Luxury Marginal Plants for the Garden Pond. Part 2

Glyceria (Water Grass)
Yet another grassy Marginal, and one with a bad reputation for being invasiveand for swamping the more delicate plants. Glyceriaspectabilis variegatus (Manna Grass) is a striking plant growing 2 - 3 feet high, with Green leaves which are boldly variegated with Yellow and Whote stripes. The young spring foliage has a distinctly rosy hue. The wide-spreading grass flower heads are of little ornamental value and should be removed. The planting depth is 0 - 6 inches and it can be grown in the bog garden. Unless Glyceria is used to stabilise the bank of a lake or large pond, it should always be grown in a container to restrict its sideways spread. It is an easy plant to grow even in partial shade and it quickly becomes established and stars to spread, this is the main problem with this particular plant.



Houttuynia (Houltuynia)

An easy to grow carpeter for planting between taller specimens, but you must grow it in a container to keep 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' is preferred. Variegata has the most colourful foliage which is Reddish-Green splashed with Yellow and cream but with only a few 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 can be damaged in winter if they are exposed to frost or ice.



Caltha (Marsh Marigold)

The Marsh Marigolds are perhaps the most popular of all Marginal plants, and quite rightly so. The size of the smaller types makes them suitable for small ponds and they are reliable under a wide range of conditions. The recommended planting depth is no roblem, they need very little water above the crowns and will grow quite happily in the bog garden. Their greatest advantage is the time of flowering, the Buttercup-like flowers appear above the round or heart shaped leaves in spring. These April blooms herald in the start of the floral year. Grow Marsh Marigolds in groups in full sun or partial shade. The basic and most popular species is the Kingcup Caltha palustris. In April the bright Yellow waxy flowers are borne on branching stems above the dark Green leaves. Height 1 foot to 18 inches, planting depth is 0 - 2 inches. The best Caltha of all is C.palustris Plena - double Yellow flowers which look like small pompon Crysanthemumsappear in April. The leafy mounds are small (6 inches th 1 foot) and are often completely covered by the blooms. The White variety alba produces its blooms in May - height 6 - 9 inches, planting depth 1 inch. It is often disappointing as a Marginal s o it is best to grow it as a bog plant.C.leptosepala is a more attractive White floweredCaltha, but it is not easy to find. C polypetala is the giant growing 2 - 3 feet in height, planting depth 2 - 5 inches. The leaves and the Yellow blooms are large. Not one for a small pond.

Awesome Marginal Plants for the Garden Pond

There are 6 groups of plants which you should consider for your pond. This article and a few of the following ones are all about what we call Marginals. When we talk about Marginal plants we think of them as purely ornamental as they do not play a part in maintaining a satisfactory balance in the pond. They only serve 2 functions. The boundary between the water and the pond side is softened which is often desirable in a Formal pond and always essential in an Informal one, they provide floral colour and/or interesting leaves during the growing season. Many types are available. Depending on the variety of plant, the recommended depth for planting is 0 - 6 inches. Their home is on the marginal shelf or in the shallows of the pond. The traditional method of growing them is to plant them in soil at the bottom of the shelf, but it is better to set them in baskets. Do not mix different varieties in a single container. Here are a couple of plants that I have placed into my pond to add a bit of colour.

Carex (Sedge)
The Sedges are included here as they are generally found in the Marginal plant section of the numerous catalogues, but these grassy perennials are generally happier growing in wet soil rather than within the pond. Planting depth when grown as a Marginal is 0 - 2 inches. There is nothing special about these plants, but the yellow-leaved Carex stricta 'Bowles Golden' has become quite popular in recent years. The tall Sedges can look attractive at the water's edge of a large pond, but they have no place in the average sized one. For the ordinary garden pond there are more interesting Marginals than Carex.

Cyperus (Umbrella Grass)
These graceful members of the Sedge family are foliage plants which bear lance-shaped leaves which radiate from the tops of the stems like the ribs of an umbrella. The summer flower heads are branching spikes of tiny brown or reddish flowers. The popular one is the sweet Garlingale (Cyperus longus) which is used to consolidate the banks of natural pond sand is cut for flower arranging. An invasive plant growing to about 3ft high. Planting depth is 3 - 5 inches. The dark green leaves are rough and spiky. C.vegetus is more compact and therefore more suitable for the average garden pond. The leaves are broader than those of C. longus but the stems are only 1- 2ft high. The recommended planting depth is 0 - 4 inches. and it can be grown in a bog garden.

Cotula (Golden Buttons)
A useful Marginal, especially for the small ponds. The spreading leafy clumps are no more than 6 inches high and are covered all summer long with small yellow button-like flowers. The foliage is aromatic. Cotula coronopifolia is an annual and that means that it dies once the flowering season is over. This generally does not pose a problem as the plant readily sets seed and a flush of self-sown seedlings in spring replaces last year's specimens. The recommended planting depth for Cotula is 0 - 5 inches.