Pond Plants Blooming Guide

Did you know that most pond plants bloom? They come in many shapes, textures and colors for any size pond or water feature.

The following is a seasonal “bloom guide” to when pond and bog plants tend to begin flowering. Some plants may bloom twice, with a heavy bloom in spring (Marsh Marigold, Kaffir Lily) and a few blooms in late summer or fall or vice versa with heavy blooms in summer thru fall and a few in spring (Night Beacon Daylily). Bloom time will vary year to year and is weather dependent, so remeber this is a “general guide” to help you extend color and seasonal interest in your pond. I also included the hardiness USDA Zone, the coldest temperature they can take in order to survive the winter. https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ Click here to find your Zone.

Pond Plants Bloom Guide, by the season:

Spring  Early (March- April) 

Butterbur (Petasites japonicus) Zone 5

Calla Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) Zone 7

Chinese Ground Orchid (Bletilla striata) Zone 7

Indian Rhubarb (Darmera peltata) Zone 6

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) Zone 2- one of the first to bloom

Skunk Cabbage – Western (Lysichiton americanus) Eastern (Symplocarpus foetidus) Zone 4 – one of the first to bloom

Snowflake bells (Leucojum aestivum) Zone 7

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) Zone 4

Spring Late (May-mid-June)

Arrow Arum (Peltrandra virginica) Zone 5

Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisrinchium montanum) Zone 6

Creeping Jenny (Lysmachia nummilaria) Zone 5

Golden Club (Orontium aquaticum) Zone 5

Iris (Flags first, then I. Virginica followed by Japanese & Siberian) Zones 3-6

Monkey Flower (Mimulus spp.) Zone 4

Society Garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) Zone 7

Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scirpoides) Zone 3

Yellow-Eyed Grass (Sisrinchium californicum) Zone 6

Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis californica) Zone 8

Summer Early (late June- July)

Bacopa (Bacopa spp.) Zone 9

Bog Bean (Menyanthes trifoliata) Zone 4

Bog Lily (Crinum spp.) Zone 8

Butterfly or Milk Weed (Asclepias spp.) Zone 4

Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia cordata) Zone 6

Lizard’s Tail (Saururus cernuus) Zone 4

Lobelia or Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) Zone 6

Lotus (Nelumbo spp.) Zone 5

Marsh Cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris) Zone 3

Melon Sword Plant (Echinodorus spp.) Zone 5

Mints (Mentha aquatica) Zone 5

Pickerel Rush  (Pontederia cordata) Zone 5

Sagittaria or Arrow Head (Sagittaria spp.) Zone 5

Spider Lily (Hymenocallis spp.) Zone 7

Water Lilies (Nymphaea spp. June-August, sooner or later) Zone 5 for Hardy waterlilies, Tropical waterlilies Zone 10

Water Celery (Oenanthe javanica) Zone 5

Water Plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica) Zone 5

Water Bells (Ruellia spp.) Zone 8/9

Wood or Marsh Betony (Stachys palustris) Zone 4

Summer Late – Early Fall (August-mid-September, October)

Canna Lily (Canna spp.) Zone 7 or 8

Daylily ‘Night Beacon’ (also blooms in spring- Hemerocallis) Zone 7

Ginger, Ornamental (Hedychium spp.) Zone 8

Hardy Water Canna (Thalia dealbata) Zone 6

Hibiscus spp. Zone 4

Rain Lily (Zephyranthes spp.) Zone 8

River, Crimsom Flag or Kaffir Lily (Schizostylis coccinea) Zone 7

Winter

          Water Hawthorne (Fall through Spring)

If you would like help choosing plants for your water feature, stop into Nature Perfect Pond Supply Store and read our other plant blogs. We also do email consultations (for a charge) email Kerri Bailey, our Pond Plant Specialist & Biologist- [email protected] – for further details.