Most floating pond plants are not in pots. They float around on top of the water absorbing nutrients from fish waste and
usually growing like crazy. I mean most of the time faster than you can imagine. I often warn people not to go away for
the weekend for fear they will return to an entire water garden covered with floating plants.
So why is this crazy writer telling us pond hobbyists that they need to have floating plants that are more trouble than they are worth and may take over our lives. The floating plant that will not take over your pond unless you allow it to, provides shade for your submerged vegetation and just as important, provides hiding places for your fish, so hungry egrets or herons can't drop in for sushi at lunch and dinner time. Sunshine hitting water makes algae, so covering at least half of the pond with floating plants cuts down algae. And floating plants are pretty.
Water hyacinths
The common floating plants are water hyacinths, brought into New Orleans from Japan for the 1884 World's Fair.
Ostensibly, they were to clean out the polluted bayous. (already polluted in 1884!) Water hyacinths seem to thrive on toxins and suck them out of the water, leaving it clear. They have long blackish purple roots that trail on forever, acting as a filter for the water and the fish love to snack on the roots of the plant. Well, you say, aren't they great plants? Well, no, not really. They cleaned up New Orleans bayous all right. They also clog every bayou, stream, fresh water lake or swamp wherever they land. They make the drainage ditches next to the roads look like solid ground. They are everywhere and no one knows how to get rid of them.
It is now illegal to sell water hyacinths in Louisiana and many other states where they don't freeze back to nothing in the winter. So beware of water hyacinths with their incredibly beautiful blue flower, beckoning bulb shaped leaves. They can take over your pond. That said, I used them in every pond I built. They clean up the water, making the pond easier to care for. My clients loved them. They were instructed to remove the hyacinths every time more than 60% of the water surface was covered and put those hyacinths in the compost heap immediately.
Floating plants are invasive.
So are there floating plants that are not invasive? No, not really. But they are still necessary. Some do grow more slowly than others, but they all take over soon enough. Some of my favorites are Water Clover and Water Poppies.
The Water Clover has a yellow flower that is pretty and blooms all summer.
The Water Poppy has a delicate white flower that looks fuzzy and beautiful.
A mosaic plant is wonderfully pretty. It has a texture to it that makes it look like somebody made it.
How could I forget water lettuce or water cabbage - same plant, different names
These guys grow faster than weeds and are also illegal in many states. But goldfish love to snack on their roots and they do provide shade for your pond
Controlling floating plants
To keep these plants under control, just dip or rip the extra out and either compost it or give it to a new pond owner.
Above all, when considering floating plants, check with your local nursery or extension service to find out if the plant is legal to grow in your area. And even if they are legal and you buy them, when you are thinning them out, never put them in a public waterway. They could become a noxious weed in your area and crowd out native vegetation.
But do use them in your pond. They are essential to the balanced pond, they add an entire dimension to your landscape and float gently around for your enjoyment.
~Jan Goldfield
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