Step-By-Step Guide to Potting Up Your Pond Plant

Each plant variety you order from us will arrive wrapped in damp paper and packed in a plastic bag or tub with an identifying label. Unpack your plant as soon as possible after arrival by cutting off the plastic outer covering, carefully easing the plant out, taking off the paper and any clingfilm, and removing any bamboo sticks. Take care to keep the right label with the right plant.

Plants that have arrived loose or bare root should ideally be planted up immediately. If this is not possible, they should still be unwrapped and placed in a bucket of water. Plants that have arrived in pots should be stood in a bucket or tray of water (depending on how deep they need to be) until you decide what to do with them. Plants should preferably be stored in a frost-free place out of direct sunlight – they have been grown outdoors and are used to the British weather whenever you buy them, but some varieties are more susceptible to damage from ice or heat while in transit than they would be normally.

You can simply put the plants straight in your pond in the pots they came in if you wish, but in most cases we would recommend that you pot them on into a larger container for the best long-term result. We generally sell them when they have filled their nursery pot and are ready to be potted on into something bigger. We suggest a recommended pot size on each plant's page on our website. (If no pot size is recommended, this means that the pot they arrive in is big enough for them, or that they are marsh plants which we expect to be planted into the ground). When you do pot them on or plant them out, ease off the existing pot that they came in. If this is difficult to do because the plant's roots have tightly filled the pot, you may find it easier if you snip the pot down the sides with scissors to open it up, and then take it off like that. Be careful if doing this – cut pot edges are surprisingly sharp. 

Planting Straight Into The Ground

If you are planting a bog garden, if you have put soil on the base of your pond, or if you are lucky enough to have a natural pond, you can simply plant your plant straight into the ground as you would any garden plant. Most pond plants appreciate plenty of room for their roots, and will grow well when planted out like this. In this case, if the area is above water, prepare the soil by digging it over and removing any weeds that might compete with your plants. If the area is under water, clear away any weeds, leaves or other debris, but there is no need to dig the soil over. Then simply use a spade or trowel to dig a hole where you want the plant to grow, deep enough and wide enough to comfortably accommodate the whole of the roots. Place the plant in this hole; if it is a bare-root plant, spread its roots out with your hand. Hold the plant around its root ball or, for bare-root plants, at the base of the growing point (the growing point is the bit where the shoots and leaves emerge, also called the crown) and carefully fill the hole with soil, firming it up as you go. Make sure the plant’s growing point is just above the soil level when you have finished. Gently firm the last of the soil back down with your hand or the heel of your foot. If your natural soil is very poor, consider filling the hole back in with shop-bought aquatic soil rather than your own soil – this gives the plant a pocket of better soil to help it establish faster.

Occasionally, you may want to grow plants directly in the ground in an area under water too deep, or too far from the bank, to easily dig a hole. In this case, you can place the plant in a ‘bag’ made from a square of hessian, together with some soil if necessary, and a few medium-sized stones as a weight. Draw together the ends of the hessian to create the ‘bag’ and tie them loosely with biodegradable string so that the stems of the crown are emerging from the top. Drop the bag into the water where you want the plant to be, making sure it will not be too deep for the plant to thrive. Keep an eye out to ensure the plants are not disturbed by fish or water birds while they gradually root into the pond bottom.

The label included with the plant will specify a minimum and maximum water depth; the plant will grow best at the shallowest end of this range, as it will get the most light. Similarly, remember that most flowering pond plants will flower best when placed in a sunny spot.

Potting Your Plant

If you are not planting straight into the ground you will usually be potting your plant. Pond plants are traditionally potted in open-mesh aquatic baskets, and we would recommend that you use these if you can. These allow the plant's roots to escape the pot and spread right out into the pond water. Plants generally grow much better in them because they are less confined, and will last longer before needing re-potting. If you can't find or afford aquatic baskets, you can use normal plastic garden pots (those with solid sides and the holes in the bottom) like any other potted plant. These have the advantage of being low cost, readily available, and easier to remove when the time comes to re-pot (it is often difficult to disentangle plant roots from the mesh of an aquatic basket). However, because solid pots do strongly restrict the plant's roots, make sure that you re-pot the plant at least once a year.

Do ensure that whatever pot you choose gives your plant enough room. Most aquatic plants like a large space to spread their roots out (more than garden plants do), and will not perform or flower well in small or cramped pots. Small marginal plants, oxygenators, and miniature waterlilies can be started in pots of around 1 litre capacity, while larger marginal plants and other waterlilies are best started in pots of 2 to 5 litre capacity. You can find specific information on recommended pot size on each plant's page on our website. For best results we would advise that they are then re-potted or divided every two years, or at least every three years.

We generally recommend that each variety of plant is potted individually, so that they are not competing for space in one basket - they will never grow at exactly the same rate. If you do want to do a mixed pot, check it at least once or twice in the growing season to see how the plants are getting on together and if one is starving or smothering another.

Modern open-mesh aquatic baskets have fine mesh and do not usually require a hessian liner to hold the soil in. If you firm the soil down well and place the pot in the pond carefully, the soil will generally stay in place. However, if you are using very fine powdery or sandy soil, have significant water flow, have disturbance from fish, or are using an old-fashioned large-mesh basket, it would probably be a good idea to use a hessian liner. Either way it is helpful to line the basket, or the holes at the bottom of a conventional pot, with some newspaper to make it easier to keep the soil in while you pot the plant up.

An alternative to pots and liners is to use aquatic planting bags – these are flexible, permeable, fine-mesh bags, generally made out of woven plastic, which will not leach soil out and which can be fitted into awkward places and rolled down to reduce size. They do restrict roots but less than solid pots do, because of their permeability. Another alternative is to shape your own planting bags out of hessian squares. These are fully bio-degradable, but this also means that they will eventually disintegrate in the pond, probably before the plant needs re-potting.

Pot the plant in a heavy, loamy soil. This is a soil which is composed of sand, silt, and clay, rather than being a peat-based soil (which will tend to float and is not nourishing enough for water plants in the long term). Loamy soils like this will usually look brown rather than black. If you are potting waterlilies or deep-water plants such as Orontiums or Butomus, these like an even heavier soil, such as a heavy clay soil (around 30% clay content). Special aquatic soil is available in most garden centres and this is a good compromise for all pond plants. Alternatively, normal garden soil from somewhere like a flowerbed, that has been raked or sieved to make it workable, can be used. Do not use standard potting compost or any garden soil that has recently been fertilised, as this can cause excessive algae and/or green water in the pond.

It is best to use special slow-release aquatic plant fertiliser, as standard plant fertilisers will quickly dissolve and leach out into pond water. There are no hard-and-fast rules about fertilising pond plants, as it depends on the type of plant and on the soil used. As a guide, if potting a plant in fresh shop-bought aquatic soil and a nice large pot, it will not usually need added fertiliser. If potting it in poor, sandy soil or a pot that's on the small side, consider adding fertiliser, especially if it is a heavy-feeding plant such as a waterlily.

When you start potting up, firstly make sure that you have as many pots as you need, of the appropriate sizes, and any hessian or paper liners that you need. Ensure you have enough soil for all your pots. You might also want to have some gravel to hand – a thin layer of fine, washed gravel over the top of the soil will improve the look of the plant, and help to prevent fish or birds from digging it up. A trowel or scoop to pour the soil into the pot is also useful, as it is easier than using your hand.
 
If using a hessian liner, start by placing this in the pot and checking it is big enough to cover the inside. Now fill approximately one third of your pot with soil, and press it down very firmly. Fold and smooth the hessian liner as necessary as the soil goes in. Place the plant in the pot; if it is a bare-root plant, spread its roots out with your hand. If a bare-root plant has a horizontal rhizome with a 'cut' end and a 'growing' end, place the 'cut' end against the side of the pot, so that the 'growing' end has the most space to grow across the pot.

Hold the plant around its root ball or, for bare-root plants, at the base of the growing point (the growing point is the bit where the shoots and leaves emerge, also called the crown). Then carefully fill the rest of the pot with soil, firming it up as you go, and continuing to fold and smooth the liner, if using. Leave a small space at the top of the pot for the layer of gravel, if you are adding this. With bare-root plants, make sure the plant’s growing point is just above the soil level when you have finished. 

Add the layer of gravel to finish off, if desired. Cut off any excess pot liner, if using this.
 
Sprinkle the plant with water using a watering can or similar until the soil is thoroughly soaked through. If you do not do this the soil may float away when you put the plant in the pond.
 
You are now ready to place the plant in your pond. The label included with it will specify a minimum and maximum water depth; the plant will grow best at the shallowest end of this range, as it will get the most light. Similarly, remember that most flowering pond plants will flower best when placed in a sunny spot.