Tub Garden/Container Pond

Here are a few suggestions for planting up a tub garden or small container pond to give ideas about how you might plant up your own pond. Plants can be bought as singles if desired; where we recommend twos or threes of the same plant it is simply to give impact more quickly, especially if your pond is at the larger end of the range we give.  

Tub Garden/Container Pond. Defined as: Half-barrel pond approximately two feet across

Surface/Floating Plants (Choose 1 of the following options)

• Waterlily Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola' x 1
• Aponogeton distachyos x 1 (lower cost than a waterlily and in leaf most of the year, also a suitable option for shady locations)
• Aponogeton desertorum x 1 (lower cost than a waterlily and in leaf most of the year, not as suitable for shady locations as its cousin Aponogeton distachyos, but smaller so more in proportion for a barrel)
• Marsilea mutica x 1 (for an unusual tropical look, but no flowers)
• Hydrocharis morsus-ranae x 1 (a native option but in leaf less than half the year)

Oxygenators/Underwater (Choose 1 of the following options, all are native)

• Myriophyllum spicatum x 1 (will need to be thinned occasionally but in leaf all year)
• Ranunculus aquatilis x 2 (beautiful flowers and delicate foliage but dies away in summer so not ideal in a situation where it is the only oxygenator)
• Ceratophyllum x 1 (no need for a pot which can be useful with limited space but dies away in winter leaving the pond bare)
• Callitriche x 1 (in leaf all year, miniature and slow-growing so good for very small containers, but best in an established pond)
• Lemna trisulca x 1 (best for locations in deep shade, very slow-growing and no need for a pot which can be useful with limited space)

Marginal Plants (The number of marginal plants is mostly personal preference but we would suggest choosing 2 - 4 of the following options).

• Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' x 2 (evergreen, a suitable option for a shady location)
• Anagallis tenella x 2 (dainty semi-evergreen foliage and pink flowers in summer, native, but only suitable for very shallow water)
• Baldellia ranunculoides  x 2 (pink flowers and seedheads all summer, also native)
• Caltha palustris var. radicans x 2 (yellow flowers in spring, also native) or Caltha palustris 'Flore Pleno' x 1 (more showy flowers but not quite native)
• Cyperus involucratus x 1 (gives height and an exotic look)
• Eriophorum vaginatum x 2 (white seed heads spring to summer, also native)
• Equisetum hyemale x 1 or Equisetum scirpoides x 2 (evergreen foliage and suitable options for a shady location. E. hyemale is native and will give a lot of height, around 3 feet. If this is too tall E. scirpoides, from northern Europe, reaches only 6 inches high)
• Hydrocotyle vulgaris x 1 (very good at covering the pond edge, native, and in proportion for a small container, but will probably need to be thinned after a while)
• Isolepis cernua x 2 (very numerous tiny silvery flowers, evergreen foliage, also native)
• Juncus ensifolius x 2 or Juncus effusus f. spiralis x 1
• Myosotis scorpioides 'Mermaid' x 2 (blue flowers all summer)
• Potentilla palustris x 2 (unusual colour flowers, also native)
• Ranunculus flammula subsp. minimus x 2 (yellow buttercup flowers from spring to autumn, also native) 
• Typha minima x 1 (gives height and a traditional 'bulrush' look)