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13
CHOOSING PLANTS THAT ARE
GOOD FOR WILDLIFE
Type of plant
Names
Comments
Plants next to the pond
Plant terrestrial plants in
wildflower areas adjacent to
your pond.
• Cow Parsley
(Anthriscus sylvestris)
• Devil’s-bit Scabious
(Succisa pratensis)
• Hemp Agrimony
(Eupatorium cannabinum)
• Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum),
• Purple loosestrife (Lythrum
salicaria)
• Red Valerian
(Centranthus ruber)
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Create a wildflower area near
your pond, providing a habitat
for amphibians, and the
adult forms of some aquatic
insects, like hoverflies, which
will nectar there.
Flat-topped flowers like cow
parsley are especially useful
because they offer broad ‘heli-
pads’ to land on.
Low-growing wetland grasses
Can be planted in dry ground,
or a few cm of water.
• Creeping Bent (Agrostis
stolonifera) – which is often
present as a lawn grass,
but also likes its feet in water
• Small sweet-grasses
(Glyceria fluitans)
Creeping wetland grasses may
look rather boring but they
provide an excellent habitat for
newts, water beetles and many
other creatures.
Marginal herbs and rushes that
grow into the water
Plant in 2-10 cm depth of water.
• Lesser Spearwort
(Ranunculus flammula)
• Marsh Pennywort
(Hydrocotyle vulgaris)
• Water Forget-me-
not (Myosotis scorpioides)
• Water Mint (Mentha aquatica)
• Watercress (Rorippa
nasturtium-aquaticum)
Where possible include
marginal plants, like the ones
listed here, that can extend out
into the water and provide a
submerged habitat for animals.
Marginal plants with attractive
flowers and architecture
Plant in 2-10 cm depth of water.
• Marsh Cinquefoil
(Potentilla palustris)
• Marsh Woundwort
(Stachys palustris)
• Marsh-marigold
(Caltha palustris)
• Pendulous Sedge
(Carex pendula)
• Purple Loosestrife
(Lythrum salicaria)
• Ragged-robin
(Lychnis flos-cuculi)
• Water Dock
(Rumex hydrolapathum)
• Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus)
These native species are well
adapted for planting on damp
banks and in marsh areas.