Water garden plants provide habitat even in the smallest pond. They improve the pest balance by attracting birds, frogs and dragonflies to the garden. Water plants consume nutrients that would otherwise be available for algae. Submerged plants and oxygenating plants filter and oxygenate, helping to clarify the water. Waterside plants, such as Water Iris, also act like sponges soaking up the excess nutrients in the pond water. They provide protection to pond life by keeping predators, such as cats, away from the pond edges.

Creeping plants provide habitat and protection for other pond life such as fish, tadpoles and frogs. They are ideal for container water gardens where they can grow out over and soften the pond edges. Some of these water plants can even be planted in pockets to hang down alongside waterfalls.

Australian native plants are the choice for those trying to create habitats or native ecosystems, but there is no reason why you can’t blend plants to suit your own garden style.

Collectors of more unusual water plants, or the enthusiast looking for water garden plants that are a little more challenging to grow can browse through our short list.

Oz Watergardens sources many of the water plants from our own 10 metre deep, 2 hectare lake, so we know which deep water plants to recommend for the larger ponds and dams.

With the growing trend in aquaculture, we are constantly discovery the benefits of growing edible aquatic plants. This can be a fun family activity that can be as simple as growing a water chestnuts in a bucket or bath tub in the backyard.