Source information from J&L Garden Center, Bountiful Utah.

A water pond can become the center of interest around which the rest of your yard may be designed.  Water gardening required much less effort than other types of gardening: no weeding, no hoeing, no water.  Water lilies, for example have delighted water gardeners for more than a century. Water lilies, together with a  variety of other marginal plants, offer a quick and rewarding means of landscaping.  If you choose your plants wisely, and give the plants a little attention each year, your water garden can give you months of enjoyment.  For an average pond measuring 6 feet by 8 feet and 2 feet deep, a proper mix of aquatic plants may be: 3 water lilies, 6 surface floating plants, 8 to 10 marginal plants, and 10 to 12 bunches of submerged plants.  Many plants will live outside from year to year with little care.  Other eater plants may have to be taken inside to survive the winter.

You could cover the bottom of your pond with 5 or 6 inches of soil, plant directly into the soil, and your plants would grow well.  A much better method is to place your plants in pots. You can then rearrange your pond with very little effort; you can control the depth of your plants during their different stages of growth, you can clean your pond much easier and you will have much clearer water.

Do not use potting soil to plant your plants. Potting soil is too light and will tend to float.  Use poor, heavy garden soil such as a sand and clay mixture. (river or pond muck is even better.) Do not use peat moss, mulch or  manure in your soil mixture.  After planting, cover the soil with a layer of gravel.. Gravel will help hold the soil in place and will keep fish from digging into the soil.  If your pots have holes in their bottom either seal the holes or put a layer of gravel in the bottom to keep the soil from washing out.

The roots of submerged plants should be anchored in soil, but their leaves stay underwater rather than floating on the surface.  They release oxygen directly into the water and are often called “Oxygenating Plants.” They are not grown for show, they play a vital role in balancing the ecology of a pond by competing with  algae, using up carbon dioxide, adding oxygen, shading the pond, providing food for the fish, and providing protection for fish to spawn.

These plants do not need any soil, their roots hang into the water while their leaves and flowers bob on the water surface.   They are grown to add variety and interest to the pond as well as provide the much needed shade to maintain the natural balance needed to control algae.

Besides water lilies, many other attractive upright and spreading plants flourish in the garden pond.  These types are called marginal plants and grow in boggy or shallow areas around the edges of a pond.   All bog plants have roots that grow in soil and leaves that float or stand upright above the water surface.  Marginal plants include both tropical and hardy plants. Tropicals are suited to year-round growth in warm winter climates and require special care in cold winter areas. Hardy plants survive cold winters with little care.  The ultimate size of the plants is determined by the size of pot you plant them in and how often you fertilize them.

No pond is complete without a water lily.  Water lilies are perhaps the best known, most colorful and most expensive plants you can add to your water garden.  They are very easy to grow and will multiply easily.  Many water lilies need to be separated and replanted every two or three years.  Water lilies help shade the pond which helps eliminate excessive algae growth.

Every pond needs fish.  They help to keep the pond clean by eating the insects and other food found there.  Mosquito fish are best to have if your pond has an unbroken surface (no moving water), but are good to keep in any situation.  Koi fish are not as desirable for disposing of mosquito larvae.  The key to any good pond is to keep it clean.  Mosquito fish are the best way help in this.  See our section on Mosquito fish.