Pond Grasses

Grasses are one of the most versatile pond garden plants, whether you’re looking for tall ornamental grass or carpet-forming aquatic grasses these plants elevate any pondside or garden. Variegated grasses such as Reed Sweet Grass, are colourful, self-propagating grasses that grows in wet or submerged conditions, sometimes producing feathery panicles tinged with pink in spring and purple in autumn. Sedges, rushes and reed grass varieties also prefer moisture retentive or submerged conditions, and Dwarf Hairgrass has fine vibrant green stems that grow along the pond floor and is great for brightening and oxygenating murky ponds.

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Water irises (20)Water lilies (44)Ferns (37)Oxygenating pond plants (13)
  • Fibre Optic Plant | Isolepsis Cerna| Oxygenating Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Oxygenating Fibre Optic Plant | Isolepis cernua

    A plant to improve your Wi-Fi?!

    • Spiky grass that looks like fibre optic cable
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Happy in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from June to August

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Corkscrew Rush | Juncus effusus spiralis Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Corkscrew Rush | Juncus effusus spiralis

    Superb spiralling rush stems

    • Incredible corkscrew, twisting stems
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Attracts wildlife (including dragonflies!)

    4 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Slender-tufted Sedge | Carex acuta Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Slender-tufted Sedge | Carex acuta

    Lovely lakeside leaves

    • Spiky, recurved foliage in mid-green
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from May to August

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Soft Rush | Juncus effusus Pond Plants
    From £23
    From £23

    Soft Rush | Juncus effusus

    Arching emerald fans

    • Delicate brown flowers and needle-like leaves
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Best grown in full sun
    • Makes an ideal perch for dragonflies

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Variegated Slender Sweet Flag | Acorus gramineus 'Variegatus' Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Variegated Slender Sweet Flag | Acorus gramineus 'Variegatus'

    Versatile variegated tufts

    • Sword-shaped leaves outlined in creamy yellow
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • A spot in full sun is best
    • Compact and perfect for pots

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Pendulous sedge Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Pendulous sedge

    A graceful, native sedge

    • Nodding brown seed heads, arching leaves
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Thrives in full sun (tolerates partial shade)
    • Flowers from July to August

    4 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Variegated Sweet Flag | Acorus calamus 'Variegatus' Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Variegated Sweet Flag | Acorus calamus 'Variegatus'

    Erect foliage plant with oomph

    • Strappy green blades with cream margins
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Plant in sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from May to July

    4 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Sweet Flag | Acorus calamus Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Sweet Flag | Acorus calamus

    A vibrant vertical accent

    • Blades of bright green foliage
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Prefers a fully sunny spot
    • Low maintenance and beneficial to wildlife

    4 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Golden Variegated Sweet Flag | Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Golden Variegated Sweet Flag | Acorus gramineus 'Ogon'

    Compact and oh-so versatile

    • Narrow, strappy leaves (chartreuse and green)
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Full sun is best for this plant
    • Perfect for containers and mini ponds

    3 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Variegated Reed Sweet Grass | Glyceria maxima variegata Pond Plants
    From £23
    From £23

    Variegated Reed Sweet Grass | Glyceria maxima variegata

    Elegant variegated foliage

    • Long blades of strappy, cream-lined leaves
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
    • Summer flowering from June to August

    1 option available

    Trustpilot
  • Gardener's Garters | Ribbon Grass Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Gardener's Garters | Ribbon Grass

    A fabulous two-toned bunchgrass

    • Stylishly-striped ribbons of foliage
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
    • Thrives in full sun or partial shade

    5 options available

    Trustpilot
  • Dwarf Hairgrass| Oxygenating Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Oxygenating Dwarf Hairgrass | Eleocharis acicularis

    The brightest, greenest grass!

    • Tufted green spiky grass, small brown flowers
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Suited to full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from August to September

    Currently out of stock

  • Brazilian Micro Sword | Lilaeopsis brasiliensis| Oxygenating 1L Pot Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Oxygenating Brazilian Micro Sword | Lilaeopsis brasiliensis

    Fresh greenery for shallow water

    • Broad, blade-like green leaves
    • Zone 3 - Deep water
    • Suited to full sun or partial shade
    • Perfect for container ponds

    Currently out of stock

  • 5 Water Soldier Plants | 9cm Pots Pond Plants
    From £30
    From £30

    Water Soldier Plants

    Stand tall, soldier!

    • Broad, blade-like leaves in mid-green
    • Zone 3 - Deep water
    • Best in full sun but also grows in part shade
    • Flowers from June to August

    Currently out of stock

  • Sweet Galingale | Cyperus longus Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Sweet Galingale | Cyperus longus

    Easy to grow for *big* impact

    • Arching foliage with nutty brown blooms
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from July to August

    Currently out of stock

  • Star Grass | Dichromena colorata Pond Plants
    £15
    £15

    Star Grass | Dichromena colorata

    Your pond's new star!

    • Distinctive starry, white flower bracts
    • Zone 1 to 2 - Pondside to pond edges
    • Grows best in full sun
    • Flowers from July to November

    Currently out of stock

Enfield

Meet Caroline

A deep dive into sustainable gardening

Nestled amongst wildlife meadows and resident ducks, Caroline’s award winning pond plant nursery in Enfield has been making a splash since 1965, when they invented the (recycled, obvs) aquatic basket. Sixty years and multiple RHS gold medals later, they’re still surprising us with new varieties every year!

Need help picking?

Which pond grass?

Which pond grass?

There are a huge number of different pond grasses from which to choose, including the bulrush with its corndog-esque flower spikes, the sweet flag with its slender, blade-like leaves and the pendulous sedge with its hanging, catkin-like flowers. If you want to create a native pond garden, choose rushes, sedges or reed sweet grasses. For the most dramatic impact, choose a corkscrew rush for its spiralling, twisted foliage. If you’re creating a pond/bog garden with sensory elements, then opt for the tactile fibreoptic plant or the sounds of a sweet galingale rustling in the breeze.

Pond grass planting schemes

Pond grass planting schemes

Pond grasses are as versatile as they are lovely to look at. Pond grasses that prefer to be submerged, like Brazilian micro sword and water soldier, go particularly well with water lilies and water crowfoot. More marginal pond grasses, like rushes, flags and sedges, look great planted alongside water irises, bog pimpernel and ragged robin. In a bog garden featuring damp, moist soil but not any open water in the form of a pond or stream, plants such as star grass pair brilliantly with hostas, ferns, astilbes and euphorbias.

Caring for pond grasses

Caring for pond grasses

Pond grasses are typically nice and easy to look after. Unsurprisingly, they prefer perennially moist conditions, while full sun to partial shade is typically preferable in terms of light levels. If you’re planting a pond grass in submerged conditions, plant it in an aquatic pot/basket; this helps the plant’s roots to spread but also keeps it nice and secure. If you notice your pond grasses becoming overcrowded, consider lifting and dividing.

Happy plants make happy customers

Trustpilot
Ornamental Colour Collection Pond Plants
five star rating on Trustpilot

Plants arrived in great condition and very promptly. Well established - much better than the ones I got at my local garden centre.

Monica Spence

| 24 May
Star Jasmine | Trachelospermum jasminoides Climbing Plants
five star rating on Trustpilot

Yet again this company delivered good healthy plants, exactly as shown in photos, well packaged and within delivery time quoted. Recommend!

Jacqueline Burgess

| 2 Jun
five star rating on Trustpilot

I continue to be so impressed with Roots. Their customer care, knowledge of their subject: from planting hedges to pruning roses and more, has been a great support.

Judy Lane

| 23 Oct
E 'Black Hamburgh' Indoor Grape Vine Soft Fruit
five star rating on Trustpilot

The plant arrived looking vigorously healthy, which brings a smile to your face, extremely well protected in its packaging.

Martyn Hill

| 5 Jul
E 'Braeburn Hillwell' Apple Tree Fruit Trees
five star rating on Trustpilot

As a non-gardener, I found my whole experience brilliant. Great information & advice available on the website, great range of products & prices are brilliant.

John-Paul

| 22 May
five star rating on Trustpilot

Wonderful plants and great customer service... really surprised to find that the plants are better than those you would get at your local garden centre.

Gavin Wilcock

| 8 Nov

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