Floating Aquatics can be planted similarly to their submerged counterparts. They grow best if their dragging roots can touch the soil. These plants are mostly annuals, so they are inexpensive making them easy to order each year.
These plants are some of the most beautiful and exciting to watch, which compensates for the fact that they will need to be replaced each year. They require very little care. These plants are practical; they create shade for fish as well as cover to protect them. They will also help to reduce the growth of algae that competes for their food supply.
Here are the best options for Floating Aquatics:
- Azolla Caroliniana -- A mass plant, crinkly and mosslike
- Duckweed (lemna minor)
- Floating Heart (Nymphoides peltatum)
- Frog's Bit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae)
- Salvinia
- Shell-flower (Pistia Stratiotes)
- Water-chestnut (Trapa natans)
- Water-fern (Ceratopteris thalictroides)
- Water-hyacinth (Eichhornia)
- Water-poppy (Limnocharis Humboldtii)
- Water-snowflake (Limnathemum indicum)
Marsh and Bog Plants for Bordering the Pools:
The final oxygenators are border plants. These aquatic plants are placed to hide the line where the concrete and earth meet; they provide oxygen and make the pool more beautiful. Place plants in the corner and center to create a stunning setting that will enhance the overall look of your pool.
Border plants are slightly different from other aquatics; they cannot be placed into the water, but have to be planted into loam first. Other than that they require very little planting.
There are three basic potting types for border plants. Border plants with submerged roots need to be planted in 6-10 inch pots or boxes that should be set on a ledge at the prescribed water level.
If the plant has a root crown just above the water, it will need to be boxed and filled with earth to the correct level. There are also plants that come from dry surface, but whose roots can thrive in marshy conditions. Be sure to check the potting method for the plants you choose!
Here is a list of great border plants:
- Arrowhead (Sagittaria)
- Bogbean (Sagittaria latifolia)
- Bulrush (Scirpus)
- Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
- Cat-tail (Typha latifolia)
- Creeping Primrose (Jussiaea diffusa)
- Egyptian Paper Plant (Cyperus Papyrus)
- Flowering-rush (Butomus umbellatus )
- Forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris)
- Iris (Iridaceae)
- Lizard's Tail (Saururus cernuus)
- Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)
- Primrose Willow (Jussiaea longifola)