If you have a water feature, or pond,in your Aussie wildlife habitat garden,it makes good sense to plant native water plants!Australia has a number of unique and valuable native waterplants. Some grow nowhere else in the World. Native aquatic plants do wonders to garden ponds, and dams. They improve water quality and visibility, and provide habitat and hiding places for small fish and animals. Just as native birds are attracted to gardens which grow native trees and shrubs, so are native animals, particularly frogs and birds, attracted to garden ponds which have native water plants. Native water plants play an essential role in the preservation and protection of biodiversity. Very simply put, biodiversity relates to the connecting links and dependency between plants, insects, and animals, or, the chain that holds everything together! Protection and maintenance of biodiversity has been recognised as the single most important issue our generation has to deal with. Many water plants have fascinating reproduction processes which make them an intriguing and mysterious addition to the suburban garden pond. Many of these processes are still not fully understood by botanists. Some Australian water plants are listed as rare and endangered.
The selected species listed here are not normally invasive, but if they do outgrow a small pond they can be easily scooped out and composted. Aquatic plants are rich in nitrogen, easily composted, and make a very useful fertiliser.
 Above; The Beautiful Native Waterlily. Only suitable for large ponds and dams.
*Monochoria or Lilac Lady* (Monochoria cyanea) An attractive plant which generally likes to grow rooted in soil. Leaves and stems emerge from the water. Grows best in stationary or slow moving water. Monochoria has a flower stem above water, which produces several pretty blue to purple flowers on a short stem. It produces numerous seeds, so provides food for water birds. A nice plant to have in small dams, or large ponds.
*Yellow bladderwort, Yellow waterwort,* (Uttricularia gibba exolata)
This is one of the World's most amazing water plants. It floats, submerged, and in summer, grows a small, but very pretty, single yellow flower, which protrudes above water. In flower, a colony of these plants presents a stunning and unusual sight. Some of the underwater segments of the plant derive nutrients by growing insect traps that catch and digest small aquatic animals. This enables the plant to survive in low nutrient ponds, by photosynthesis, as well as by obtaining the added uptake of nutrients through the insect traps!
Unique to Australia, there are approximately 40 species of Uttricularia. However, only a few species, like exolata, are truly aquatic. Most are edge plants, and live in damp areas, around waterholes. This plant (exolata ) makes a stunning and unusual addition to any native pond or dam.
 Above the incredible Uttricularia. You may be able to see the bladders on the plant which consume small wrigglers.
*Water Snowflake*(Nymphoides indica)
This is a very pretty plant with floating leaves which grow to about 5 inches across. Snowflake has small white flowers, and flowers continually during warm weather. Suitable for medium sized ponds, and is a very useful shelter for fish and frogs. New plantlets grow from older leaves, and float in water until the root growth reaches the bottom of the pond, then they should be potted into sand.
*Water Primrose* (Ludwigia peploides ssp. montevidensis)
This is a very attractive floating perenial, with creeping or floating stems. Leaves often grow above the surface. As well, it produces pretty yellow primrose-like flowers, in summer. The seeds are an important water bird food supply, and the plants provide shelter for fish and small frogs. Water primrose needs to be potted in compost. It is a very good swamp garden plant. There has been some controversy amongst botanists as to whether this is a native plant or an exotic. Most experts now agree that there is enough evidence to suggest that it almost certainly a native.
*Foxtail, or Hornwort*(Cerataphyllum demersum)
A free floating, rootless, native plant that grows throughout the world. It produces both male and female flowers. In a complicated process, fertilisation takes place underwater. This plant is an essential component of wetland ecosystems, provides shelter for small fish and snails, and is an important food source for native aquatic animals, and water birds. It is a very useful, attractive, and unusual, garden pond or aquarium plant. Grows very quickly.
*Ferny, or Pacific Azolla, or Floating Fern* (Azolla pinnata, Azolla filiculiodes)
A small floating fern, red in full sunlight, green in shade, sometimes developing a red centre, and green edges. In garden frog ponds, and aquariums, they make an attractive and unusual display.
*Duckweed Species* Duckweed is an important food for fishes and birds. There are two main species suitable for garden ponds. If duckweed becomes too prolific, scoop it out and compost it, or feed it to the chooks. *Nardoo* (Marsilea mutica, marsilea drummondie)
An uncommon native fern, parts of which were once used as food by indigenous Australians. They grow in mud, and have long fronds, which spread over the water. Capable of drying out occasionally , and then growing again from rhizomes. Leaves float on the surface of the water, and can be mistaken for clover. A very attractive addition to a garden pond. Provides shelter for small frogs. This is an essential plant in a swamp garden.
*Frogsmouth* (Philydrum lanuginosum)
This erect perenial can grow to 2 metres high, but more usually is less than a metre. It has one or two flower spikes with several attractive, but unusual, yellow flowers. Frogsmouth is an attractive plant for farm dams, large ponds, swamp gardens, or wet, occasionally flooded, areas. It is an important component of native wetlands, providing food and habitat for many bird and animal species. Unfortunately in some parts of Australia, it is disappearing, being eaten out by livestock. Suitable for larger ponds, and farm dams, but should be protected from grazing animals.
 Above, Snowflake, a very attractive native waterlily suitable for smaller ponds.
*Native cress* (Bacopa monnieri) A pretty green sprawling plant with edible, button-like leaves. Anchored in wet soil at the edge of the pond, it spreads over the mulch surrounding the pond, and provides shelter for ground frogs. Another good plant for swamp gardens. It does not like running water, and has a small very pretty white flower in summer.
*Water milfoil* (Myriophyllum crispatum)
This is another strange native plant. It grows in soil on the bottom of the pond, with leaves and flowers protruding above the surface. Underwater leaves are fern like, but the above water leaves are quite different. It has several small, pretty, yellow to white flowers on each plant. It may disappear in winter, and return in summer.
*Knotweed* (Persicaria attenuatum) A very useful plant for stabilising creek banks and irrigation channels. A close relative, (P. decipiens) has a large attractive red blob in the centre of each leaf. Several other varieties grow in Central Queensland. These plants are probably too large for a small pond, but are useful creek bank stabilisers, and swamp plants.
This is an attractive, fernlike plant which grows in water or wet mud. The plant propagates by leaves dropping into mud, and then growing new plants from leaf nodules. Berula may have some commercial food potential. A very similar plant is used in stir-fries in Asia. Unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to grow, and needs mush care and attention. *Planting waterplants*
Most waterplants are purchased wrapped barerooted, in wet newspaper, then sealed in a plastic bag. Packed like this they will remain in good condition for more than a week. When you receive your plants, unwrap them and place straight into water. Plant them within several days if possible. If planting into a pot, put several layers of newspaper into the pot, plant into some good soil, then put a couple of centre metres of sand or gravel on top--this keeps soil and nutrients from escaping. Do not use chemical manures on waterplants, only blood and bone, or a few compressed chicken manure pellets. An alternative method of planting is to use sand only, but you must push several compressed chicken manure pellets into the sand. Many waterplants are floaters, and do not need to be planted in sand or soil. Be very cautious about planting papyrus and similar introduced water plants, as they are becoming available from some nurseries. Their seeds can be spread by birds, and they do have the potential to become invasive weeds. Avoid putting goldfish in your pond. Native fish such as Blueeyes eat more mosquito wrigglers than goldfish, and the Uttricularia plant that you put in the pond will clean up the rest!
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