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Just to be clear, the pond plants should provide the shade, but they in turn need sun, especially water lilies. Don't put the whole pond under a tree.😉

@DevonPondPlants Haha, my pond is under a tree. Never a problem. I have 4 koi and 1 black moor, and they're thriving. Also, it keeps the algae down.

@@courtneyjones-laweka1716 Yes, I'm talking about plants, not fish.

Hello Howard, thank you for your interest, this topic is covered frequently in our videos and in my book. The important thing to note is that the key word is MOST. Some plants, including Alisma, Butomus and Sagittaria will brown off rapidly and prematurely if the soil level is above water. Generalisations are always dangerous!

Hi Tim, it's a lovely plant but is quite hard to grow well in my area. If it likes your water chemistry it may be ok for you😎

they will eat plants yes! If you're feeding your fish enough though they shouldnt do it as much. What i do is grow the oxygen plants out a bit first (literally a bucket of water will do in the sun). Then just get a couple lead weights and throw them in. They are amazing if you want you fish to breen as you will get thousands of eggs on them. I would avoid water soldier with fish how ever as they can be quite sharp and injure fish. Although if you can place them in a more shallow part of the pond they should be fine. We have a pond and have all the same fish as you, aswell as golden and blue orfe fish. We have no pump just a solar fountain and loads and loads of plants. So it can be done. Edit: floating plants are amazing too like giant water lettuce, frogbit, Ranunculus aquatilis and Salvinia Natan (looks like a brain).

All the same comments apply. You can read more about concrete ponds in my book😉😉

Then you weren't paying attention - did I bore you to sleep?😉😉

Thank you, we are glad you're enjoying them! Plenty more in the pipeline.

He's a Lagotto Romagnolo! Not available mail order 😆😆

@@DevonPondPlants He is beautiful. He looks so FLUFFY!!!

It's a matter of opinion really. What I said is that the yellow clay layer is unsuitable, but the lighter subsoil just below the topsoil is ok. It's always a compromise between unwanted dissolved nutrients in the water and insufficient nutrients for the plants.

You're very welcome, we are glad it was useful😎😎

No, I think the bottom of the foliage is submerged a few cm for max depth.

Hi Dave, because all plants look better planted in groups, moreover some are slender and look less impressive singly, such as Butomus and Scirpus zebrinus, both of which look better when planted in groups close together. Time has the same effect of course, it depends how long you want to wait for a solid effect.

@@DevonPondPlants Thanks!

Hi, please send questions via website Contact page as we don't monitor youtube frequently. use pond baskets, don't use loose soil in pond. Check info on website and buy the book!😁😁

Hi Anthony. That would be a very short video, just hornwort and possibly Callitriche. All the rest have true roots and need to be growing in something. You wouldn't go to the garden centre to buy roses and lupins and then just chuck them in the garden when you got home!

@@DevonPondPlants I wish i'd watched some videos or even your videos of what not to do when building a pond. I've used a liner and also did not add any shelves for the plants to sit on. Are there any potted plants that would like a pot deep in the water. Pond is about 2ft deep. I'm not into stealing amphibians from the wild (disease etc) but I am hoping to eventually attract them.

only lilies, oxygenators and deep water plants. Check website info pages and blogs for lots more info.@@RogersAB

Hi Alex, thank you for your comment, but this is not the full picture. While decomposition products such as high levels of tannins may or may not be toxic to plants or invertebrates, they can discolour the water, staining it a dark brown. This results in much reduced light levels at the bottom of the pond which will inhibit growth of bottom dwelling plants such as oxygenators and Nuphars. The blanketing effect of the leaves themselves also prevents light from reaching the foliage of these plants and can certainly kill them over the winter and Spring in the same way that ground cover membranes inhibit weeds. A small amount of leaf litter does produce extra habitat for some invertebrates but larger amounts are definitely harmful to any pond. Lastly, the decomposition of leaves reduces oxygen levels, encouraging the growth of anaerobic bacteria which themselves produce toxic compounds such as Hydrogen sulphide. A small amount of leaf litter and other plant debris does produce extra habitat for some invertebrates but larger amounts are definitely harmful to any pond. My advice has always been that for a healthy pond, levels of loose organic material in a garden pond should be kept to a minimum. This does not infer a hospital level of cleanliness though.

I’ve heard Cherry Laurel leaves are toxic too

Hello Jeremy, thank you for your kind comment. Like you, I am a dinosaur and think in Imperial terms, but most of our customers now have no idea what an inch or a gallon is and so we move with the times.

I am sure there are very few people who don't know what an inch is and nearly all will still think in their own minds in inches rather than centimetres. You are not a dinosaur at all; unfortunately most other people who, like your goodself, reach out to thousands via screen, radio or print think the same as you ie) "I'll have to talk in metric now" - but you don't ! Its precisely that approach which is destroying what little remains of our national identity and heritage. In my town all our grocers and 2 butchers sell in pounds rather than kg for that reason. Metrication was halted in 2007. In your next well crafted video please consider using British measurements. Best wishes

Jeremy, we don't use barleycorns, pecks, gills, firkins, fluid scruples, and many other units either but these are all imperial measurements! Do you bemoan their passing? I'm in my 60s and apart from a pint of bitter, miles to travel, and being 6 foot tall I think in terms of metric measurements entirely. NB Parliament passed the Weights and Measures (Metric System) Act, legalising metric units for all purposes (but not making them compulsory) in 1896.

... Like using plastic for everything. Sad

Your comment just proves that you are not willing to grasp the use of metric and as such, just refusing to use it.. Even though in most cases it's much simpler and accurate to read than using fractions. Americans use imperial, and therfore most sewing patterns i have used are also in inches, which for sewing is much much simpler, but when you need it for construction for example, metric is much better and accurate. It has absolutely zero to do with loosing British heritage, and there's much bigger problems going on in this country than using a type of measurement that was passed over 120 years ago because someone also realised it was better than imperial 🙄

Yes all plants do use oxygen at night I think

Patricia, Marcus, Benny, Thomas and Sharon. You’re welcome. 😂