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Advice for plants for new wildlife pond

chris151chris151 Posts: 3
in Wildlife gardening

Hey all, I am new to the forum and today built my first pond. It is only a small pond around 2 meters by 1 meter in size and has steps with the shallowest area around 5cm deep and the deepest area is around 50cm deep. I used underlay and PVC lining and was wondering what peoples advice would be on suitable plants for in and around a pond like this? It will be used purely for wildlife and attracting frogs, damselfly ect and not for fish

Thanks
Chris

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Posts

  • flowerbunny85flowerbunny85 Posts: 30
    Don't use water lillies they will take over, water iris can go a bit mad too, water forget me not is very sweet and it looks lovely, and there's a beautiful little yellow flier that looks like a buttercup they won't take over either, some grasses provide shelter from winds nd things and a place for the dragonflies to hatch, you can also put bundles of the plants you put into a fish bowl in too, just throw it in for extra oxygen for all kinds of creatures. Hope I helped a bit, good luck!!
  • chris151chris151 Posts: 3

    Thank you for the advice flowerbunny85, I will have a look into the water forget me not

    Thanks
    Chris

  • Suz3Suz3 Posts: 105

    We are in a similar situation to you Chris.

    We have just built a large fish pond and are currently sorting out the planting. For us it is trial and error, but what we have done is scope out a few local garden centres and currently as it's plant season - there are loads of offers on. Therefore for us - it is a case of suck it and see what suits.

    I read the post above with interest - thanks for the advice Flowerbunny!

    My advice Chris to you is make sure you consider something for the wildlife to climb in and out of the pond like stones, shelves etc. Good luck!!

     

  • flowerbunny85flowerbunny85 Posts: 30
    You are very welcome, have fun!! Let me know how it turns out, if you remember.
  • janebaljanebal Posts: 130

    Have also just made a wild life pond - watched Monty Don on Gardeners World last Friday and went out and got Caltha Palustris - the yellow buttercup - that he recommended for attracting insects,  Water Forget -me-not, a small type water iris and some Hornwort (pond weed native to U.K.) . I once had the yellow flag iris in a pond that I made and it completely took over so I don't recommend that. Do keep stuff in pond baskets in aquatic soil  because when I didn't do this due to inexperience, my old pond turned into a mass of roots and plants and I couldn't see the water after a year or two so I had to clear it out and start again. It is amazing how quickly things grow. It is OK if you have a huge pond but in a small pond you need smaller plants that won't take over too much.

  • WateryWatery Posts: 388

    Check out Puddleplants.co.uk.  They have a great selection and easily arranged by where in the pond to put them.   I had trouble finding native plants at my local GCs.  What's done the best for me is the watercress I bought in a bag at the supermarket. I put some leaves in water for a few days and when they started growing roots I put them in a basket and it's taken off and lasted all winter.   I planted just in grit and gravel and not in aquatic soil and things have done well.  They are getting nutrients from the silt and organic matter that eventually builds up even though I try to keep the  pond clean.  Birds use it and other things.  I think I had some pond snail eggs on the plants I got from Puddleplants but they are useful in the pond so I don't mind.    Either that or the snails just found me.   After almost a year we have lots of invertebrates,  plants are doing well and just a few frogs. No spawn this year, which is disappointing, but the pond is actually a bathtub with rocks/planting baskets to use as beaches.  (With plenty of escape ramps.)

     

  • janebaljanebal Posts: 130

    Are snails are a good idea for the pond and if so what sort?

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,137

    Pond snails are great - they feed on decomposing vegetable matter so help keep the water clean.  Lymnaea stagnalis. (UK Native Pond Snails) are best for smaller shallower ponds.  Ramshorns are better in deeper ponds.

    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • janebaljanebal Posts: 130

    Have looked at the link to Puddleplants.co.uk - thanks Watery - very good selection of stuff - didn't realise you could get white and pink as well as blue water forget -me- not. Very tempted although postage is a lot on top.

  • GemmaJFGemmaJF Posts: 2,286

    They do supply very good plants, bought all the plants for my pond from them last autumn. Bit early to tell yet but most seem to be picking up now and growing great. image

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