Marginal Pond Plants

Marginal pond plants are planted at pond edges, with submerged roots and emerging stems and foliage, otherwise known as emergent aquatic plants. These plants usually have their roots and crown underwater, so are perfect for shallow water or pond planting shelves. Pond perennials pair well with rocks, gravel, and taller pond plants. Floating plants positioned at your pond edge can be easily moved or divided into container ponds while deep-water marginals such as bulrush and reed plants create a scenic backdrop.

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Water irises (20)Water lilies (44)Ferns (37)Pond grasses (16)Oxygenating pond plants (13)
  • Purple Loosestrife | Lythrum salicaria Pond Plants
    From £30
    From £30

    Purple Loosestrife | Lythrum salicaria

    Transforms any dull space!

    • Towering flower spikes in rich purple hues
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grows best in full sun
    • Flowers from July to September

    3 options available

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  • Yellow Flag Iris | Iris pseudacorus Pond Plants
    From £23
    From £23

    Yellow Flag Iris | Iris pseudacorus

    The UK-native flag iris

    • Bursts of zesty yellow brighten any pond
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from May to July

    4 options available

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  • Lesser Bulrush | Typha angustifolia Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Lesser Bulrush | Typha angustifolia

    Classic UK-native bulrush

    • A traditional bulrush, complete with cattails
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grow in a position with full sun
    • Helps attract wildlife to your pond

    6 options available

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  • Arum Lily 'Crowborough' Pond Plants
    From £25
    £30 From £25

    Arum Lily 'Crowborough'

    The most elegant pond plant

    • Magnificent satin-white blooms
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grow in full sun to partial shade
    • Huge flowers from May to August

    3 options available

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  • Rough Horsetail | Equisetum hyemale Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Rough Horsetail | Equisetum hyemale

    The best vertical accent plant?

    • Evergreen, bamboo-like stems with black bands
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
    • Evergreen for interest all year round

    5 options available

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  • Creeping Jenny | Lysimachia nummularia Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Creeping Jenny | Lysimachia nummularia

    Bright, cheery and compact

    • Adorable little buttercup flowers
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Plant in full sun to partial shade
    • Summer flowering from June to August

    2 options available

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  • Discover

    Bog garden plants

  • Miniature Bulrush | Typha minima Pond Plants
    From £30
    From £30

    Miniature Bulrush | Typha minima

    Perfect for smaller ponds

    • Slender leaves, small 'cattail' seedheads
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grow in a position with full sun
    • Flowers from July to August

    2 options available

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  • Orange Peel Plant | Houttuynia cordata 'Plena' Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Orange Peel Plant | Houttuynia cordata 'Plena'

    Incredibly fragrant leaves

    • Citrus-scented foliage, silk white blooms
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Plant in full sun to partial shade
    • Flowers from May to September

    6 options available

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  • Iris louisiana 'Black Gamecock' Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Iris louisiana 'Black Gamecock'

    There are few plants as elegant

    • Huge iris flowers in deepest purple
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from May to July

    5 options available

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  • 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

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  • Pickerel Weed | Pontederia cordata Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Pickerel Weed | Pontederia cordata

    Lilac-blue flower spikes

    • Superb thimble-like, blue blooms
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Loves a sunny spot
    • Free flowering from July to September

    4 options available

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  • Growers' Talk

    How to make a bog garden

  • Lesser Spearwort | Ranunculus flammula Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Lesser Spearwort | Ranunculus flammula

    Long-flowering, floating blooms

    • Cheery yellow flowers, lanceolate foliage
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Plant in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowering from June to September

    2 options available

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  • Iris sibirica Pond Plants
    From £30
    From £30

    Iris sibirica

    Fabulous painterly flowers

    • Majestic purple hues on delicate blooms
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers throughout May and June

    2 options available

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  • White Robin Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    White Ragged Robin | Silene flos-cuculi 'White Robin'

    Beautiful starry flowers

    • Incredibly delicate white blooms
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Happy in full sun or partial shade
    • Spring-summer flowering from May to August

    5 options available

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  • 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

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    Pick up a pond plant collection

  • 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

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  • Common Bulrush | Typha latifolia Pond Plants
    From £34
    From £34

    Common Bulrush | Typha latifolia

    An absolute haven for wildlife

    • Long, strappy blades of grass, brown cattails
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grow in a fully sunny position
    • An absolute haven for wildlife

    2 options available

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  • Ragged Robin Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Ragged Robin

    Stunning native wildflower

    • Tall stems of rose-pink pompoms
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from May to August

    5 options available

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  • Mimulus cupreus | Red Emperor Pond Plants
    From £23
    From £23

    Mimulus cupreus | Red Emperor

    Talk about eye-catching!

    • Brilliant red, bugle-shaped blooms
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grows best in full sun
    • Summer flowering from June to August

    3 options available

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  • Golden Creeping Jenny | Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Golden Creeping Jenny | Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'

    A low-growing chartreuse gem

    • Glorious gold foliage sprinkled with flowers
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers throughout June and July

    2 options available

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  • Cotula coronopifolia | Brass Buttons Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Cotula coronopifolia | Brass Buttons

    Blooms as bold as brass...

    • Dozens of little, button-shaped flowers
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Thrives in full sun
    • Long flowering season from May to October

    2 options available

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  • 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

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  • Cyperus Sedge | Carex Pseudocyperus Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Cyperus Sedge | Carex pseudocyperus

    Attract dragonflies!

    • Lime green tufts of foliage
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Plant in sun or part shade
    • Flowers from May to August

    6 options available

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  • Iris ensata | Japanese Clematis Iris Pond Plants
    From £30
    From £30

    Japanese Clematis Iris | Iris ensata

    Outstanding colour and form

    • Punchy purple blooms and strappy leaves
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers throughout May and June

    2 options available

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  • Water Avens | Geum rivale Pond Plants
    From £23
    From £23

    Water Avens | Geum rivale

    Delicate blooms in elegant hues

    • Long-flowering, nodding rosewood bells
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grows best in full sun or partial shade
    • Long flowering from May to September

    4 options available

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  • Chinese Marshflower | Mazus Reptans Pond Plants
    From £23
    From £23

    Chinese Marshflower | Mazus reptans

    Plants don't get more charming

    • Pastel blue blooms atop lush green foliage
    • Zone 2 - Pond edges
    • Grows in both part and full shade
    • Flowers from May to August

    3 options available

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  • 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

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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!

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What are marginal pond plants?

What are marginal pond plants?

Pondside (or marginal) plants are those that sit in that boggy limbo between pond and land. A liminal space where beauty flourishes at every turn. These plants thrive in wet conditions – either permanently moist soil at the edge of the pond, or more often, submerged in the shallows of the pond itself, or on a pond’s shelf. There are both spectacular flowering marginals as well as steadfast foliage plants ready to add structure, texture and contrast.

Our favourite marginal pond plants

Our favourite marginal pond plants

It’s hard to look past irises when it comes to the conversation of marginals. Yellow flag irises (Iris pseudacorus), Louisiana irises (Iris louisiana) and Japanese water irises (Iris ensata) all thrive in shallow water, their distinctive fan-shaped flowers and blade-like foliage adding regal elegance wherever they’re found. For something with a bit more spread or bushiness, opt for the mat-forming bog pimpernel (Anagallis tenella) or the tufted water plantain (Alisma plantago-aquaticum).

Caring for marginal pond plants

Caring for marginal pond plants

Marginal pond plants are nice and easy to care for; for easier maintenance we’d recommend you plant your marginals in aquatic baskets. Plant in loamy soil, amended with some aquatic compost if necessary. Scatter a shallow top-dressing of pea gravel to keep soil within the basket and to reduce the risk of fish from agitating or accidentally uprooting the plant. Routinely trim any dead or diseased plant material, and divide your plants if they’re becoming overly vigorous. If growth seems poor, then consider adding a bit of slow-release aquatic fertiliser during spring.

Happy plants make happy customers

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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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