15 Aquatic Flowering Pond Plants

Flowering aquatic pond plants are a nice way to introduce a pop of color in ponds and water features. They also attract birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Pond plants also clean and filter the water, removing toxins and waste.

Bog Lily

 

 

Bog lilies (Crinum americanum), a.k.a. “Spider lily, Swamp lily” are perennial bulbs. Bog lilies have strap-shaped foliage topped with colorful flowers resembling those of tiger lilies. They are marginal aquatic plants.

Marginal plants like to be at the edge of the pond where their roots are underwater and all of the foliage is above the water’s surface (see infographic at the end of this article for more on pond plant placement).

Aquatic plant type: Marginal.

Size at maturity: 2-3 feet tall and up to 2 feet wide.

Flower colors: White, red, pink, and yellow.

Bloom season: Spring to summer or in late summer and early fall, depending on the variety.

Light requirements: Full sun to part shade.

Growing zones: 7-10.

Notable varieties: The Red Leaf Bog Lily (Crinum Menehune) features dark maroon-red foliage with bright fuchsia colored flowers (pictured above). The colored foliage provides a nice contrast to green foliage plants. 

 

Water Lilies

Water lilies (Nymphaeaceae family) are exquisite blooming plants that come in too many varieties, colors, and sizes to mention. Hardy water lilies can overwinter in cold climates and in warm climates they may not go dormant at all.

Flowers typically have many petals and can be solid colors or bi-colored. Tropical water lilies will not tolerate freezing temperatures. Some tropical varieties are night bloomers and all of their blooms will stick above the water level where the hardy varieties will have floating blooms.

Tropical varieties will also be more prolific bloomers.

Plant type: Emergent.

Size at maturity: Depends on variety. Large water lilies can cover a small pond (10 foot diameter). Miniature and dwarf water lilies are available and make a good size for container water gardens. 

Flower colors: Hardy water lilies come in white, pink, red, yellow, and orange. Tropical water     lilies can be purple, blue, lavender, white, yellow, pink, orange, peach, or red.

Bloom season: May to October (hardy), June to October (tropical).

Light requirements: 6 or more hours of direct sun for the most blooms.

Growing zones: 4-11 (hardy), 9-11 (tropical).

Notable varieties: Nymphaea ‘Star of Siam’ is a tropical water lily with large blue blooms. Nymphaea ‘Nero’ is a hardy variety with deep red and white bicolor blooms. If you need a small dwarf sized water lily for containers, try Nymphaea pygmaea ‘Helvola’ . It’s white flowers with yellow centers measure only 1-2 inches across.

Butterfly Ginger

If you have a shaded water garden or container pond then a Butterfly Ginger may be what you are looking for. These perennials love shade and will still bloom all summer. The pure white flowers have a fragrance similar to honeysuckle.

Plant type: Marginal.

Size at maturity: Up to 5’ tall and 3-5 feet wide.

Flower colors: White, coral, pink, and orange.

Bloom season: Late Spring through late Summer.

Light requirements: Prefers part shade but will tolerate full sun.

Growing zones: 8-11.

Notable varieties: The White Ginger Lily (Hedychium Coronarium) is the classic ginger lily featuring large white blooms somewhat resembling a butterfly. (See image above)

Water Hyacinth

Water Hyacinth is a free-floating perennial pond plant normally treated as an annual. It has beautiful blue blooms on spikes held high above the glossy green foliage.

Water Hyacinth is a fast grower and spreads from its parent plant by runners and can produce a large mat of foliage and flowers over the course of a single growing season. For this reason it is considered an invasive species. 

Removing most of the unwanted vegetation once or twice a year may be required in a pond environment. In a container water garden they are of course much easier to control.

Plant type: Floater, annual.

Size at maturity: X” tall and X” wide.

Flower colors: Light blue with darker blue and yellow centers.

Bloom season: Late summer to early fall.

Light requirements: Full sun.

Growing zones: 8-ll.

Sweet Flag Iris

Sweet Flag, also known by other common names such as Sweet Iris, Pond or Bog Iris, and Water Iris is a semi-aquatic marginal pond plant. Tufts of sword-shaped green foliage sprout from rhizomes and bear either yellow or blue flowers. 

Plant type: Marginal.

Size at maturity: 10” tall and 4-6” wide.

Flower colors: Blue, yellow.

Bloom season: Summer.

Light requirements: Full sun to light shade.

Growing zones: 6-9.

Notable varieties: Golden or Variegated Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus ‘Variegatus’) has strap shaped green foliage striped with bright yellow. The blue flowers are an added bonus blooming from May to June.

Water Poppy

Water Poppies are a low maintenance aquatic perennial. They feature glossy green 1-2 inch leaves on trailing stems and bright yellow or creamy yellow flowers. 

The flowers of water poppies appear all summer and are a favorite of pollinators like honeybees.

Plant type: Emergent.

Size at maturity: X” tall and X” wide.

Flower colors: Bright yellow to creamy white with yellow centers.

Bloom season: June through August.

Light requirements: Full sun.

Growing zones: 9-11.

Calla Lilies

Calla lilies are another common garden and container plant that is also happy at home in ponds and water features as a marginal. Callas have glossy green leaves that are ruffled along the edges and in some varieties can also be speckled with white.

Flowers range the entire spectrum of colors except blue. Some are bicolors. Calla lilies fit nicely into small space container ponds.

Plant type: Marginal.

Size at maturity: 24-36” tall and around 18” wide.

Flower colors: From white through yellow and orange to pink, red, lavender and dark maroon.

Bloom season: late spring through summer.

Light requirements: Full sun to light shade.

Growing zones: 8-11.

Notable varieties: Calla Lily (Zantedeschia ‘Picasso’) Is a spotted Calla lily with dark green foliage and white spots. The flowers are purple with white outer edges.

Dwarf Ruellia

Dwarf Ruellia (Also known as Aztec grass and dwarf Mexican petunia) is a robust perennial that produces loads of bluish-purple trumpet-shaped flowers tucked in among the dark green grass-like foliage from spring to frost on a compact, low mounding plant.

Plant type: Marginal.

Size at maturity: 7-10” tall and 10-12” wide.

Flower colors: Purple-blue, pink, and white.

Bloom season: Early summer until frost.

Light requirements: Best in full sun.

Growing zones: 8-11.

Notable varieties: The “Katie Blue” Dwarf Mexican Petunia (Ruellia brittoniana ‘Katie.’) is a lovely dwarf perennial that produces loads of bluish-purple trumpet-shaped flowers alongside the dark green glossy foliage from spring to frost.

Lotus

Lotus plants are some of the most beautiful flowers you can grow and they’re not really fussy. Once planted they can be easy to care for, they are however, heavy feeders. To produce the most prolific blooms they will need to be fertilized monthly.

When choosing a lotus plant it is important to know the size. They can be one of the largest water garden plants growing up to 8 feet tall and 6 feet or more wide. Besides the large lotus varieties there are also what are called “Bowl lotus plants” that are commonly grown in large porcelain bowls and even “Micro lotus” that can actually be grown in a teacup.

Plant type: Emergent.

Size at maturity: A small (bowl) lotus can be under 1 foot tall above the water surface. A large variety of lotus can get up to 7 to 8 feet tall with a 4-6 foot spread. 

Flower colors: White, yellow, pink, red, blue and purple. Bicolor blossoms are also available.

Bloom season: Generally blooms from early to late summer, but depends on the variety.

Light requirements: Full sun for best flowering.

Growing zones: 5-10.

Notable varieties: American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) is a large lotus with pale yellow bowl-shaped flowers 8 inches across. Angel Wings Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is a small lotus with single pure white flowers. Ideal for small ponds and container water gardens. Momo Botan (Nelumbo) features 6-inch flowers with hot pink petals and yellow stamens. Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is a tall, single petal lotus in shades of pastel pink.

Canna Lilies

Cannas are semi-aquatic marginal plants that are popular almost as much for their amazing and colorful tropical foliage as for their gorgeous flowers.

Plant type: Marginal.

Size at maturity: 4-8 feet tall and around 4 feet wide.

Flower colors: Yellow, pink, orange, coral, red, and dark red. 

Bloom season: Early to midsummer.

Light requirements: Full sun.

Growing zones: 9-11.

Notable varieties: Canna ‘Tropicana’ has flaming red and orange striped foliage with yellow and orange flowers (see image above, upper right). Canna ‘Bengal Tiger’ also has orange blooms but with green and yellow contrasting striped foliage.

Fiber Optic Grass

Fiber optic grass is a perennial in warmer climates and grown as an annual in colder climates. Isolepis cernua is a sedge bearing grass like foliage with tiny white flowers at the stem tips resembling lighted fiber optic cables. The unique foliage and flower forms of this plant make a nice addition to the edge of a pond or container water garden.

Plant type: Marginal.

Size at maturity: 10-14” tall with a similar spread.

Flower colors: White.

Bloom season: Early to late summer.

Light requirements: Full sun.

Growing zones: 8-10.

Cardinal Flower

Cardinal Flower is a striking red foliage perennial with brilliant red flowers held on tall flower spikes. A great choice for color, this Lobelia blooms from mid to late summer.

Plant type: Marginal.

Size at maturity: 2-4 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide.

Flower colors: Red.

Bloom season: Mid to late summer.

Light requirements: Full sun.

Growing zones: 3-9.

Star Grass

A native to the southeastern United States, Star Grass is a slow growing aquatic sedge featuring grassy foliage topped by star-shaped white or yellow flowers all summer.

Plant type: Marginal.

Size at maturity: 18-24 inches tall and wide.

Flower colors: White, yellow.

Bloom season: Summer.

Light requirements: Full sun.

Growing zones: 7-11.

Notable varieties: White Star Grass (Dichromena ‘colorata’) is topped in summer with white flower bracts.

Water Mint

Fragrant blue and white puffy flowers atop densely packed foliage makes Water Mint a favorite aquatic plant. It is a true mint that can be used and eaten just like the garden variety mints. It is said to have a strong menthol flavor.

Plant type: Marginal.

Size at maturity: 12-24” tall and 36” wide.

Flower colors: Lavender blue.

Bloom season: Early to late summer.

Light requirements: Full sun.

Growing zones: 7-11.

Water Snowflakes

Large glossy green leaves that float on the water and resemble water lily leaves surround the small but attractive flowers resembling snowflakes sprouting out of the water. Also known as Floating Heart, Water Snowflakes need a large container (such as a stock tank pond) or a pond to grow in.

Plant type: Emergent.

Size at maturity: 4-6” tall and up to 4 feet wide.

Flower colors: White, yellow.

Bloom season: All summer.

Light requirements: Sun, part sun.

Growing zones: 8-11.

Notable varieties: Nymphoides cristata has rounded heart-shaped foliage and star-shaped flowers that look like white snowflakes. Nymphoides peltata features heart-shaped leaves and small 1-inch fringed yellow flowers that float on the surface of the water.