Pond connoisseurs and those who adore rare plants will soon run out of options at the local nurseries. Those who live in rural areas may find it challenging to get to a nursery at all. While it is possible to ask a nursery to order a specific plant, sometimes it is just as easy to order that plant from an online pond plant specialist.
Why Order Pond Plants Online?
It can seem counterintuitive to order plants online: it’s not possible to see or smell the product before buying. However, ordering a plant or seeds by mail means that the gardener is getting the benefit of ordering from a pond specialist. It can lead to interesting discussions between the gardener and the store owner. For those who seek out rare pond and bog plants, it’s possible to learn a lot about the background of the plant, even the specific history and breeder of that line.
What to Consider When Ordering Live Pond Plants
Shipping live plants can be a challenging experience for the plants and for the person who receives them. Whenever possible, choose the fastest shipping method. Let the nursery know about the local conditions they are shipping to, and let them decide whether the plants should make the journey. Often, nurseries have restrictions on the times of year that they will ship plants: when plants arrive dead or damaged, this is no good for the gardener or the nursery.
Shipping Seeds, Bulbs, and Roots of Pond Plants
Shipping seeds is much lighter, and seeds are less sensitive to the climatic conditions during shipping. When a plant will grow well from seed, try ordering the seeds instead of the live plant. Seed packages contain multiple seeds, so even if the survival rate of the seedlings is low, if it yields one plant it is just as good as shipping a single plant. However, some plants grow best when they are shipped as a live plant. These pond plants may require strenuous effort to grow from seed, specific root bacteria, or simply grow very easily from runners or cuttings. Again, let store staff give advice about the most practical options for acquiring and growing healthy new pond plants.
Avoid Invasive Species When Buying Pond Plants Online
When buying plants online, it is essential to ensure that these plants are not invasive species. Plants can be tame and even rare and challenging to grow in one area of the world, but in another area they can take over a local wetland or pond, threatening local plants and animals. Check with local nurseries and conservation organizations to ensure that a species is not invasive. Never intentionally release pond or wetland plants into a natural area.
Online Companies That Sell Pond Plants
There are numerous companies that sell pond plants online. These include:
- LiveAquaria, which sells bog plants, lilies, lotus, and submerged plants.
- Yoders Pond, which sells a selection of irises, lilies, rushes, and sedges
- Just Pond Plants, which sells floating and submerged plants, lilies, lotus, and koi supplies. This site also offers free shipping for orders over $50.
- Crystal Creek Pond Supply, which offers lilies, iris, bog plants, and tropical pond plants. This site offers free shipping.
Collecting rare and lovely pond and bog plants is an exciting hobby, and it’s one that has become a lot easier now that it’s possible to order pond plants online. Order carefully to avoid invasive species and to find the best times to order, ship, and transplant pond plants. Shopping for pond plants online allows the water gardener to choose from a much wider scope of plants than may be available at the local nursery.
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