Pond Plants & Flowers

Create a healthy, vibrant pond with our full range of pond plants - from floating water lilies to oxygenating varieties and plenty of edge-loving marginals. Whether you're planting a wildlife pond, a formal water feature, or a container pond, you'll find plants here for every layer. Choose tall pond irises and Myosotis for the edges, lilies to float on the surface, and oxygenators like Mare's Tail to help keep your water clear and free of algae. 

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Find the Best Pond Plants for Your Garden

recommendations & mini choosing guide

Pond Plants for Small Ponds - Compact growers like Bog Pimpernel, Marsh Marigold, and White Water Spearmint work beautifully in smaller ponds or shallow zones.

Tall Pond Plants - For height and structure around the pond, choose Hard Rush, Barred Horsetail, or Darmera.

Pond Plants for Bog Gardens - Try Acorus ‘Variegatus’, Umbrella Plant, or Iris ‘Rose Queen’ – all are very happy in waterlogged soil and marshy, boggy edges.

Bee-Friendly Pond Plants - Lobelia ‘Queen Victoria’, Marsh Marigold, and White Water Spearmint are all great pond plants that attract bees and pollinators.

Wildlife Pond Plants - If you want to encourage biodiversity, go for Cuckoo Flower, Bog Pimpernel, and Water Forget-Me-Not. All brilliant in natural-style or wildlife ponds.

Deep Water Pond Plants - Water lilies like ‘Fabiola’ or ‘Gladstoniana’ are perfect deep-water plants if you want something flowering. Mare's Tail will also be happy in deep ponds.

oxygenating plants for small ponds

top pick: Mare’s Tail (Hippuris vulgaris)

Mare’s Tail is our top recommendation if you are looking for an oxygenating plant for your small pond. Oxygenating plants are submerged or partly submerged plants that release oxygen into the water, helping to keep it free of algae and balanced for fish and wildlife.

Why we recommend it: Mare’s Tail is low-maintenance and perfect for smaller or bigger ponds. Native to the UK, it roots underwater but most of its foliage grows above the surface – offering oxygenation as well as visual interest. It also tolerates a range of water conditions and adds gentle structure for aquatic life.

Plants to go around the edge of your pond

we've got lots of them

These are known as marginal plants, and they come in all shapes and sizes.

You’ll find tall, leafy showstoppers like Umbrella Plant (Darmera peltata) to frame your pond and give it structure. For softer edges, try something low and creeping like Bog Pimpernel (Anagallis tenella). And if you want to draw in bees and butterflies, go for blooms like Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) or Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis).

But what if you're not planting in the water at all - just around it? That’s where you need pondside-friendly perennials like Lobelia 'Queen Victoria' (Lobelia cardinalis). It thrives in damp soil and adds a dramatic splash of colour right next to the water, without needing to sit directly in it.