Pond plants: 20 plants for the mini pond

A mini pond is divided into five different plant zones. These are fundamental for the choice of the respective plants, as each plant has individual demands on the soil, especially its moisture.

1. The riparian zone (water edge)
2. The swamp zone (up to 15 cm water depth)
3. The wet zone (also up to 15 cm water depth)
4. The planting zone of the floating plants (up to 40 cm water depth)
5. The water surface (plants floating on the water)

Pond plants for the riparian zone

Hanging sedge/giant sedge (Carex pendula)

• Growth height: 0.5 m to 1.2 m
• Leaf color: dark green
• Flowering period: June to June
• Location: partially shaded
• hardy: yes

Thanks to a strong pruning in the spring, the giant sedge grows even more compact. This plant is preferably resistant to snail damage.

Crawling Mazus/Lipped Mouth (Mazus reptans)

• Growth height: up to 10 cm
• Flower color: white
• Flowering period: May to July
• Location: sunny or semi-shady
• hardy: yes

The creeping mazus is ideal for bank greening, as it spreads to cover the ground.

Kuckucks Lichtnelke (Lychnis flos-cuculi)

• Growth height: 30 to 40 cm
• Flower color: pink
• Flowering period: May to July
• Location: sunny to semi-shady
• hardy: no

The fringed flowers of the cuckoo campion, which appear in large numbers between the herbaceous stems, attract numerous insects to the mini pond.

Sumpfcalla (Calla palustris)

• Growth height: 20 cm to 30 cm
• Flower color: white
• Flowering period: May to July
• Location: sunny, semi-shady or shady
• hardy: yes

The swamp calla comes from arctic climes and likes to spread in bogs. Since these areas are disappearing more and more, the plant is now under nature protection in Germany.

Pond plants for the swamp zone

Maidengrass hair / bog bulrush or sims (Scirpus cernuus)

• Growth height: 30 cm to 40 cm
• Flower color: white
• Flowering period: May to July
• Location: sunny or semi-shady
• hardy: no

Thanks to its properties, the maidenhair grass increases the oxygen content in the mini pond and improves its water quality.

Swan Flower/Water Viola or Bulrush (Butomus umbellatus)

• Growth height: 0.5 m to 1.2 m
• Flower color: pink
• Flowering period: June to August
• Location: sunny
• hardy: yes

The swan flower exudes a lovely, honey-like scent that attracts numerous bees and bumblebees to the garden pond.

Sumpf Vergissmeinnicht (Myosotis palustris)

• Growth height: 30 to 70 cm
• Flower color: light blue
• Flowering period: May to September
• Location: partially shaded to sunny
• hardy: down to -20°C

The forget-me-not is one of the most popular perennials of all, thanks in large part to the plant’s versatility. Varieties are available for the normal garden bed or for stony soils. The swamp forget-me-not, on the other hand, belongs to the aquatic plants and feels at home in the swamp zone. It comes into its own most beautifully when it transforms the mini-pond into a sky-blue sea of ​​blossoms together with other species.

Zwergschachtelhalm (Equisetum scirpoides)

• Growth height: 15 cm to 20 cm
• Flower color: green
• Flowering time: –
• Location: sunny to semi-shady
• hardy: yes

The dwarf horsetail enriches the mini pond with its evergreen stems all year round. The occasionally occurring shades on the shoots are visually impressive.

Pond plants for the wet zone

Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

• Growth height: 70 cm to 80 cm
• Flower color: pink, red, fuchsia or light purple
• Flowering period: June to July
• Location: sunny or semi-shady
• hardy: down to -20°C

The striking flowers of the loosestrife, which shine in different shades of red, attract numerous bumblebees, bees and butterflies to the garden.

Round-leaved Frogspoon (Alisma parviflora)

• Growth height: 60 cm to 70 cm
• Flower color: white to soft pink
• Flowering time: June
• Location: sunny or semi-shady
• hardy: yes

This pond plant from Canada flowers until late autumn. If brown spots appear on the large leaves, the gardener must fertilize. They are a sign of a nutrient deficiency.

Sumpfdotterblume (Caltha palustris)

• Growth height: 20 cm to 30 cm
• Flower color: yellow
• Flowering time: March to May
• Location: sunny, semi-shady or shady
• hardy: yes

The marsh marigold is an evergreen in the planting zones of the mini pond and is also a pasture for insects. It is also very undemanding.

Different colored iris (Iris versicolor)

• Growth height: 15 cm to 25 cm
• Flower color: purple with yellow, white pattern
• Flowering period: June to July
• Location: sunny
• hardy: yes

This beautiful aquatic plant actually comes from North America, specifically Canada. In the meantime, however, it can also be found in southern Germany in the wild. Since it has a high nutrient requirement, it feels particularly at home on humus-rich soil. Despite its comparatively small growth height, the swamp iris represents an attractive pond greening.

aquatic plants

Breitblättriger Rohrkolben (Typha latifolia)

• Growth height: 2 m to 2.5 m
• Flower color: dark brown
• Flowering period: July to September
• Location: sunny
• hardy: yes

These aquatic plants help to improve water quality .

Heartleaf pikeweed (Pontederia cordata)

• Growth height: 50 cm to 60 cm
• Flower color: dark blue
• Flowering period: June to September
• Location: bright, sunny or semi-shady
• hardy: yes

Heartleaf pikeweed needs a lot of nutrients. Although it thrives in water, it must only be planted in the low water area.

Sea rose ‘Aurora’ (Nymphaea-Hybrid)

• Growth height: 8 cm to 10 m
• Flower color: apricot
• Flowering period: June to September
• Location: sunny
• hardy: yes

The water lily is one of the floating pond plants, but is assigned to the water zone. The water lily takes up little space in the body of water, but needs a lot of nutrients. This property makes it possible to keep them in a bucket as an alternative to the mini pond. In this form it should also overwinter the water lily . However, the water bucket must be kept in a warm location when there is frost so that the water surface does not freeze over. Although the ‘Aurora’ variety is hardy, this meant death for the crop.

Water lettuce/mussel flower (Pistia stratiotes)

• Growth height: 5 cm to 10 cm
• Leaf color: green
• Flower color: white
• Flowering time: –
• Location: sunny
• hardy: no

According to its tropical or subtropical origin, the mussel flower requires a warm location. The imposing aquatic plants not only create a visual attraction, but also serve practical purposes. On the one hand, as heavy consumers, they withdraw many nutrients from the mini-pond and thus rob algae of the basis on which they can spread. On the other hand, the gardener recognizes from an overpopulation that the balance of his biotope is beginning to tip.

floating plants

Dense-leaved waterweed (Elodea densa)

• Growth height: 50 cm to 60 cm
• Flower color: white
• Flowering period: June to August
• Location: sunny or semi-shady
• hardy: yes

The dense-leaved waterweed is one of the most popular pond plants and can now be found all over the world. The plant, originally from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, loves warm waters without much current. The aquatic plants are primarily known for their rapid growth and their water-clarifying properties.

Common Floating Fern (Salvinia natans)

• Height of growth: grows flat on the water surface
• Leaf color: light green
• Flowering time: –
• Location: sunny
• hardy: yes

The common floating fern loves calcareous water. However, it can also be overwintered well in aquariums.

Tannenwedel (Hippuris vulgaris)

• Growth height: 40 cm to 50 cm
• Flowering time: –
• Flower color: green
• Location: sunny to semi-shady
• hardy: yes

The fir frond comes from the far north. since it is used to cold temperatures, the miniature fir trees are always green, just like their larger relatives, even in winter.

Gemeines Hornblatt (Ceratophyllum demersum)

• Growth height: 0.8 cm to 1 m
• Leaf color: green
• Location: sunny
• hardy: yes

The common hornwort is ideal for the initial greening of the mini pond. As a heavy feeder, it sucks many nutrients from the water and thus contributes to its purification. In this way , it protects against algae growth and. In addition, it improves the oxygen content of the pond, so it is also possible to keep fish. The pond plants are wonderfully undemanding.