We offer a wide variety of aquatic & tropical plants!
Aquatic plants plan an essential role in keeping your pond healthy. Plants keep water clean by absorbing nutrients. Lilies provide shelter for fish as well - not only from predators but also from the sun as Koi can get sunburns. Lotus plants will add beauty while keeping your water oxygenated.
Mother natures true filters are great for adding character to a pond by providing color and texture. In a natural setting fish eat the plants then they produce waste, which gets broken down (along with other pond debris) by aerobic bacteria that is colonized on the rocks and gravel below, and then taken back up as nutrients by the plants...over and over. From a filtration perspective plants thrive from the excess nutrients in a pond and depriving algae of its food source. The aquatic plants in a water garden, given proper coverage are critical for the overall health of the ecosystem.
Mother natures true filters are great for adding character to a pond by providing color and texture. In a natural setting fish eat the plants then they produce waste, which gets broken down (along with other pond debris) by aerobic bacteria that is colonized on the rocks and gravel below, and then taken back up as nutrients by the plants...over and over. From a filtration perspective plants thrive from the excess nutrients in a pond and depriving algae of its food source. The aquatic plants in a water garden, given proper coverage are critical for the overall health of the ecosystem.
Aquatic plants seem harder to find each year, so we now offer our customers and fellow pond-lovers a wide variety of plants to add to any water garden. There are several types of aquatic plants, which are explained below. All plants are available in limited quantities, so if you are interested in a certain plant please let us know. Tropical plants are not suited to our Illinois temperatures, but will be available in early summer. Tropical plants are a great source of enjoyment in the late summer and fall, when other plants begin to slow down and die off. Topicals, like annuals, grow fast, bloom bright vivid colors.
Different types of Aquatic Plants
Tropical & Hardy - Topicals, like annuals, grow fast, bloom in vivid colors and keep that color long into the season. Hardy plants overwinter, keep the water balanced as they green out and offer the first colors of the season.
Water Lilies & Lotus - The most popular water plants, water lilies and lotuses are often the centerpiece of most ponds. Not only are they extremely beautiful, but they provide shade to keep the pond cool and refuge for Koi fish.
Submerged Aquatics (Oxygenators) - Extremely important for the health of a pond, oxygenators suppress algae over blooms and absorb carbon dioxide from the pond fish. In exchange, they release oxygen back into the water.
Marginal Plants (Wet-Loving Perennials) - Many perennials thrive on the pond edge, in bogs or along the banks of creeks and streams. These plants shape and sculpture the edges of the water garden, catchments, drain spouts or run-off areas.
Floaters (Hyacinth's - Lettuce) - These are essential for a healthy ecosystem and one of the first plants to go in your water garden in the spring. Floaters provide the best filtration for your pond and quickly multiply to cover the water surface, also providing beneficial shade and cover for your Koi fish.
Water Lilies & Lotus - The most popular water plants, water lilies and lotuses are often the centerpiece of most ponds. Not only are they extremely beautiful, but they provide shade to keep the pond cool and refuge for Koi fish.
Submerged Aquatics (Oxygenators) - Extremely important for the health of a pond, oxygenators suppress algae over blooms and absorb carbon dioxide from the pond fish. In exchange, they release oxygen back into the water.
Marginal Plants (Wet-Loving Perennials) - Many perennials thrive on the pond edge, in bogs or along the banks of creeks and streams. These plants shape and sculpture the edges of the water garden, catchments, drain spouts or run-off areas.
Floaters (Hyacinth's - Lettuce) - These are essential for a healthy ecosystem and one of the first plants to go in your water garden in the spring. Floaters provide the best filtration for your pond and quickly multiply to cover the water surface, also providing beneficial shade and cover for your Koi fish.
