelf 1 is a shelf in a pond 15-20cm(6-8") deep where water will cover the top of a planted basket
Shelf 2 is a shelf in a pond 25-40cm(10-16") deep where water will cover the top of a planted basket
Shelf 3 is either a shelf or the pond floor which is deeper than 45cm(18") deep above the top of a planted basket
Use one of these terms in our search box and all the suitable plants for that shelf depth will be shown.
Container ponds will use plants from shelf 0 or shelf 1 categories.
Pond and bog garden queries:
    
How often should I clean out my pond and when is the best time to do it? Ideally if you are doing regular maintenance in the Autumn - removing fallen tree leaves, cutting back marginal plant vegetation and removing small amounts of accumulated silt annually then it should not be necessary to completely clean out your pond. If you have inherited a pond that has been neglected and requires a major overhaul the time for that would also be Autumn. There is less evidence of wildlife species in the water at that time of year but still be vigilant to check and replace into the pond any that are removed from the water during your clean up.
I have bought my pond plants from you in the past. Do you supply any plants for garden borders?
We specialise in plants for ponds or bog garden areas but we are happy to recommend Redman Hardy Plants from Essex that grows good quality perennial plants for the border.
Does barleystraw kill duckweed?
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No, barley straw inhibits the growth of green water algae and blanketweed but does not affect the growth of duckweed. In a small area the duckweed control bacterial culture works well as an inhbitor but in a larger sized area the only method for controlling duckweed is to physically remove it either by netting or using an electrical skimmer. |
How can I make my waterlilies flower?
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Firstly, waterlilies are very sun dependant so they need to be placed in as much sun as possible. Each named variety has a depth requirement - some will grow well with 36"- 48" of water over soil, others will struggle with more than 24" of water over soil and miniature lilies only need 6" of water over soil. Thirdly, do not place them near splashing water such as a waterfall, fountain or pump outlet. |
If none of these seem to solve the problem perhaps the plant needs a boost from some fertilizer - add aquatabs to the basket or in a patio container pond add aquatic food plus to the water. Available on pond products
How can I build an area for moist planting or bog garden plants if my soil does not retain water?
You can create an area that can be kept moist or wet by digging out 2’ of soil in a straight sided hole (no need for shelves as in a pond or allowance for an edging area) and line the hole with cheap lining material like builders damp proof membrane. Add 3” depth of gravel for drainage and the puncture the membrane with a fork. This will allow some drainage but keep some moisture in the soil. Refill the lined hole with good soil and humus rich compost and cut the liner off at the top so it blends into the rest of the garden. This area can then be kept as wet as you like by watering from a porous or leaky hosepipe that will constantly drip when attached to a tap or water butt. This area will provide protection for wildlife species and you will find that by encouraging frogs to the area they will protect plants often eaten by slugs (Hosta, Ligularia).
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