Best Bog Plants For Tub And Container Water Gardens

Best Marginal Bog Plants For Tub Water Gardens

Shallow water and marginal and bog plants can add a lot of diversity to a small pond or tub water garden. Marginal pond plants with varying leaf-shapes, plant forms, flower colors and styles help. They also add height and vertical interest to the otherwise horizontal presentation of lilypads and blossoms across the water surface.

Flowering Marginal Plants

Bog plants that flower frequently are an optimal choice for continued interest throughout the season. Arrowheads (both the triangular Saggitaria Latifolia and the spear-shaped Saggitaria Lancifolia species) are notable for new bracts of white blossoms all season long. Yellow Water Poppies^#Ad are a great flowering pond plant for tub gardens.

Marginal Pond Plants

Add variety, vertical height and interest with these marginals. eBay offers a much wider choice in aquatic plants shipped to your door than Amazon does, so check eBay for specific things you may want to add to your pond.

Flowering marginals can have a varied blooming season. So a mix of them can assure flowering from spring through fall. Water iris tend to flower in late spring. Others such as the Purple Pickeral Rush plant (Pontederia Cordata) and Arrowheads (Saggitaria) that usually blooms by midsummer into fall. Both scarlet and blue Cardinal Flowers (Lobelia Cardinalis and Siphilitica) are a great choice at the pond's edge for bright spikes of color extremely attractive to hummingbirds and bees.

Water Iris A Popular Choice

A range of water iris species are suited for shallow water or at a pond's edge. Louisana Water Iris are most popular and have many colors of named cultivars. A purple native North American species, Iris Versicolor (also called Blue Flag) is widely available and a reliable choice, as is the much taller European Yellow Iris Pseudocorus. Japanese Ensata irises have the largest blossoms and blossom later than all the others. With slightly different bloom periods, a combination of these plants can extend the iris peak blooming and color season in your water garden.

Floating Plants

Floating plants on the water's surface are very beneficial to a balanced water garden. The roots of plants like Purple Water Hyacinths, Water Lettuce, Sylvania or Azolla are helpful in absorbing excess nutrients and clarifying the pond water. They also shade open water areas to minimize excess algae growth. Note: Some US States restrict the importation of certain invasive, non-native or potted plant species so you may have problems ordering them online.

Aquatic Foliage Plants

Some shallow water-loving plants are desirable more for thier leaf forms than their otherwise innocuous or uninspiring green or brown blossoms. The Acorus or Sweet Flag has striking lance-like leaves much like an iris, but dull greenish brown nubs for flowers. Only Dwarf Cattail is suitible for tub gardens. Grasslike vertical plants like rushes and sedges are great for adding height and textures to container water gardens.

Small Waterlily-Like Plant's - Nymphoides

Sometimes called 'Floating Hearts', Nymphoides are a dwarf, very water lily like pond plant that often have tiny white, pinkish or yellow flowers & floating green pads. They're ideal for small water garden containers about a foot in diameter to give that small lilypond vibe.

Bog & Pond Plants