Monty Don planted his wildlife pond this week on Gardeners World.
- He showed Caltha palustris (Marsh Marigold), Myosotis palustris (now renamed Myosotis scorpioides) and Iris pseudacorus (Yellow Flag Iris) for the marginal shelf areas and Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) as an oxygenating plant.
- He had more plants available to plant but did not name them.
- Monty Don needed to replant his purchases into mesh baskets as they were not supplied in these.
- If you buy from us you do not need to do this as we do that for you.
- We send our plants out in mesh baskets and correct aquatic compost.
- He correctly sunk his baskets onto the shelf so that the basket rim and the crowns of the plants were unseen and submerged beneath the water to each species preferred depth.
You need to ensure you put plant a wildlife pond like Monty Don with:
- A range of plants that extend across the seasons.
- This helps the insects at all times of year.
- Use all the different depth areas of water with different types of growth.
- Emergent plants for dragonflies to climb up.
- Rafting plants for horizontal cover for newts and other amphibian tadpoles.
- Submerged oxygenators below the water surface to add oxygen and compete with algae for nutrients in the pond. These help keep the pond free from greenwater and algae growth.
- Waterlily to put leaf across the water surface.
- Monty Don did not plant a waterlily in his new wildlife pond. You should include one to provide surface cover to the water and give areas of protection for the creatures.
He made a good point when he said some Native plants were too vigorous for small ponds. Supplement British Native plants by other non-Native plants of a smaller growth habit.
In his size of pond we would recommend a small white waterlily like Nymphaea Marliacaea Albida in preference to the Nymphaea alba which is a big British Native waterlily.
Also a mention from Rowden Gardens.
John and Galen Carter said that they had concentrated on developing varieties of Iris versicolor, the smaller American Water Iris, in preference to the larger Iris pseudacorus varieties which are our British Native yellow Flag Iris.
We will enjoy watching how this new pond develops. And see how it encourages many forms of wildlife to visit his pond & wildlife area.