Native Plants
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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Saturday - April 28, 2012
From: Topeka, KS
Region: Midwest
Topic: Water Gardens
Title: Perennial plants for full sun around pond
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I am looking for full sun perennial plants for the exterior of a water pond. Planting suggestions?ANSWER:
You can find these yourself by going to our Native Plant Database and doing a COMBINATION SEARCH, choosing "Kansas" under Select State or Province, "Sun - 6 or more hours" under Light Requirement and "Wet - saturated" under Soil Moisture. This will give you more than 100 choices, but you can limit it by other characteristics by using the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option on the sidebar. Most of these will grow in the water as well as the very moist area at the edge of your pond. Here are some suggestions from that list:
Asclepias incarnata (Swamp milkweed)
Equisetum hyemale (Canuela) will tend to "take over" unless you confine it in a container.
Hibiscus moscheutos (Crimsoneyed rosemallow)
Iris brevicaulis (Zigzag iris)
Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal flower)
Pontederia cordata (Pickerelweed)
Typha latifolia (Broadleaf cattail) is another plant that "take over" unless confined to a container.
Verbena hastata (Swamp verbena)
If you want plants that grow in slightly drier areas, then you can modify your search to "Moist - soils looks and feels damp" under Soil Moisture.
From the Image Gallery
More Water Gardens Questions
Deer Resistant Pond Plants
March 14, 2013 - I am looking for deer resistant aquatic plants to use around a natural swimming pond in San Marcos, TX. The plants will be used to filter the water in a separate section of the pond. There will be a p...
view the full question and answer
Plants for edge of intermittent stream
July 05, 2009 - I have a friend in Washington DC who is having runoff problems. She is having a drycreek installed. What kind of plants are native to her area that will withstand flash flood and intermittent dry co...
view the full question and answer
Plants for wet soils in North Carolina
October 03, 2009 - I'm looking for evergreen plants (shrubs or ground cover)that will tolerate wet conditions for the zone 8 area of North Carolina. The local garden centers here do not stock these types of plants, eve...
view the full question and answer
Effect of herbicides on frogs
December 10, 2007 - I live in a planned development adjacent to a natural waterway that contains native and non native plants. It also is an amphibian habitat with many frogs.
The landscape manager has sprayed the ar...
view the full question and answer
Pond plants that ducks will NOT eat
March 27, 2009 - What kind of pond plants are there that ducks will NOT eat?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |