Some of our favourite water plants for Central Queensland include:
Water Lilies - Nymphaea: Beautfiul flowering plants with flat floating leaves which look lovely in ponds as well as providing shade and shelter for fish and other aquatics. They prefer full sun and still water so its best to keep them away from fountains. Water liles like to be fed and soluble slow release fertiliser tablets are available at the garden centre, however in a natural pond with a healthy ecosystem this may not be necessary. There are two types, Tropical and Hardy.
Tropical Water Lilies: These are the ones that flower on stems above the water, generally from around October to May. Water depth can be around 30cm above the crown of the plant, or more for larger specimens. Their large and often decorative leaves can grow to the size of a dinner plate with a spread of anything from 1 to 5 metres! Wide range of colours .
Hardy Water Lilies: The flowers of these cool tolerant lilies rest on the surface of the water and the leaves tend to be smaller than the Tropicals.
Rice Paddy Herb (Lymnophila aromatica): Be transported to Asia when you get a taste of this. Used in Vietnamese cooking. Happy in a boggy area, sitting in water, or even submerged with leaves just out of the water as an aquarium plant and oxygenator. Blue flowers. Likes heat and humidity, sun/part shade.
Nymphoides goondawindi Yellow Water Fringe: Australian native, this species has scalloped leaves splotched with dark red on the out rim. A dark red pattern at the leaf axil with a red centre. Flowers yellow fringe star shaped. Depth 25cm to 40cm.
Nymphoides indica Snowflake White Water Fringe: A native white form of the fringe lily, Depth 25-40cm.