Monty Don adds pond surface cover by planting a new waterlily.
Waterlilies are most peoples first choice to add pond surface cover, flower and leaf quickly.
Monty Don replanted a Dwarf waterlily candida into a 10 litre mesh basket using a clay based soil. He lowered it down into the water until the leaves and flower were just on the water surface.
- Cover two thirds of your pond surface with waterlilies to create a natural balance at this time of year.
- This will give shade and stop the water temperature rising.
- It is still possible to add more waterlily plants to your pond now.
- Our plants are already rooted into their baskets and will just be 'moving home'.
- They are not trying to establish new roots at this time of the season.
Our Pond waterlilies arrive to you rooted into 3 litre (10" diameter) mesh baskets of aquatic compost.
- Replace waterlilies in the same depth of water on arrival to you that they have been growing in at the Nursery.
- The leaves and any flowers should be floating on the water surface.
- If necessary raise the basket off the pond base or shelf on bricks to achieve this.
- There is no need to add gravel to the top of our baskets as they are not newly potted and the soil will not 'fluff up' when they are placed into the water.
- Use an XL feed balls for aquatic plants in each Pond waterlily basket so that the plant receives a boost and continues to flower. It will send up more leaves and flowers for the rest of the summer.
- The leaf growth will help protect young and vulnerable wildlife creatures before they leave the pond.
- The flowers will add another source of nectar and pollen for the insect pollinators like bees and hoverflies.
For a small pond or a container pond add cover to the water surface using Dwarf & Miniature waterlilies. We send these in 11cm square mesh baskets.
- Push a small Feed balls for Aquatic plants into each dwarf or miniature waterlily basket twice a year for a boost to flowering.
- Use the pack of 50 Feed balls for other 11cm/1 litre plant baskets in your pond too.
- Iris and other flowering plants will benefit most.
Adding more waterlilies and covering more of the pond surface will reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the water.
This will reduce water evaporation and keep the water temperature low to help control blanket weed and green algae at this hot time of year.
Their leaves will also protect vulnerable wildlife as water levels diminish.
See our Tips and Advice page for more help.