Marginal plants for the water garden or pond

July 14, 7:01 PMSF Gardening ExaminerChris McLaughlin

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Water Snowflake (Photo by Jen)

Marginal plants are those that grow in varying amounts of water at the edge of a pond or slow stream. They bridge the gap between those plants that grow on shore and the true aquatic plants in the water.

Most marginal plants are highly ornamental and perennial; both are virtues prized by water gardeners. They're perfect for small or simple water gardens along with water lilies, and lotuses.

Nearly of these bog loving plants usually need their roots surrounded by soil and can live in anywhere from 4'-12" of water. Some of them will even thrive in simple murky mud. The water depth that make marginals the happiest will depend entirely upon the species. Occasionally, they'll need to be acclimated from the place of purchases living conditions to the ideal situation in the gardeners pond.

Because it's entirely possible to drown a marginal plant that does best in very shallow water, gardeners often create "marginal shelves" when building a water garden or pond. Late spring the best time to choose and purchase marginal plants from your local nursery or pond store because the new growth has already begun to emerge, yet the plants haven't become root-bound waiting for a permanent home. 

• Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus) - This perennial plant is reminiscent of a garden iris. It's easy to grow, keep in check, and reaches 2 - 3 feet in height. Plant it in full sun in water about 9' deep.
• Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus) - This is a perennial with long, twisted leaves and bears round, pink flower heads. It reaches 3 feet tall and likes full sun in 3'-6' if water.
• Lesser Spearwort (Ranunculus flammula) - This hardy perennial is low-growing (2 feet)and is happy in full sun or part shade. It has lance shaped leaves and a reddish stem with yellow buttercup type flowers in early summer.
• Umbrella Palm (Cyperus alternifolius) - This is an evergreen sedge that's leafless except for the umbrella leaf-spray at the top of the plant. They produce umbels of flowers in the summertime. It grows well in full sun to partial shade and will reach more than 3 feet tall.
• Water Snowflake (Nymphoides cristata) - These plants grow from rhizomes and can live in as little as 4" of water. The plant forms mats and ends up looking like a carpet of green. The flowers bloom in the spring and may continue until late fall. The white blooms are delicately fringed with yellow stamens and are fragrant, as well.
• Variegated Manna Grass (Glyceria maxima 'Variegata') - This true grass grows up to 32" high and is an extremely fast grower. The leaves have stripes of cream, green, and tinged with pink on the new growth. They produce brown flower heads in the summer.

*Reminder: Please don't put any species of water plant into natural waterways they may be in the invasive category.

This is a truly small sample of the many marginal plants out there to choose from. Interested in other water garden articles? Check out these on floating, submerged, mosquito-eating plants and creating a simple water garden.