To start planting a new pond use a combination of shelf pond plants, submerged oxygenating plants & waterlilies to create a healthy pond environment.

How many plants do I need to start my new pond?

• Shelf pond plants grow in the water at the outside edge of the pond.
• Use a minimum of 3x 11cm or 3x 9cm aquatic baskets of marginal shelf pond plants per metre length on a marginal pond shelf.
• Use more plants if the shelf is wider than 30cm(12″) or if you want a fuller look quickly.
• Choose a selection of both upright marginal plants (sent in 11cm baskets) and horizontal growing rafting plants (sent in 9cm baskets) to give a balance for both wildlife and water quality.
• Select two portions of submerged oxygenating plants per square metre of pond surface area.
• Choose a waterlily or waterlilies of a size to give your pond at least 50%  coverage in 3 years. Use the spread details on the description page of each waterlily variety.
• If you are unsure what to order for your first pond please look at our Prepared Planting Scheme 'Starter Kits'.
• The correct size Planting Scheme (by surface water area) willstart you off with the correct number, variety and seasonal spread of plants for a new pond.
• For plants for a small garden pond see our Blog post Best plants for a small pond

When can I purchase pond plants in UK?

• Purchase and transfer our rooted plants to your pond any time throughout the year unless it is covered in ice.
• They will sit as happily in your pond as they would if they were still out on the Nursery.
• Plants purchased in Winter or early season may be dormant when placed in your pond.
• Our plants have been outside in whatever the weather in Leicestershire so acclimatised to outside temperatures.
• They are ready to start growing as soon as the weather in your area encourages them.

Why do we send out our plants ready-rooted?

• To make starting your new pond easier for you.
• You cannot make a mistake with the choice of baskets or soil as it's all done for you.
• Our marginal shelf plants & waterlilies are already rooted in aquatic clay loam soil in mesh baskets to place straight into your pond when they arrive.
• Lower the basket slowly into the water on a slant - one rim first. Not base down. You will not disturb the soil in the basket this way.
• You do not need to purchase any baskets or carry soil home.
• No need to worry that pieces of plant might 'float up' when you lower the basket into position in the pond as they are already rooted through the mesh holes.
• No need for gravel on the tops of our baskets - the soil is secure if you lower gently into the water.
• Only use stones on top of the baskets when there are large fish in the pond.

  

  ready rooted 11cm pond plants

  

  ready rooted 9cm pond plants

  
  
• Typical looking 11cm and 9cm basket marginal shelf plants ready for mail order dispatch (top growth dependent on dispatch season).
• We cut down tall plant growth in mid-late season to allow plants to fit into a box for dispatch.

Sent unpotted:

• Most Oxygenating plants are sent bare-rooted & do not require to be potted as they are best left to float freely in water.
• Hornwort is delivered unbunched and unweighted.
• Others are delivered bunched & weighted to help them sink - leave the weights in place.
• A couple are ready rooted in baskets - Myriophyllum Red Stem Rorippa nasturtium aquaticum

How do I plant water plants in my pond to make it look natural?

• Place the aquatic plants on the shelves in their baskets in groups, not as individual baskets.
• Soften an upright plant with a rafting aquatic plant growing near it. But make sure each is placed in the correct depth of water according to its individual label.
• Make the planting groups look natural by using the full width of the planting shelf.
• Stagger the plants where possible rather than lining them around the outside edge.

Tall plants in a lined pond will often blow over as they get taller:

• Use a mesh contour or large square basket to help plant in groups on your pond shelf.
• Add 3x 11cm baskets to one Contour basket or 4x 11cm to a 28cm square basket.
• Fill all the surrounding space within the larger basket with gravel.
• This will weigh down the group and the smaller baskets will stand upright in the heavy larger surround.
• 3 or 4 plants will make a bigger scale clump quicker than 3 individually placed baskets.
• Avoid mixing 3 different plants in one contour basket as this can look bitty and the more vigorous will always grow quicker and swamp the less vigorous.

Use a larger basket to raise a group of plants up from a deep shelf in a pond:

• Add gravel to the base of the larger contour or square basket before adding the individual plant baskets.
• Vary the depth of the gravel in the contour to raise plants to the depth required on each plant ticket
• Fill in the gaps between the baskets with more gravel.

In a clay lined pond you will not need to group in large baskets as you can push the individual small baskets into the clay side close together.

Other methods of setting up a pond:

1. Use a floating island basket for a pond with no shelves.

• Leave it free to float wherever the wind takes it.
• Tie the floating island basket back to the pond side to keep it in an area.
• Join more than 1 together.
• Do not overfill the floating island as too much weight can sink them. Plant up using plants from 13-15cm shelf depth or  wet mud.
• Floating islands are not suitable for waterlilies.

2. Use an Overgrowing Mat for steep edges or ponds with no shelves:

• Fix an Overgrowing Mat over the edge of the pond from above the water line with the metal pegs supplied so the fabric hangs into the water.
• Drop plant baskets into the pockets sewn into the mat at different depths.

3. Use a Pond Planting Sock for a very shallow depth of water so that the basket tops do not show above the water:

• Woven fabric tube with one open side open but joined with 4 poppers making sections
• Plant by taking rootball of plant out of basket and planting into gravel or soil within the tube.
• Suggested shelf pond plants:  13-15cm shelf depth