What Plants Should You Add to Your Pond or Lake?

Water features of all sizes can benefit from the addition of greenery. Aquatic plants can do a great job of making a backyard pond or a neighborhood lake look more natural and aesthetically pleasing. Here are some plants to consider adding to your waterscape for some organic beauty.

Lemon Bacopa

These plants are flowering herbs that spread naturally underwater. Their small, pale blue flowers float delicately on the water, and when the leaves are crushed, they give off a lemony scent. With proper aquatic weed control, these plants can be the highlight of a well-designed water feature.

Tape Grass

This is a Florida-native submerged grass that can be an excellent place for game fish like bass and bream to hide. It grows best in clear bodies of water and naturally appears in many springs and rivers. Tape grass can grow quite long, and it often can be seen swaying elegantly in the water.

Water Lily

These famous plants have been seen in popular culture in everything from classical paintings to video games. With their recognizable floating round, notched leaves and white or pink flowers, they make a striking addition to a pond, lake, or even fountain.

Soft Rush

Clumps of this tall, pale green grass can be found around Florida in both freshwater and saltwater wetlands. They thrive next to the water and require little maintenance.

Water Lotus

These beautiful plants look similar to water lilies, but their leaves and dazzling flowers emerge above the water’s surface instead of floating. With fragrant blooms of white, pink, red or orange, they can grow several feet above the surface of the water over time.

Bur Marigold

These delightful flowering plants produce bright yellow blooms in abundance. Also called the smooth beggarticks, they naturally appear in both Florida wetland areas and along riverbanks. Their thick clusters of flowers and bright hue make them an attractive choice for backyard ponds and community lakes.

Creeping Jenny

As its name suggests, this is a plant that naturally spreads, much like grass. Unlike grass, however, it boasts long tendrils of small, round green leaves. This is a great plant to use as a filler around the edges of a pond or lake. Planted among stones, it can soften the border and add visual interest to any water feature.

The plants that occur naturally in Florida’s waters are numerous and varied. Beyond native plants, there is also much flora that thrives well in and around ponds and lakes. This list is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to aquatic plants and hopefully will serve as a great starting point for your water feature design. Happy planting!