Ricks Garden Center | Pond Plant 101

By PFC

Having a pond with plants seems at odds with our drought-ridden state, yet it can be a boon to any garden across the western slope. Ponds create a calming atmosphere and provide homes for wildlife, such as dragonflies and frogs, when stocked with the right plants. What makes our state special is its connection to wilderness, so why not try to replicate our waterways, too?

We likewise understand some are more interested in aesthetics. We also supply visually interesting and beautiful pond plants, though a majority of these beauties are not native, sadly. That doesn’t mean native insects and other animals don’t benefit from these plants, however! We’ll provide information on how to care for pond plants, along with some factoids on our favorite native and non-native varieties. Plus, how to safely handle non-native (and often invasive) pond plants. Happy gardening!

Creating A Pond

Creating a pond is easier than you think! If you lack space or want a cheaper option, consider creating a patio pond. These container-sized ponds are made with just that, a container, though it should be fully sealed to prevent water leakage. A pot that lacks a drainage hole, an old bird bath top, or a fountain basin are prime examples. This container should be at least 12” across and 10” deep to provide adequate space for aquatic plants (CSU, “Water Gardens”). For large plants, such as Victoria waterlilies, this may not be an optimal home for their size (CSU, “Planting”). For large ponds, you will have to dig out an area of the garden and line this spot with pond liner to prevent water from seeping into your soil and potentially eroding foundations (Wildlife Trust). To avoid puncturing the liner, remove sharp stones found embedded within the dug-out pond’s soil (Wildlife Trust). Here is an easy how-to guide on creating a pond: click here!

Substrate

Now that we have our container, the next step is substrate! Many aquatic plants, such as water hyacinth and hornwort, don’t require substrate because their roots are free-floating, acting similarly to gills. Things like our taro, zebra rush, and rain lily do require substrate for their survival. Pond substrates come prepacked, or you can forage your own! For packaged substrate, we actually sell bags of our recommended types in the pond section of our store. If you’re looking for more than 2 cu ft, however, we recommend visiting an actual pond store. Our local favorite is Crystal Ponds! (Click here). Sand likewise works as a substrate! Avoid any substrates with perlite, peat, moss, or bark, which will float to the pond’s surface (CSU, “Planting”). When it comes to foraging substrate for a pond, no need to visit a wild lake or aquatic habitat. In fact, the best substrate may just have been under your feet the whole time! Soils beneath cool-season grasses, like the standard bluegrass, make excellent pond substrate (CSU, “Planting”).

Planting

Regardless of substrate type, planting should take place in the shade or on an overcast day to avoid drying out the roots of aquatic plants (CSU, “Planting”). Depending on the type, pond plants must be planted at specific times of year. Hardy pond plants can be planted from mid-April through May, while tropical pond plants should be planted mid-June, when water temperatures are a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit (CSU, “Planting”). Tropicals can remain in the pond until the first frost. Hardy pond plants can remain in large ponds over the winter after being pruned, yet pond plants in patio pots should be discarded at the end of the season because they will not return the following year (Zuri). If you wish to try keeping tropical pond plants happy in winter (which is incredibly difficult), they can be stored indoors in a makeshift container pond that must have full sunlight and continually warm water temperatures, at least above 60 degrees Fahrenheit (Zuri). Hardy waterlilies should have old foliage removed and dropped within the deepest part of the pond over winter, where they’ll attain dormancy until the following spring (Zuri).

Feeding Pond Plants

Fertilizing pond plants is one of the most difficult aspects of maintaining aquatic plants. This is especially true if you choose to keep fish, as fish (and other aquatic animals like snails and insects) are sensitive to chemicals found in fertilizers, both synthetic and organic. If you have a pond that does not have any animals contained within it nor is it near any wild waterways, you may fertilize pond plants with aquatic plant food tablets. The brand and its ingredients will determine how frequently you can fertilize. A pond with fish can be fertilized but under specfic guidelines. Fertilizer should be organic and animal-friendly! We sell API products, which are animal-friendly pond fertilizers and cleaners. Here is more information on them: click here! We do not recommend fertilizing ponds that are muddy or have undesirable plants within them (MSU). Fertilizer is non-selective, so it will end up feeding weeds and mud (MSU). Mud actually binds phosphorus from fertilizer, causing plants to become unhealthy (MSU).

Native Pond Plants:

This section’s a bit misleading, as at the moment we don’t have any truly native wetland or aquatic plants in stock. We, however, have a solution for you! We highly recommend you visit Highlands Plains Environmental Center (HPEC for short) either in person or on their website for anything native plant-related! We love this place and sell a few of their perennials ourselves, though nothing aquatic yet. To make it easy, we’ve provided a link for you to visit their website: click here!

Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)

If you want to increase oxygen in your pond, look no further than the humble hornwort! This aquatic plant is native to all continents, save for Antarctica, though it’s considered invasive in Tasmania, Australia, and New Zealand (Monk).* Also known as coontail, hornwort is effective at maintaining a healthy pond environment through photosynthesis, absorbing CO2 and releasing O2 back into the water (thewatergarden.com). Highly oxygenated water improves clarity and reduces the risk of algae, positively impacting the health of your pond’s environment (thewatergarden.com). Because of its versatile nature and ability to survive both in pond substrate or floating in water without roots, hornwort spreads rapidly and easily. In the wild, hornwort forms large clumps in lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers, which create safe hideaways for fish hatchlings, dragonfly larvae, and daphnia (MDC). Waterfowl also love consuming hornwort (MDC). This is one of the most essential pond plants there is! These plants are cold sensitive, so they’ll do best in a heated pond. Plant them at a similar time to tropical plants, as they dislike cold.

Non-Native:

Water Hyacinth

A favorite amongst our aquatic gardeners! Known for its impressive growth, the water hyacinth produces beautiful purple flowers. Though the bulbous foliage can look unsightly, the bulbs are filled with air sacs, which increase the water hyacinth’s buoyancy (Michigan.gov). This, along with their feathery roots, incredible growth rate, and asexual reproduction, makes the water hyacinth one of the fastest-growing plants in the world, and thus an excellent invasive plant, which isn’t good for our local waterways (Gladisitch). Keep water hyacinth contained properly and avoid contact with wild waterways.

Taro

Another non-native pond plant. If you’ve visited the Denver Botanical Gardens, you may have noticed these lush-leaved plants alongside the aquatic scapes. They’re also often sold in corm form under their Latin name, Colocasia esculenta, and look very similar to Alocasia. Oftentimes, as demonstrated by the few featured taro within the pond area of the store, they come with colorful or patterned leaves, ranging from “black” colored foliage to leopard-like variegated spots. The taro, so long as it is kept properly wet in pond shallows, can tolerate high heat due to its tropical origins (Pondmegastore.com). It rarely becomes invasive in Colorado, but in Southern states it’s considered invasive. However, unlike many other tropical pond plants, the taro can make an excellent and extravagant houseplant! Its soil should remain continually moist, its lighting should be bright, and humidity is a must if you’re interested in overwintering taro.

Yellow Rain Lily

Though not truly native to Colorado, the yellow rain lily is native to the tropical Americas, primarily Central and South America (Wiki, Nov 2024). The rain lily is also known as magic lilies because they appear right after a heavy rain, blooming from thin air (Chalily). The flowers appear similar to crocus flowers, bright and cheery! In addition to their delightful visuals, certain rain flowers bear a sweet fragrance, particularly at night, which attracts nocturnal pollinators such as moths and beetles (Wiki, June 2024). There are over 3,000 moth species in Colorado, and many are essential to our garden’s health (Powell). Though there is potential for the yellow rain lily to become invasive, if handled with care, it is highly unlikely.

Water Spangles (Salvinia minima)

Also known as water velvet, water spangles are a type of floating fern which behaves similarly to duckweed (ISSG). Originally from South & Central America, water spangles behave similarly to duckweed; thus, they can spread excessively and are considered incredibly invasive (Tulane). It does have an attractive appearance, however, and can make a great cover for fish within ponds and aquariums so long as parts of the plant are occasionally removed to prevent overcrowding (Aquatic Arts). If left untreated, water spangle can easily smother a pond or aquarium, limiting O2 and potentially harming aquatic life, from fish to bugs to other plants. Due to its nature, water spangle should NEVER be near wild waterways.

Working With Invasive Pond Plants

In order to prevent the spread of non-native pond plants into our waterways, you must manage the keeping of and disposing of these plants with utmost importance. Any plant that grows rapidly must be safely disposed of to prevent overcrowding. While you may feel guilty about disposing of these plants, you are being a hero to our native flora and fauna, allowing them to thrive in their natural habitat by preventing ecological competition. There are a few ways to get rid of aquatic plants safely; the best practice is to “cook” invasive plants or to compost them (Mattrick). To cook a plant, simply leave it on a concrete surface and pin it down with a rock (Mattrick). Allow the sun to fry the plant for a month until it’s completely dead, and then it can safely be disposed of (Mattrick). To compost, simply add invasive aquatic plants to the top of the compost pile to dry out and eventually decompose. This should only be done with invasive aquatic plants, as invasive terrestrial plants can still spread seed via compost (Mattrick).

*Hornwort may be native to North America however this variety isn’t historically found in Colorado. Hornwort has adapted to Colorado waterways and isn’t considered invasive

Aquatic Arts. “Water Spangles (Salvinia Minima), Aquatic Arts Grown!” Aquatic Arts, 2026, aquaticarts.com/products/water-spangles-salvinia-minima-aquatic-arts-grown?srsltid=AfmBOorcqi3gRLve-PJDeVJlkSiPGllf7hz0_dEUGKPvzA-lCR7PxO5D. Accessed 29 June 2026.

Gladitsch, Haley. “Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes).” Long Island Invasive Species Management Area (LIISMA), 18 July 2022, liisma.org/water-hyacinth/.

“Hornwort. One of the Best Oxygenators You Can Have!!!.– the Water Garden.” Thewatergarden.co.uk, 2024, thewatergarden.co.uk/hornwort-one-of-the-best-oxygenators-you-can-have/.

“How to Build a Pond | The Wildlife Trusts.” Www.wildlifetrusts.org, www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-build-pond.

ISSG. “Issg Database: Ecology of Salvinia Minima.” Archive.org, 2026, web.archive.org/web/20121116204858/www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=570&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN. Accessed 29 June 2026.

“Louisiana Invasive Species.” Tulane.edu, 2026, is.cbr.tulane.edu/Species_CommonSalvinia.html. Accessed 29 June 2026.

Mattrick, Christopher . “Managing Invasive Plants: Methods of Control.” Conservation Notes of the New England Wild Flower Society, 1 Feb. 2008. Accessed 29 June 2026.

MDC.“Coontail (Hornwort).” Missouri Department of Conservation, mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/coontail-hornwort.

Monk, Emma. “Hornwort | MPI Biosecurity New Zealand.” Archive.org, Biosecurity New Zealand, 2026, web.archive.org/web/20121205035215/www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests/hornwort. Accessed 22 June 2026.

Powell, Lori. “Discovering the Hidden World of Nocturnal Pollinators – Cottonwood Institute.” Cottonwood Institute, 22 June 2026, www.cottonwoodinstitute.org/upcoming-events/hidden-world-of-nocturnal-pollinators/. Accessed 25 June 2026.

“Yellow Rain Lily Shallow Water Plant – Chalily Ponds & Gardens.” Chalily, 22 June 2026, www.chalily.com/product/rain-lily-yellow/?srsltid=AfmBOoqAv_BJILgcYmduz-zWJ1ocGBDGXu6dJtK67K81_kUDiD6-mI_d. Accessed 22 June 2026.

“Water Hyacinth.” Www.michigan.gov, www.michigan.gov/invasives/id-report/plants/aquatic/water-hyacinth.

“1026 – Water Gardens: Planting Aquatic Plants – PlantTalk Colorado.” Colostate.edu, 2026, planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/annuals-perennials/1026-water-gardens-planting-aquatic-plants/. Accessed 27 June 2026.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Zephyranthes.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Nov. 2024.

Zuri, Jennifer. “5 Ways to Prepare Your Pond Plants for a Healthy Winter.” Aquascape, Inc., 22 Sept. 2025, www.aquascapeinc.com/water-gardening/pond-plants/5-ways-to-prepare-your-pond-plants-for-a-healthy-winter?srsltid=AfmBOoo7pwUTah2xSzrEjzrYzZIuLbP0gRZHfq56yqZV4qKgke7Mq5Xg. Accessed 27 June 2026.

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