best plants for large ponds?

I have a couple of new ponds, 1 a year old, the other just dug this summer. The larger is about 125x75. What plants do you suggest? I think cattails are just too invasive. Which plants do those of you with similar ponds prefer? I'm in the S.W. Washington. Thanks. Bill

Yup, invasive or ferocious seeding habits are something to steer clear of, in a pond habitat aquatic plants are capable of 'meshing' together to become more trouble than the original cost of purchasing them... Many a pond has become a liability because someone tossed in unsuitable aggressive growing waterlilies... yellow flag... duckweed... Water plantain... Water Cress...

There are a lot of very well behaved varieties out there to find, shortlist ones that

1) You like the look of, they 'fit in' with what you want your pond to do...
2) Are known to be reliable growers in your location (or you know what their wintering requirements are)
3) Are predictable to control. Some invasive can be beneficial short term, filling gaps... water lettuce and water hyacinth can smother a pond, but then they are so easy to take out of the pond and turn into mulch, while you wait for other plantings to become established

You can clue yourself up with a few books from the library on water gardening, visit established collections, search message boards like awgs.org to winkle out other folks experience

You have maybe 300 plus varieties of hybrid waterlily to discover, dozens of aquatic iris, a few hundred aquatic plants to choose between... words like 'fast growing' 'invasive' 'seeds prolific' should ring your alarm bells...

With your pond being of a large size, you will be looking at the bolder bigger varieties having the space to do well, but you will need to be picky to make sure they are well behaved, easy to control...

There are quite a lot of them to discover...

Thalia, Iris (Versicolor, Laevigata, Ensata, Louisiana) Arrow Arum, (aquatic plants proper)

Gunnera, Royal fern, Rodgersia, Rheum, Canna, Hosta, Primula, Astilbe (bog garden varieties)

These might be a good start to explore when beginning to form a 'wishlist'

Regards, andy

Hello billr, I've got a large natural pond here as well as several preform ponds and a small land locked lake on property we own out of state and I am living testimony to the aggressiveness of cattails. We work at clearing out the [deleted] regularly and have found that if they are cut a few inches below the water line, they basically drown. I would like to encourage you to contact a native plant society in your area and ask for help in creating a list of plants that would be indigenous to your area. You might want to consider taking a close look at native sedges and rushes. I agree with adavisus, "With your pond being of a large size, you will be looking at the bolder bigger varieties having the space to do well, but you will need to be picky to make sure they are well behaved, easy to control..."

Here are a few places to start should you be interested-

http://courses.washington.edu/rarecare/

http://www.wnps.org/

http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/pi/npresrcs.htm

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the bullfrog. It is an alien inader west of the rockies and will most probably find its way to your gorgeous new pond.

http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?articleId=733&issueId=59

http://www.invasivespecies.gov/profiles/bullfrog.shtml

Simply stated, if you build it they will come. Bullfrogs are an ecological nightmare in your area and there are ways to manage and control their numbers so that your pond will have many different species of critters visiting.

Oh, here's a few links to fish native to your area as koi/carp might not be the greatest choice for a body of water this large and they are extremely destructive to plants-

http://www.nativefishsociety.org/

http://wdfw.wa.gov/

http://www.nafws.org/

I have received help from several of the organizations listed above. I could not believe the caliber of assistance I received. If you get to the right person, they will bend over backwards to help you and will even provide you with local sources to puchase quantity which could substantially reduce the costs of your "wishlist".

A book I would recommend to you would be Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality-

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ecological_services/pubs_animals_habitat.html

Best wishes to you! Sorry for being so wordy. I really get into "wetscaping"!

Hey, to both of you a huge "thank you"! I am really new to this pond deal, though know a bit about "normal" landscaping. We have landscaped with thousands of plants about 3 acres, and I planted about 2 acres around the ponds with an ecoturf called "Fleur de Lawn" (yes, your eyes aren't playing tricks - combo of dwarf perenniel rye, yarrow, strawberry clover, english daisies and baby blue eyes - needs no fertilization or water once established, grows LOW). I have several types of gunnera around my yard, same with rheums, and may move them to the ponds. As you know, so much native material also becomes "[deleted]". I had to get rid of lots of it. I think the technical term is "weeds"! Anyway, you have been most helpful, and I absolutely will follow your advice. Good stuff! I'll keep you posted - may even send a pic! BTW: I plan to add native trout this year. The herons have pretty much fished out my feeder goldfish!