Plants for your Garden Fountains

Your garden fountains don’t need to be sterile stone pools, populated only by constellations of wishing pennies. By choosing the right water plants, you can turn garden fountains into lush extensions of your garden’s beauty.

There are three types of water plants appropriate for garden fountains. Oxygenators are the most important type; they grow mostly submerged and generally have minimal root systems. Oxygenators are vigorous plants that filter sediments and impurities from the water, while suppressing the growth of algae. Fanwort and parrot’s feather are classic oxygenators; their feathery spikes of leaves inspired the forms of common faux aquarium plants. Water violet and water buttercup are attractive semi-submerged oxygenators that send up colorful flowers from their underwater colonies.

Floating plants such as water hyacinth, another dramatic flowering plant, move freely with the wind and current, but most of their growth remains above the surface. Floating plants are also helpful in filtering garden fountains, but they thrive best when the water does not move too quickly. Floating plants must also be watched carefully, as they tend to spread rapidly and choke out competing growth. A maximum of one-third of the water surface should be covered by floating growth; remove the excess promptly, and take care not to introduce it into local waterways where it might become a problematic weed.

Marginal water plants are the third and largest category of interest. As the name suggests, marginals grow best near the water’s edge, in approximately three to five inches of water. The majority of the plant emerges from the water, and many popular marginals have beautiful foliage or showy flowers. Marginals need a substrate such as coco mat or gravel to anchor their roots in. For this reason, marginals will do best in large garden fountains where the water flow is not too extreme; constant motion will disrupt their root systems.

Another effective way to plant marginals is to use an underwater planting basket, which protects the roots of your more delicate plants from fish grazing while allowing free flow of water. The basket can be anchored to the base of your fountain or weighted down with gravel to prevent it from drifting. Water lilies, while considered a deep-water marginal, are not suitable for fountains; they prefer still water.

Using a combination of these plants, you can protect your fountain from algae and enjoy clear, beautiful water as well as an abundance of natural color.

Polly Godwin has been an expert on garden fountains since 1998 and is the owner of DesignerFountains.com, a company specializing in the highest quality outdoor water fountains. Visit DesignerFountains.com today for expert advice and quality water fountains.