Watery wonders

Got a small garden and want a water feature along with the plants that will bring it to life? Not a problem, says Martyn Cox, as he lists the ideal plants for a compact pond

- Martyn Cox

IN an ideal world, my pond would be home to dense stands of flag irises, giant pickerel weed and waterlilies boasting huge flowers and pads, while Gunnera manicata, Darmera peltata and clumps of ligularia, with their 3ft (90cm)-tall stems of yellow flowers, would flourish in the damp soil around the outside.

Alas, my wish list of watery wonders will remain a pipe dream for the time being. Like most other garden owners in the country, I am strapped for space - I will never be able to squeeze in a water feature that is deep enough or large enough to accommodate some of my favourite aquatics.

Of course, just because you have a small garden doesn't mean you can't have a water feature, plus plants to bring it to life. Take my garden, for example. I've got a 3ft³ (90cm³) raised pond with six different plants, all of which are appropriate to the size and depth of the feature.

Nestled in a corner is a large mesh container that's been planted with a combination of dwarf bulrush (Typha minima), corkscrew rush (Juncus effusus f. spiralis) and an umbrella plant (Cyperus alternifolius), an exotic-looking plant from Africa with 3ft (90cm)-tall stems topped with slender green bracts.

A container set on the bottom of the pond holds a dwarf waterlily, whose tiny flowers bob on the surface from mid-summer onwards, while the spiky rosettes of water soldiers (Stratiotes aloides)* remain under water for much of the year before rising to the top in summer. Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) remains submerged, helping to oxygenate the water.

A healthy pond