My Favourite Pond Plant. The Iris

This plant deserves a full article all of its own. There are three species of Iris which are considered to be true aquatic plants for growing all year round in the shallows of a pond and i consider it to be ridiculous to have a collection of Marginals without having at least one of these gorgeous plants growing in the pond. An important variety for the normal garden pond is Iris Ieavigata (Japanese Water Iris).

The 3 petalled blooms are somewhere in the region of about 5 inches across and they are borne on 2 ft. high stems. The first flowers usually start to open in June and are clear blue in colour with a yellow line down the centre of every petal. A second flush of blooms may appear in September depending on the local climate that you live in.

There are a number of varieties that you can choose from 'Snowdrift' (white with 6 petals), 'Dorothy' (blue with a white line down the centre of each petal), 'Variegata' (blue, leaves variegated yellow and green) and the hybrid I. 'Rose Queen' (rose-pink).

The planting depth for I. laevigata and its varieties is 0 - 3 inches. I.pseudacorus (Yellow Flag or Yellow Water Iris) is more vigorous and taller than I. Iaevigata. The foliage is 3 - 4ft. lond and the yellow flowers are on stems that can reach as high as 3 ft. The species is simply too course for ordinary garden ponds but the variety 'Variegata' (2 - 2.5 ft. high) with its more restrained growth habit and cream leaves edged with green makes it an outstanding choice. Other varieties include 'Sulphur Queen' and 'Bastardii'. The planting depth for I. pseudacorus and its varieties is 2 - 4 inches.

The 3rd aquatic species is I. versicolor (American Blue Flag). This is mostly a restrained plant for that smaller pond. Its leaves are 2 ft. long and the flower stalks are 1.5 - 2 ft. in hight. The violet blue flowers begin to appear in June or July and they have narrow petals blotched with gold on the base. The favored variety is 'Kermesina' with claret red flowers flecked with white. The planting depth for I. versicolor and its varieties is 2 - 4 inches.

Propagation: To propagate the individual plants, all you want to do is divide the clumps the moment the flowering has finished and your plants will thrive.

That virtually covers everything I want to say about this lovely plant. I do hope that I have not gone on too long regarding the Iris, but I do feel strongly them. From a personal perspective, if you haven't got an Iris or two growing in the pond then you really need to add them. You certainly will not regret it. The vibrant colours and sizes of these plants will amaze you as well as any visitors that you may have. I could have made this article a whole lot longer but I do not want the readers getting bored. Just give the Iris a chance.

A lot of my time is spent in my garden. I have been looking for help regarding how to develop an ideal pond habitat for the fish which I intend to stock it with without much luck. To obtain the assistance I will want I have decided to use a company called Landscape Gardener London. So far they have given me all the help and advice that I have asked for, as and when I ask them for it.