Pond plants for the winter

Are there any pond plants that will look nice in the winter?

Of course it will depend on what part of the country you live in as to what if any pond plants will do well in your pond in the winter months. Pond plants are broken down into two basic categories: hardy and non-hardy.

Keep in mind there will be some varying factors on winter survival in the pond and the USDA Zone hardiness charts are general guidelines as to how hardy the plant may be. This is only a guideline and you must still watch your weather carefully. You may be in zone 7 but will have a zone 4 winter from time to time. If that happens it is best to bring your favorites indoors on those particularly harsh nights, just to be safe.

Hardy Bog Plants

Some pond plants may even take a few frosts. The reason for this is that the pond water is warmer than the air temperature. The larger the pond, the more likely this is to be true. Larger, deeper ponds will take much longer to cool down than smaller, shallower ponds. For plants that are hardy for you, you may leave them in the pond until the top is damaged by frost. Once that happens, take a sharp pair of pruners and prune all the foliage off of the plant so that it is level with the top of the pot. Take care not to cut below the crown or the plant may die. Examples of some winter hardy pond plants are Cattails, Pickeral Rush , Water Cannas, Water Callas. But just because they are winter hardy does not mean they look nice in the winter. But they will, after cut down come back up in the spring.

Water lilies, lotus

If you live in a harsh winter zone then Tropical water lilies and Lotus need to be brought indoors for the winter or considered as annuals. But they are well worth the extra effort as they are the most beautiful of the aquatic plants in your pond.

Hardy water lilies will handle even the coldest winters

Hardy water lilies will handle even the coldest winters and come back smiling the next spring. They do not need any special handling in the winter. But important to note that they do not look nice in the winter. They may have a few scraggly leaves at the surface and that is it.

There are many pond plants that are considered good choices for your pond in the winter.

Especially in the states that do not freeze often. You may even be surprised with blooms during the winter months too if light is sufficient and the water is warm enough.

Examples of bog plants that will look nice in most zone 5 and above winter ponds:

• Anacharis (Egeria densa)

• Aquatic Mint (Mentha aquatic)

• Corkscrew Rush (Juncus effusus spiralis)

• Moneywort (Bacopa monnieri)

• Umbrella Palm (Cyperus alternifolius)

• Water Iris (many varieties like Iris kaempferi or Iris pseudacorus)

• Water callas

• Umbrella palms

• Parrot’s Feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum)

Examples of lily-like plants that will look nice in most zone 5 and above winter ponds:

• Water Hawthorne (Aponogeton distachyos)

• Water poppy (Hydrocleys nymphoides)

• Snowflake (Nymphoides geminata)

Although not a complete list, these are some recommendations of aquatic plants that will add a little life to your pond while you wait for springtime.

---

Pond Talk: Pond plants for the winter
Source: www.sunlandwatergardens.com
Author: Jacklyn Rodman

Follow us on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+sunlandwatergardens/
Follow Us On FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/sunlandwatergardens
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sunlandwatergar

---

Pond plants for the winter

Source: https://sunlandwatergardens.com/pond-talk/pond-plants-winter/