A wide variety of hardy water plants as well as tropical water plants can be grown successfully in water gardens in Colorado. Hardy water lilies are widely available and their leaves provide surface coverage that helps in the control of algae. Tropical water lilies will also thrive through the warm weeks of summer, but must be removed and stored for the winter. Many marginal bog plants such as cattails and the water iris can be wintered over in a pond if the water does not freeze completely. The plants should be cut back and the pots placed at the deepest point of the pond. In the spring the pots are lifted and repositioned close to the surface of the water. Another technique is to remove the plants from the pond, cut back the foliage, and sink the pots into a garden area and mulch for winter protection. When growth emerges in the spring, the plants are can then put back in the pond.
For more information, please see the PlantTalk script "Water gardening: plant recommendations."
