8 Brilliant Ideas for Pond Plant Combinations.
The soothing appearance and sound of water in the backyard or on a patio is always welcoming… but it’s not a water garden until you add plants! Aquatic (or pond) plants have such an array of textures, sizes and colors that finding the ones you want is easier than actually narrowing down the options to just 2-4 companion plants for a container water garden or a small pond. I’ve curated 8 example combos to inspire you and get you started.
#1. The Traditional “Spiller, Filler, & Thriller”
This has come to be one of the most popular ways to fill-out containers in recent years. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it refers to 3 different types (growing habits) of plants used in this particular method.
The “Spiller” refers to a low growing or trailing plant that spills over the side. The “Thriller” is a taller more upright grower. This one is designed to catch your attention or thrill the eyes. You likely guessed by now, the “filler” is an intermediate grower to fill in the rest of the container.
The tall plant in this image (#1) is dwarf papyrus, the spiller is creeping jenny, and the filler is a red-blooming water lily.
#2. The Easy Option
This combination includes aquatic plants you can find from seed in nursery catalogs or online. The trio pictured below includes red sorrel, spiral juncus, and nymphea, or water lilies.
#3. More Plants for A Large Container or a Water Trough
A large galvanized cattle trough can hold more that 2 or 3 plants, giving you more options for variety. Here we see (from the back of the trough) an umbrella palm, then below are water lilies, the iris in the middle is a variegated type, and in the foreground is fiber optic grass.
#4. Foliage Color Groupings
This combination has a small taro plant, houttoynia (chameleon plant), spider lily, parrot’s feather, and floating water hyacinth.
#5. Taller Varieties with More Texture
Here we have King Tut (standard) papyrus, black magic elephant ear, and hardy water lilies.
#6. A Touch Of The Exotic
Combined here with spiral juncus and water lilies are carnivorous pitcher plants. They come in very colorful varieties but prefer bog type growing conditions which means you will want to keep the top of the soil for pitcher plants about an inch above the surface level of the water.
#7. Using Variegated Pond Plants For Color
In addition to creeping jenny and floating water lettuce, this container water garden is home to foliage color that lasts all season long. Canna tropicana has a dark purple-wine coloration with beautiful red flowers. The water lily pads seen here are also variegated. Many tropical water lilies have this type of leaf coloration.
#8. Options For Low-Profile Bowl Container Water Gardens
This type of wide and low container is well suited for floaters and even a tall plant in the middle for some height. Pictured below are pink blooming water lilies and a gorgeous type of dark black and green elephant ear plant called “illustris”.
Some More/Alternative Suggestions…
Aquatic Tall Plants:
- Colocasia, Also commonly known as Taro or elephant ears. There are too many varieties to mention them all but a couple to try are “mojito” and “blue Hawaii”.
- Blue-grey rush
- Red stemmed thalia
Foliage Color Varieties
- Houttoynia
- Red veined sorrel
- Water cannas
- Variegated arrowheads
Flowering Pond Plants
- Water Poppy
- Dwarf lotus
Additional Trailing Plants
- Golden moneywort
- Parrot’s feather is a semi-trailing plant that can be draped over the side of containers