Best Plants to Enhance Your Koi Pond

You teamed up with San Diego Ponds to get the custom koi pond you've always wanted, and now you're ready to explore different types of plants that will further enhance your new aquatic feature. The right plants can transform your pond into a vibrant ecosystem, offering both aesthetic and practical benefits.

Here's a quick guide to the best plants for enhancing your koi pond.

Floating Plants

Water Hyacinth

Water hyacinth benefits koi ponds primarily through its two main features. Its large, floating leaves can create shade, helping keep the water cool and reduce algae growth. It also acts as a natural filter, improving water quality.

Water Lettuce

Water lettuce floats on the surface and provides shade to the pond, similar to water hyacinth. It also features dense leaves that can absorb excess nutrients, helping maintain a balanced, healthy pond environment.

Duckweed

A fast-growing plant, duckweed helps cover the pond's surface. By blocking sunlight, duckweed can help keep algae growth under control while maintaining water clarity. That said, monitoring duckweed in your koi pond is critical, as it can overtake the ecosystem if left unchecked.

Submerged Plants

Anacharis

Kicking off our list of submerged plant options is anacharis, a plant that oxygenates the water. By competing for nutrients, it helps control algae growth, and its feathery leaves can even provide a natural habitat for other pond life. All in all, anacharis is a great plant that can contribute to a balanced ecosystem.

Hornwort

Another beneficial submerged plant is hornwort. It also oxygenates the water and creates hiding spots for koi fish, reducing stress and promoting overall well-being. Plus, its dense growth suppresses algae growth and boosts water clarity.

Cabomba

With eye-catching, fan-shaped leaves, adding cabomba is an easy way to enhance your pond's visual appeal. But those leaves aren't just for show–they provide a habitat for beneficial microorganisms, helping maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Marginal Plants

Pickerelweed

A marginal plant is one that grows in the area between land and water, like the edges of your koi pond, and pickerelweed is a gorgeous example. Known for attractive purple flowers that draw in pollinators, it provides shade and helps control water quality by absorbing soil nutrients.

Creeping Jenny

Don't be scared off by its name–creeping jenny is a versatile plant with a trailing growth that is a guaranteed conversation starter. What's more, it helps protect against erosion and provides a lush, green cover that enhances your koi pond's natural beauty.

Marsh Marigold

A charming plant with bright yellow flowers that bloom in early spring, marsh marigold adds a bit of vibrant cheer to your pond. In a world of greens and natural stones, it can offer a much-needed pop of color to your new sanctuary.

Emergent Plants

Lotus

Rooted in soil or water but with stems, leaves, and flowers growing above the water's surface, emergent plants are excellent additions to koi ponds; the lotus is no exception! Renowned for their stunning blooms and broad leaves, they boost aesthetics while reducing algae growth.

Water Lilies

A classic pond plant, water lilies are another way to add striking beauty to your koi pond. They provide essential shade, helping maintain an optimal water temperature, and their broad leaves serve as resting spots for pond wildlife.

Cattails

Looking to give your koi pond a dramatic flair? Turn to tall cattails. They not only offer shelter for the creatures visiting your pond, like birds and insects, but they also help filter water by absorbing your pond's excess nutrients.

Let's Build Your Dream Koi Pond

Don't yet have a koi pond, and all these plant suggestions making you feel like you need one? Team up with San Diego Ponds! We love helping people enhance their outdoor areas and will custom design a pond that complements both your wants and your landscape. Reach out for a free consultation!