Different types of water garden plants and their general characteristics I
To have a complete water garden you will need water garden plants. Some plants are purely decorative giving necessary attraction to your garden, some are grown simply for the sake of their contribution to pool balance and ecology, while others are both beautiful and functional. How many of each type a pool needs is usually calculated on the basis of the pool surface area.
There are three basics category of water garden plants. They are oxygenators, floaters and marginars.
Submerged Oxygenated Plants.
Submerged oxygenated plants are the most important and functional water garden plants in your pond. Oxygenated plants helps by consuming mineral salts dissolved in the water which is one of the main causes of green water.
They provide food, shelter, a spawning medium, a refuge for fry, and oxygen for fish in the pool. As by-product of chemical process in plants, they produce oxygen, under the influence of light, but those which have their foliage on or above the water surface release it into the air. These ability of submerged oxygenated plants to produce abundant oxygen , also makes submerged oxygenated plants invaluable.
Submerged oxygenating plants have more factors needed to improve pool hygiene and balance. Despite all these good qualities they can take over your water garden in time and it’s very important to remember that they have little ornamental value.
All the following oxygenators are suitable for ponds.
Callitriche (Water Starwort)
Ceratophyllum (Hornwort)
Elodea (anacharis) Canadensis
Fontinalis antipyretica (willow moss)
Hottonia palautris (water Violet or Featherfoil)
Myriophyllum (water Milfoil)
Rnunculus aquatilis (Water Crowfoot)
In the second part of this article we will be looking at the other two categories of water garden plants.
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