We decided to plant native British species of plants obtained from a specialist garden centre, or as cuttings from my sisters well established pond.

Oxygenating plants.

Hornwort - Ceratophyllum Demersum.

Spiked Water Milfoil - Myriophyllum Spicatum.

Broadleaved Pondweed - Potamogeton Natans.

Curly Pondweed - Potamogeton Crispus.

Water Starwort - Callitriche Palustris.

Deep water plants.

Dwarf White Waterlily - Nymphaea Candida.

Marginal plants.

Arrowhead - Sagttaria Sagittfolia.

Tufted Loosestrife - Lysimachia Thyrsiflora.

Water Violet - Hottonia Palustris.

Creeping Jenny - Lysimachia Nummularia.

Yellow Flag Iris - Iris Pseudaconus.

Marigold (giant) - Caltha Polypetala

Marigold (marsh) - Caltha Palustris.

Water Mint - Mentha Aquatica.

Bog Bean - Menyanthes Trifoliata.

Lesser Spearwort - Ranunculus Flammula.

Moisture-loving plants.

Meadowsweet - Filipendula Ulmaria.

Skullcap - Scutellaria Laterifolia.

Common Valerian - Valerian Officinalis.

Marsh Woundwort - Stachys Palustris.

There are a number of plants sold in garden centres that are very invasive and best avoided. Particularly bad is the Parrots Feather - Myriophyllum Aquaticum, which is invading waters in the southwest of England and seems to be spreading further north.

Also avoid:

Australian Swamp Stonecrop - Crassula Helmsii.

New Zealand Pigmy Weed - Tillaea Recurva.

Floating Pennywort - Hydrocotyle Ranunculoides.

Fairy Fern - Azolla Filiculoides.

Small Leaved Duckweed - Lemna Minuta.

Canadian Pondweed - Elodea Canadensis.

Nuttalls Water Thyme - Elodea Nuttalli.

White Waterlily - Nymphaea Alba.

Burr Reed - Sparganium Erectum.  The roots can pierce the pond liner.

Bulrush - Typha Latifolia.

Lesser Reed Mace - Typha Angustifolia.

Common Reed - Phragmites Austalis.

Greater Spearwort - Ranunculus Lingua.