A garden pond is a wonderful way to add beauty, interest and visual appeal to your yard.
You can have a pond in almost any size or shape imaginable with pond kits available for smaller garden ponds and liners for creating huge ones.
Garden pond supplies are almost limitless with filters, pumps, lights, fountains, slab stones, ornaments, plants, fish and much more.
Although ponds do take some work, especially if you add fish, for most people it is a labor of love.
Sitting out by the pond is a relaxing, peaceful way to unwind and enjoy your water feature and adding colorful koi or other fish to a garden pond makes it even more interesting.
Plants are a wonderful way to beautify a pond while helping maintain healthy, clear water.
The main types of pond plants are marginal, floating, deep water, bog and oxygenating plants.
Marginal Pond Plants Marginal pond plants, which are tropical or hardy, grow around the pond edges, in shallows from two inches up to a foot deep.
Some of the more common marginal plants include:

• Water Hibiscus
• Sweet Flag
• Spider Lily
• Golden Buttons
• Marsh Marigolds
• Japanese Arrowhead
• Plantain
• Lobelia
• Cattail

Floating Pond Plants Floating plants are a wonderful addition to any pond because not only do they add beauty and interest, they provide protection and shade for the fish and frogs.
Some floating plants grow quickly so do not let them take over as overcrowding not only looks bad but can decrease the oxygen level in the water because it can prevent photosynthesis.
Some lovely floating plants are:

• Water Lettuce
• Bladder Wart
• Water Hyacinths
• Water Chestnut

Deep Water Plants Plants that grow in water up to three feet deep require sunlight and oxygen.
These plants provide natural filtration and help remove pond waste.
One of the most popular and spectacular of all deep-water plants is the water lily.
Water lilies come in a large variety of types with flowers available in all different sizes and colors.
Most do well in water from eighteen inches to three feet deep and prefer still water, so you should place them near waterfalls or fast flowing areas in a pond.
Other deep-water plants include:

• Lotus
• Water Hawthorne

Bog Plants Grown in wet soil at the edge of a water pond, Bog plants help keep the water clear of algae growth by removing extra nutrients.
Bog plants include:

• Lysimachia
• Primula
• Astilbe

Oxygenating Plants The most important of all pond plants, oxygenating plants provide fish and other life in the pond with necessary oxygen.
They grow at the ponds bottom in the soil or float freely underwater and have no visible roots.
They help reduce or prevent algae and proving spawning grounds.
Some oxygenating plants include:

• Water Buttercup
• Water Violet
• Hornwort

Pond plants are a very important part of water gardens and crucial for koi, goldfish, frogs and other animal's survival as they provide oxygen, food, help prevent algae and offer fish a place to hide.
You will love sitting on your favorite patio furniture and enjoying the sites and sounds of your garden pond.