To date we've had a lot of success with wildlife in and around the ponds. Although living in the south of the UK does help, this is probably mostly due to the large number of native plant species that we have in our garden. I'm still compiling a complete list of the native species we have elsewhere in the garden, but for now here's a list of the 39 native species that are either actually in the water or in the bog gardens next to the ponds:
Acorus calamus (sweet flag)
Alisma plantago-aquatica (water plantain)
Athyrium filix-femi (lady fern)
Baldellia ranunculoides (lesser water plantain)
Butomus umbellatus (flowering rush)
Calla palustris (bog arum)
Caltha palustris (marsh marigold)
Cardamine pratensis (cuckoo flower)
Carex pendula (pendulous sedge)
Carex pseudocyperus (sedge hop)
Dipsacus fullonum (teasel)
Eriophorum vaginatum (cotton grass)
Eupatorium cannabinum (hemp agrimony)
Filipendula ulmaria (meadow sweet)
Geum rivale (water avens)
Hieracium brunneocroceum (orange hawkbit)
Hydrocharis morsus-ranae (frogbit)
Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag iris)
Juncus effusus (soft rush)
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
Mentha aquatica (water mint)
Menyanthes trifoliata (bog bean)
Mimulus luteus (monkey flower)
Myriophyllum spicatum (water milfoil)
Nasturtium aquaticum (water cress)
Nuphar luteum (brandy bottle)
Nymphaea alba (white water lily)
Nymphoides peltata (fringed water lily)
Plantago media (hoary plantain)
Ranunculus aquatilis (water crowfoot)
Ranunculus flammula (lesser spearwort)
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Scirpus cernuus (fibre optic grass)
Scirpus lacustris (true bulrush)
Silene dioica (red campion)
Stratiotes aloides (water soldier)
Trifolium repens (clover wild white)
Typha angustifolia (narrow reed mace)
Veronica beccabunga (brooklime)
A few of these species of native plants can be found in your local garden centre, but there's a much greater selection on the internet. Some of the best sites that I've found for native pond and marginal plants include Puddle Plants, Wetland Plants and Naturescape (though if you order pond plants from Naturescape then be prepared to wait much longer than the delivery estimates on their website).
1 comment:
Found your Blog down through several conections originally from an American Blog. I found your blog on your Wildlife Pond very interesting. I have also Got a Wildlife Pond it's well established (24 years old). Some of the earlier plants were bought in but over the years many wild plants have become established.
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