Plant Doctor Archive

Water Gardens — Winter plants

Can you recommend any plants that can I grow in my garden pond to give some life and interest over winter?

The water hawthorne (Aponogeton distacyus) is the best. It has strap-like leaves and unusual, white, vanilla-scented flowers. Best of all, it flowers during winter. It will also grow in the shade, in water up to 2m deep and in moving water.

The water hawthorne needs frequent feeding with an aquatic fertiliser such as Tetra Lily Grow to keep up flower production. The only drawback to this versatile plant is that it looks a bit scruffy in summer - but hey, you can't have everything.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.