Planting a swim pond - the key to success is the balance between the plants and the water.

Firstly, you need to build the Swimming pond to allow for the variety of plants & their depths that you want to include. See our Create a Swimming Pond page.

Which Pond Plants to use in a swimming pond:

• Use waterlilies, shallow marginal plants, deep marginals & possibly bog species too depending on your build.
• Plant the gravel substrate around the deeper swim area densely with a range of aquatic plants at different depths of water as filtration plants
• Planting in a natural swimming pond uses plant growth to absorb and restrict the levels of phosphates and nitrates in the water
• Plant both indigenous Native plants that grow vigorously and Non-Native ornamental varieties.
  
• Mix a range of green upright plants of varying heights & textures with flowering plants across different seasons
• Non-Natives increase the range of colour and flower type and extend the season of interest so are vital for season long filtration.
• They also lengthen the period of active nutrient usage in the planted regeneration zone.
• Use tall plants to give privacy too if your pool can be overlooked

Density:

• Aim for 6-9 plants per m2 of gravel planting area
• Have a mix of upright and rafting plants growing on the gravel shelf area
• Some plants will grow further away from the pool edge with more water covering the gravel, others like less water over the top of their plant crowns.
• Use more uprights than rafting plants as waterlilies will add to the rafting effect of foliage in the water.
• Add 1 waterlily at a deeper depth of planting every 2m of shelf length for water shading & to soften the line between gravel & deep water.
• Leave space to see through the plants to the water beyond.

How to choose the best plants for a natural swimming pond:

We have created a specific Scheme to help you:

• Find the link to the Pond Planting Scheme Swimming Pond
• Please feel free to email or call us for a personalised quote. Please include a photo and measurements of your design to help us.

• A balanced selection of good filtration plants chosen by us for swimming ponds.
• The scheme is prepared for a 10mx1m length planting area.
• We use this as a template and can customise this template to suit individual requirements.
• Waterside Nursery were recommended for swimming pond plants by Country Life in 2018
• In 2025 we supplied the plants for the Vallis Farm Swim Pond. They have created a 'Wild Water Swimming' pond that the Vallis Farm Community can all use.

The best filtration shelf plants for water purification are:

• British Native - upright plants - Cyperus longus,  Iris pseudacorus (Yellow Flag Iris), Butomus umbellatus, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Lythrum salicaria, Caltha palustris, Carex acutiformis
• Non Native uprights - other Iris  - versicolor, versicolor Mysterious Monique and louisiana Black Gamecock, Acorus gramineus Ogon, Anemopsis californica, Pontederia cordata, Pontederia cordata albiflora(white) and taller Pontederia cordata lancifolia, Typha minima

Good to grow as horizontal spreaders for filtration:

• Deep water plants give surface cover and put shade across the pond surface. Pond Waterlilies (any colour) and Aponogeton distachyos.
• Potted Oxygenating plants with surface spread - Myriophyllum Red Stem.
• Rafting plants that grow out across the water surface - Myosotis scorpioides (Water Forget Me Not - blue or white), Veronica beccabunga (Brooklime) Mentha aquatica  Water Mint) Myriophyllum Red Stem, Oenanthe javanica Flamingo, Rorippa nasturtium aquaticum (Water Cress)

Maintaining the water balance:

• Remove any debris that falls in - twigs, leaves etc so it does not rot in the water
• Cut back falling plant growth in Autumn to water level to avoid debris
• If algae or blanketweed start to grow it could be a sign of imbalance. It can also occur in a new set up in the first-year before the plants have grown to full maturity.
• To help you may want to add an organic method to help. We suggest  Barleystraw minibales tied near the pump outlet so they are regularly flushed through by moving water.

To follow the building and planting of a pond see our A swim pond build in photos page.