Aquatic Plant Beauties

School has begun but summer is still going strong in the water gardening world. While some of your annuals may start looking a little shaggy, many aquatic plants still look healthy and beautiful. Here's a few of my favorites.

Nothing boasts summer like a bright, Yellow Snowflake. The petals' frayed edges add to the playful character of this show-stopper.

The calming cool green of Arrowhead leaves display an intricate railroad pattern. This easy-to-grow plant is a crowd pleaser in the pond world.

Who doesn't love the Lotus? This flower needs no descriptive sentence ... the picture paints 1000 words.

Ah, Water Lettuce! I've had a love affair with this floating plant for years. The lush green leaves, velvety to the touch, are a pleasure to behold. This plant multiplies readily and is great for sharing with friends.

Isn't this an amazing photo of Powdery Thalia? (I didn't take this photo, or any others on today's post ... but water gardeners love to share!) Such a delicate looking flower for a robust plant.

And Cattail! I do love the variegated leaves and spongy flowers of this stately plant.

The regal Victoria Waterlily, with bouyant leaves that can hold a human being. For more information on this amazing waterlily, visit http://www.victoria-adventure.org/.

A close-up of this South American beauty, named after Queen Victoria.

The Giant Mediterranean Reed provides dramatic architectural interest to the water garden. Look closely and you'll see a little green friend resting on a leaf.

And when you mix some of these plants together, you'll see why water gardening has become so popular. Terrestial gardeners will find a new world of plants to grow and love when they turn an eye to aquatic beauties such as these.