Aquatic Plants That Tolerate Shade

Gardeners often associate aquatic plants with full sun and sometimes think water plants won't grow in the shade. They overlook many impressive shade-loving water plants, such as the ones in the following list:

Shade that is created by trees presents a special challenge to the water gardener. Trees produce leaves, twigs, branches, and seed. If you want to put a pond where there are a lot of trees, use a netting to reduce the amount of tree debris that will fall in the pond. Another alternative is to invest in a good pond vacuum and have a regular maintenance schedule to remove leaf debris from the pond. Or, install a skimmer box. The water flows through a wire and into a net, which you can remove at the edge of the pond.

Other shade-loving plants suitable for water gardens include:

Random Tip:
Flowing water is more appealing to birds than static water in non-circulating birdbaths.