subject: Marginal Flowers For The Fishpond. [print this page] This is going to be my 3rd article on what plants to grow in your pond. I have written a short description about an assortment of marginals, but here I am going to write about some of my favourites. This is purely my own preferences and they suit my pond or how I would like my fishpond to look. It's possible you'll not like my picks because we all have our own favourites, but here we go with my favourites.
Houttuynia (Houttuynia)
This one is a simple to grow carpeter for planting between the taller specimens, but you must grow it in a container to hold its invasive nature in check. The stems are red and the bluish-green leaves are distinctly heart shaped. It grows 6 inches to 1 foot high and in early summer the cone-shaped flowers appear, each one surrounded by 4 white bracts. Houttuynia cordata bears single flowers. The double flowered variety 'Plena' being the preferred one. 'Variegata' has by far the most colourful foliage, reddish green splashed with yellow and cream but with hardly any flowers. The recommended planting depth is 2-4 inches, it will grow quite happily at the surface or even in damp soil, but the roots are damaged in winter if they become exposed to frost or ice.
Hypericum (Marsh St John's Wart)
There is only one species - Hypericum elodes. This lowly relative of the renowned Rose of Sharon which grows in shrub borders everywhere thrives happly in mud or an inch of water. Its stems and mass of small rounded and wooly leaves make it a useful carpeter for growing between taller plants like Iris or for disguising the sides of a rigid fishpond. It spreads about 18 inches and in July to August, small yellow bowl shaped flowers are borne at the tips of the stems. It grows about 9 inches to 1 foot in height and the recommended planting depth is 0 - 2 inches.
Mentha (Water Mint)
Water Mint (Mentha Aquatica) is a helpful creeping plant which can be used to hide the edge of your pond. It is straightforward to grow and spreads rapidly, which may be an issue if you have small choice specimens growing nearby. The rule is to grow it in a basket and trim back stems which are becoming invasive.The rounded leaves are hairy and often take on a purplish tinge. As you would expect, the foliage is aromatic when crushed. In mid and late summer it becomes a gorgeous flowering plant. The small lavender flowers are grouped together in miniature powder puffs which are borne in whorls along the stems. These flowers are especially attractive to bees. Water Mint grows 12 - 18 inches high and the recommended planting depth is 0 - 3 inches.
I have said many times before, not all Marginals have much use in the pond. In actual fact I would certainly go as far as to mention that many of them have no use at all, but if you are careful with your selection they could help to make a plain, boring fishpond suddenly come to life. There are many more Marginal plants to write about, but I wanted to these a mention as some of my own personal favourites.
