So, you’ve just created and built an amazing showcase pond, complete with the best waterfalls and master stonework. Why would you just throw in some random green plants when you could integrate some standout plants and flowers that other installers often overlook?
Your water garden will have everyone talking! I find it amazing that some installers can go decades without seeking information about new and better varieties of plants that can bring the pond to life every day!
Lotus
The lotus is not generally known to bloom daily, but there are improved varieties out there that can bloom from mid-June into September!
Sino-American Excellence Lotus is stunning and statuesque, growing up to 4 feet tall with huge, beautiful pink flowers that can grow 8 to 12 inches across. These large, graceful blooms have first-day flowers with shades of rich pink. The flower progresses each day to a lighter pink and then to almost white, with just a whisper of pink in the petal. This lotus does extremely well when grown in a wide container but grows majestically and to its full potential when grown directly in the soil of a natural-bottom pond. Beautiful, dark-green foliage complements this elegant lotus variety. It can make a beautiful backdrop or a spectacular focal point in your water feature.
The Sino-American Excellence Lotus symbolizes the collaborative works and benevolence among lotus lovers in China and America, a gift from Dr. Daike Tian. Dr. Tian has been known to introduce cultivars with improved blooming qualities.
Lady Bug Lotus is a very small lotus that may be grown as an Excellence of Bowl Lotus or a Micro-Mini Lotus. Lady Bug Lotus is a remarkable bloomer that blooms all season long, often with multiple flowers from our friend and hybridizer Laura Bancroft of Ten Mile Creek Nursery. It is classified as a red lotus, but the single-petal flowers are drenched in intense pink. The blooms are numerous and nonstop once established! Sunny-yellow receptacles and anthers add a splash of sunshine to this sweet, petite lotus variety. The emerald-green foliage adds a nice contrast to the pretty pink blooms. This dainty little lotus is as easy to grow as a tall lotus and adds a whimsical delight to any sunny corner of your garden!
Iris
The following iris are not the common, small, insignificant blue-flag varieties you tend to see in every pond. These amazing iris will add a new dimension to your springtime or early-summer garden.
The irresistible Louisiana Iris always adds an elegant element to a water garden, bog or terrestrial garden. They thrive in zones 6 to 11 and are just what you need to perk up your spring water garden or terrestrial garden.
Handmaiden Louisiana Iris are simply divine, with blooms in breathtaking shades of lavender-pink. They are adorned with delicate veining and sunny-yellow signals. The flowers on the Handmaiden Iris are as large as a man’s hand! This amazing iris has star power with its large-sized blooms and fabulous color, which are complemented by handsome, green, sword-like foliage. The Handmaiden Iris grows up to 30 inches tall and makes a splendid addition to your water garden or an area with moist soil in your terrestrial garden. In three years, you should have a 3-foot-wide clump of iris that is ready to divide.
Splitter Splatter Iris is the perfect name for this whimsical, moisture-loving iris, which has delightful, pale-yellow blooms with random purple and yellow blotching along with bleeding, beet-root purple color spilling over the petals. Falls are adorned in shades of light yellow, and Splitter Splatter Iris is complemented with attractive, medium-green, sword-like foliage all summer long. Splitter Splatter Iris grows up to 30 inches tall in moist soil or shallow water.
Blue flag iris are inexpensive and commonly used in water gardens, but they are no match for the large, lovely, blue blooms of the Mystery Blue Iris! Mystery Blue Louisiana Iris are drenched in vivid Wedgewood blue and adorned with yellow-gold signals. We are unaware of the origin of this spectacular iris — hence its name. Mystery Blue Iris grows to just over 2 feet tall and is complemented by lovely green, sword-like foliage.
Waterlilies
We saved the best for last (in our opinion). Waterlilies are the regal jewels of the pond! Two of our favorite annual waterlilies are Teri Dunn and Woods Blue Goddess.
Teri Dunn Waterlily is one of the most dependable bloomers we sell. It is a divine variety with blooms growing to between 4 and 6 inches in dazzling shades of heavenly blue-purple. The green pads form a 4-to-6-foot spread on the water. As long as it is fertilized, the very fragrant Teri Dunn Waterlily will do well in a pond of any size.
In the case of large show ponds, a small waterlily just will not do! Choose Woods Blue Goddess, a magnificent waterlily with lavender-blue blooms that sit high above the water.
Moving on to heavier bloomers, the Prakisad Waterlily is a new waterlily that does well in northern and southern climates — a rare trait among hardy waterlilies! Fans of Colorado Hardy Waterlily should become acquainted with this new variety, as its peach color is more intense, with delicious shades of peach, orange and coral throughout the stellate blooms. These mouth-watering blooms are complemented by exotic, richly mottled pads that add an alluring element to your pond. The Prakisad Waterlily is medium in size but big on blooming; it blooms consistently throughout the summer months, adding beauty and grace, day after day.
Perry’s Baby Red Waterlily has been around for quite a while but is simply delightful, with splendid red colors on the rosy-red blooms. This is a small waterlily with a spread over the water ranging between 20 — 30 inches. The emerald-green pads complement this gem nicely. Perry’s Baby Red Waterlily is perfect for small ponds or container gardens. When grown in a container, this little red jewel will add a delightful dash of color to any sunny area on your porch or patio.
Just envision a pond on a warm summer day with lavender-blue Woods Blue Goddess Waterlilies and bright-peach Prakisad Waterlilies blooming amid mottled pads on the sparkling waters; tall lotus with very large pink blooms and beautiful green foliage; Perry’s Baby Red Waterlilies in shallow water at the edge of the pond; and the handsome, green, sword-like foliage of the Louisiana Iris gently swaying in the breeze. Because when you’ve built a stellar pond, the surrounding water garden deserves no less than absolutely the best plants.
