Should I choose only British Native plants for my pond?
- We recommend a combination of British Native and selected Non-British Native plants for a garden pond.
- Our favourite choice is 'Mainly British Native'.
- Some customers and organizations such as Wildlife Trust and Froglife always prefer British Native.
- We show British Native plants with a small Union Jack for easy identification on the website.
- Using Non Natives gives a longer flowering season for insect pollinators like bees and butterflies
- Some British Native pond plants can be too vigorous and invasive for a small scale pond ie Iris pseudacorus and Mentha aquatica.
- Waterlilies - The Native waterlily - is white and vigorous.
- So British Native plants are not always the best.
Best British Native pond plants for a small pond:
Choose from:
- Ceratophyllum demersum
- Myriophyllum spicatum
- Alisma plantago-aquatica
- Butomus umbellatus
- Caltha palustris
- Hydrocharis morsus-ranae (when available)
- Isolepis cernua
- Myosotis scorpioides
- Ranunculus flammula
- Rorippa nasturtium aquaticum
- Sagittaria sagittifolia
- Veronica beccabunga
Alternatives to only British Native plants for small ponds:
- Choose Non-Native Juncus ensifolius, Cyperus involucratus or Iris versicolor instead of the more vigorous British Native plants - Carex acutiformis Cyperus longus or Iris pseudacorus.
- Non-Native species such as Pontederia cordata and Mentha cervina add a later flowering season that benefits pollinating insects, especially bees.
- Nymphaea odorata alba or Nymphaea Marliacaea Albida look like alba but are Not Native and better in scale for a smaller pond.
- Coloured (red, pink and yellow) waterlilies are not Native to UK but they give bright flowers to attract pollinators.
- Early in the year Non-Native Aponogeton distachyos give surface cover and flower interest.
Or allow us to choose a balanced collection of plants for you:
- Purchase a Pond Planting Scheme.
- Scheme contents vary according to your pond size.
- For example - we do not use Iris pseudacorus or Mentha aquatica in a Scheme size 1 or 2.
- We choose the plants for you so you get the best seasonal interest and flowering for your size of pond.
- You choose between 'Only British Native’, ‘Mainly British Native' or a selection of ‘Any' plant available on the website.
Best small pond plants for seasonal variety in a wildlife pond:
This selection of small pond plants would be for a Mainly British Native plants scheme in a wildlife pond of between 2-7 square metres:
- Ceratophyllum demersum Hornwort and/or Myriophyllum spicatum Spiked Milfoil as submerged oxygenating plants
- Caltha palustris Marsh Marigold
- Iris versicolor Purple Iris or Lythrum salicaria Loosestrife
- Mentha cervina alba or Mentha cervina Spearmint in white or blue
- Myosotis scorpioides or Myosotis scorpioides alba Forget me Not in blue or white
- Pontederia cordata or Pontederia cordata albiflora(white) Pickerel Weed
- Ranunculus flammula Water Buttercup
- Typha minima Miniature Bulrush or Juncus ensifolius Swordleaf Rush
- Veronica beccabunga Brooklime or Myriophyllum Red Stem Red Stem Milfoil
- Aponogeton distachyos Water Hawthorn
- Nymphaea odorata alba Waterlilies
RHS guidelines in 2015 ‘Plants for Bugs':
- Gardeners who want to support pollinating insects in gardens should plant a mix of flowering plants from different countries and regions.
- Emphasise plants Native to the UK and the Northern Hemisphere but use plants from the Southern Hemisphere to extend the season to provide nectar and pollen for specific pollinators.
- Aim for your garden to provide the best range of flowers possible throughout the year.
- Then you will attract and support the greatest number of bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects.
Apply the same principles to a pond:
- In early and late seasons there is less flower for insects to forage from. We should add whatever we can to the pond to help.
- Use the pond as an additional source of pollinating flowers to the rest of the garden.
- A pond can have flower from Water Hawthorn in Feb/March through to Pickerel Weed in September using Non-Native plants.
- Avoid double flowers that are not useful to insects.
Refer to our pollinating plants page for images of the pond and moist area plants ideal for pollinating insects.
Did your pond or moist area have a month this year with no flowers for pollinating insects?
Many pollinating plants are British Native and well-adapted to our climate. But supplement these with Non Natives to give the maximum opportunities for pollinating insects. Choose our Pond Starter Collections in Mainly Natives which contain a mixture of Native and Non Native plants.
Keep the flowering interest going all through the year. Work hard on early and late season. Try to have some plants flowering every month in your pond.