Garden designer and television personality Diarmuid Gavin has urged gardeners to look out for a distinctive weed growing in ponds, which he says needs to be disposed of without delay
Garden designer and TV personality Diarmuid Gavin urges gardeners to look out for an invasive species in their pond(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
For anyone with a garden pond, it is key to have a good combination of aquatic plants growing which will help to keep the pond healthy.
Experts recommend that oxygenators, such as hornwort and the water buttercup, are important for any pond owners to have as they will keep the water clean by sucking nutrients from the water. Floaters such as the native plants frogbit and water soldiers are also recommended to provide additional surface cover as well as food for fish.
But while many plants help to achieve a healthy garden, others can present a danger to your garden with one expert warning against the growth of a particular weed.
Writing in the Mirror, garden designer and television personality Diarmuid Gavin has warned against a thick green plant which may be growing within many gardeners’ ponds.
The advice comes after one reader queried the growth of a thick green plant covering his pond, that he feared was a weed.
Gavin confirmed that the thick green plant was a weed, saying it looks like parrot feather, Myriophyllum aquaticum. This plant is classed as invasive, and so Gavin says that gardeners should remove the weed, bag it up and bin it.
Instead Gavin encourages gardeners to look at growing hardy geraniums, or cranesbills which he says are among the most dependable and versatile herbaceous perennials for any garden.
Geraniums are ideal for ground cover, floral borders and even pots or containers(Image: Getty Images)
These plants are available in a wide range of shapes, sizes and colours with their growth habits varying from neat ground-huggers to shrubby mounds that can grow several feet tall.
He explains that these plants are “incredibly easy” to grow and that they will make the perfect flowers for ground cover, floral borders, pots and containers.
Gavin also recommends the ‘Ann Folkard’ geranium which has vivid magenta flowers and dark centres. It handles dry shade well and is well paired with the limey-green froth of Alchemilla mollis.
The vivid magenta ‘Ann Folkert’ geranium is well suited to shade(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
He praises the “star performer” which is still to bloom, ‘Rozanne’. This flowers is famed for its large violet-blue flowers that bloom non-stop from early summer to autumn.
Again the flower is well suited to being planted in borders or containers, and is ideal for patio gardeners who want long-lasting colour.
Gavin says the native G. robertianum, or herb Robert, can also be a spectacular plant as, depending on your perspective, it can either be a cheerful wildflower or an unwelcome weed.
Alongside recommending these plants, Gavin also gives an number of key tips for what you can do to your garden this week.
For the warm weather he recommends that gardeners should ensure that their plants, especially those in pots and containers are well hydrated.
He also suggests taking a look at your compost heap and recommends turning it over to air it and add moisture.