Fill up your ponds with plants
Continue to plant up bog gardens. There are many beautiful plants that enjoy a damp spot, such as Iris ensata ‘Katy Mendez’, pictured. Mulch with garden compost or manure-based soil improver.
Thin out, cut back or divide excess new growth on established aquatic plants. You can still plant new ones this month. Put vigorous plants in re-used aquatic plant baskets, or with roots wrapped in hessian, to contain them. If re-using baskets, top-dress the surface with a layer of gravel to prevent fish from stirring up the compost.
If you want fish, introduce them after new plantings have established. Avoid introducing goldfish to wildlife ponds, because they will eat frogspawn and disrupt the natural balance.
Now is a good time to divide waterlilies and other pond plants to increase stocks or control vigorous growth.
By May, newts are laying their eggs singly on leaves of plants such as brooklime, and early frog and toad spawn will now be developing into tadpoles, which soon disperse into the water.
Problems
Remove blanket weed by twirling it around a rough stick. Skim off floating weeds such as duckweed with a net. Leave weeds on the pond side for 48 hours to allow trapped creatures to return to the water before adding to the compost heap.
