Floating plant
A water plant that floats on the surface of a pond with its roots trailing in the water, such as water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes, and frogbit, Hydrocharis morsus-ranae.
Floating plants, such as water hyacinths, floating heart, and floating water ferns also reduce algal growth. Water hyacinths grow well in a barrel garden. They reproduce freely and may need to be thinned out as summer progresses.
Floating Plants
Roots in soil, leaves float Name Description Planting Comments
Fairy moss (Azolla caroliniana)
Green fronds (leaves) turn red in bright sun and in autumn.
Floating plants
Floating aquatic plants provide essential shade in your water pond. Shade from floating plants reduces algae, especially single celled algae that produce "green pea soup" or "green water".
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Floating plants consist of duckweeds (Lemna sp.), water meal (Wolffia columbiana), the non-native salvinia species, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), and others.
Floating plants float freely on the surface of the water and can be placed in all areas of the pond. They grow quickly and require periodic thinning. By shading the water with their leaves, they reduce the amount of light needed for algae to grow.
Other floating plants include Water Hyacinth, Duckweed, Water Lettuce, and Water Poppy.
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Some of the floating plants in a water garden such as water lettuce and water hyacinth will multiply and crowd across the surface of a container throughout the season.
Floating plants such as water hyacinth and water lettuce help reduce algae in the water garden. Water hyacinths reproduce rapidly; you may need to cull some of the plants from time to time.
PLANTS FOR A WATER GARDEN
Floating Plants
Fairy Moss (Azolla caroliniana)
Frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae)
Floating fern (Ceratopteris pteridoides)
Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) ...
Tender floating plants like water hyacinths should also be brought indoors and protected from frost. If this isn't possible, then you will have to treat them as an annual.
A pond in a pot usually includes floating plants, as well as marginal , or emergent, aquatics in terracotta pots or plastic baskets - the container is submerged, while the plants rise above water level.
Lotuses are another beautiful choice, though they are not true floating plants as they usually hold their leaves and flowers 4 to 8 feet above the water surface. Each lotus blossom can be as much as 10 to 12 inches across.
To maintain a healthy aquatic environment, it's important to include floating plants such as water-lilies (Nymphaea) alongside emergent plants, because they filter sunlight and thus minimize the growth of algae.
Floating plants are a great way to provide shade for the pond, but they are tropical in most regions and may become invasive.
Excessive plant growth, especially of free-floating plants, may be a problem. Periodically skim off excess growth of duckweed, water lettuce and other floating plants. Monthly, prune dying plant material.
Water gardens can take many shapes and forms, from a simple bowl with a couple of floating plants, to a huge undertaking with tall waterfalls and meandering streams.
Water Clover: A free floating plant that doesn't require a pot to secure its root system. They tolerate some shade and provide great cover for fish. Water clover does not tolerate cold winters.
Provide adequate shade by having 60 to 70% of the pond's surface area covered with floating plants or other types of shade.
Add water clarifiers and bottled bacteria if your water remains cloudy even when good filtration is present.
When deciding on pond depth, remember that shallow ponds are quicker to cloud with excess algae. Submerged plants, floating plants, and fish do better in deeper pools. A good, average depth is 18 to 24 inches, possibly deeper in colder climates.
Parrot's feather, aquatic mint and Aeschynomene fluitans are charming novelty-like plants that don't need to be potted and drape nicely out of a half barrel. And don't forget the floating plants such as water hyacinth and water lettuce.
Plants like water lilies need at least 5 inches of water above the top of their pot, while floating plants like water hyacinths and water lettuces can be grown in a salad bowl! Do you want fish?
 See also: Water, Plant, Floating plants, Algae, Grow
  
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