Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Tuesday - June 13, 2006

From: Garland, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Water Gardens
Title: Native plants for water garden in Garland, TX
Answered by: Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

Hello, I was interested in creating a water garden-koi pond in the landscaping and was interested to know what plants you would suggest for this usage that would be perennial? Furthermore I was interested in using bog & marginals, submerged, and floating plants that would not have invasive tendencies but still be visually interesting and possibly flower. Thank you for your time.

ANSWER:

The Wildflower Center has a 2-page PDF article on Water Gardening that you can download from the Native Plant Library. While we will recommend some native plant species that should work well for you, their relative invasiveness will depend both on the pond they're in and on what your perception of invasive is. There is no doubt, though, that some plants will be more aggressive and require more maintenance than others.

Some bog/marginals that should work well for you are Hydrolea ovata, Pontederia ovata, Saururus cernuus, Iris brevicaulis and Hymenocallis liriosme.

An excellent submerged plant is Vallisneria americana.

Useful and interesting floating plants are Nymphaea odorata, Utricularia radiata and Marsilea macropoda.

 

More Water Gardens Questions

Source for Saltmarsh cordgrass from Houston
April 16, 2013 - I work for a consulting firm and we are looking to do more of our wetland creation/restoration. Do you know where one can purchased Spartina alterniflora?
view the full question and answer

Evergreen perennials for a pond bank in Texas
June 18, 2015 - We want evergreen perennial plants for the banks of our small pond. The banks are eroding and we need to help keep them strong. We have ducks in the pond and lots of turtles. We would love something ...
view the full question and answer

Plants for edge of pond
June 23, 2008 - We live in Atlanta, Texas. My husband built a beautiful pond that is almost an acre in size. We are fortunate in that one side of the pond is covered by trees and a natural ground cover that keeps w...
view the full question and answer

Water-loving native plants for Pottstown, PA
September 11, 2009 - I live about 40 miles west of Philadelphia. I am looking for a water absorbing evergreen tree/bush/plant that I could plant in the rear of my yard. We get a small stream every good rain and the back...
view the full question and answer

Problems with non-native bi-color iris from Spring Branch TX
August 18, 2011 - Bi colored iris. I have four plants planted around our water feature last fall. Up until recently they all looked very healthy, yet not blooming. Several weeks ago I noticed that two of the plants ...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.