A wildlife-friendly pond is the most effective thing that you can add to a garden to attract wildlfe. Ponds should be carefully designed and located (they cannot easily be moved!) and planted up with a variety of wildlife-friendly plants to have the best effect. Submerged plants will act as oxygenators, while floating species (both rooted and free floating) will provide shade and help to prevent a take-over by blanketweed (algae). Emergents grow with their feet in the water whilst marginals spread around the edges.
| Submerged | Myriophyllum spicatum | Spiked Water Milfoil |
| Potamogeton crispus | Curled Pond Weed | |
| Ceratophyllum demersum | Rigid Hornwort | |
| Ceratophyllum submersum | Soft Hornwort | |
| Free-floating | ||
| Hydrocharis morsus-ranae | Frogbit | |
| Lemna sp. | Duckweed | |
| Floating -Rooted | ||
| Nymphaea alba | White Water-lily | |
| Nymphoides peltata | Fringe Waterlily | |
| Potamogeton natans | Broad-leaved Pondweed | |
| Emergent. Roots in water, shoots, above | ||
| Apium nodiflorum | Fool’s Water cress | |
| Alisma plantago-aquatica | Water-plantain | |
| Butomus umbellatus | Flowering Rush | |
| Caltha palustris | Marsh Marigold | |
| Phragmites australis | Common Reed | |
| Polygonum amphibium | Amphibious Bistort | |
| Ranunculus lingua | Greater Spearwort | |
| Rorippa nasturtium aquaticum | Watercress | |
| Sagittaria sagittifola | Arrow-head | |
| Scirpus lacustris | Common Clubrush | |
| Scrophularia aquatica | Water Figwort | |
| Sparganium erecdtum | Branched Bur-reed | |
| Thypha latifolia | Bullrush | |
| Veronica becca-bunga | Brooklime | |
| Marginals. Roots in very shallow water or damp soils around pont edges. | ||
| Achillea ptarmica | Sneezewort | |
| Althaea officinalis | Marsh Mallow | |
| Angelica sylvestris | Wild Angelica | |
| Cardamine pratensis | Cuckoo flower | |
| Eupatorium cannabinum | Hemp Agrimony | |
| Filipendula ulmaria | Meadowsweet | |
| Geum rivale | Water Avens | |
| Iris pseudocorus | Flag Iris | |
| Juncus effusus | Soft Rush | |
| Lotus pedunculatus | Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil | |
| Lychnis flos-cuculi | Ragged Robin | |
| Lychnis flos-cuculi – var alba | Ragged Robin -white form | |
| Lycopus europaeus | Gypsywort | |
| Lythrum salicaria | Purple Loosestrife | |
| Mentha aquatica | Water Mint | |
| Menyanthes trifoliata | Bog Bean | |
| Mimulus guttatus | Monkey Flower | |
| Myosotis scorpioides | Water Forget-me-not | |
| Potentilla palustris | Marsh Cinquefoil | |
| Pulicaria dysenterica | Common Fleabane | |
| Ranunculus flammula | Lesser Spearwort | |
| Sanguisorba officinalis | Great Burnet | |
| Scutellaria galericulata | Skullcap | |
| Sparganium erectum | Branched Bur-reed | |
| Stratiotes aloides | Water Soldier | |
| Succisa pratensis | Devil’s-bit Scabious | |
| Thalictrum flavum | Common Meadow Rue | |
| Typha latifolia | Bulrush | |
| Valeriana dioica | Marsh Valerian | |
| Valeriana officinalis | Common Valerian | |
| Moisture loving Ferns | ||
| Anthriscus felix-femina | Lady Fern | |
| Matteuccia struthiopteris | Shuttlecock Fern | |
| Osmunda regalis | Royal Fern | |