Adding water to your outdoor space is one of the most important things you can do for wildlife. It is vital habitat for wetland wildlife like frogs and dragonflies. Creating a barrel pond is one of the easiest, most accessible ways to bring wildlife to your space as you only need a small bit of hard standing land. It’s also great for many species of garden plant, insect, bird and mammal.

We used lot of plants in this barrel pond to show variety. You don’t need to use that many – 3 plants would be absolutely fine for a barrel pond and allows more room for each to grow bigger. Try to pick one with flowing leaves for shade and cover, one with emerging vertical stems, and one with plenty of leaves under the water to oxygenate the water and provide habitat below the surface.

Here are some details of the native plants we have used:

Mare’s Tail, also known as bottle brush (Hippuris vulgaris) – evergreen and a good oxygenator. Can be planted at a range of depths in the pond.

Bog bean (Menyanthes trifoliata) – a shallow water marginal pond plant with starry white flowers in May and June. Cut back after flowering.

Lesser spearwort (Ranunculus flammula) - features spear-shaped leaves and pretty yellow flowers in summer. It can cause skin irritation, so wear gloves when handling.

Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) – an iconic yellow-flowered wetland plant great for damselfly and dragonfly nymphs to climb out from the pond onto, just before they transform into their adult form. Grows vigorously, so keep in the basket and be prepared to thin back when it gets established. Wear gloves to handle.

Common rush (Juncus effusus) – clumps of bright green vertical flowering stems with brown flowers.

Common water-plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica) – has delicate pinkish white flowers, which tower above the leafy foliage.

Water Mint (Mentha aquatica) – aromatic minty leaves and nectar and pollen rich lilac flowers make this an appealing addition to a pond for humans and wildlife. Spreads easily, so cut back after flowering.

Water forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris) – sprays of small sky-blue flowers with yellow centres draw the eye above water but below the surface, newts may use the leave to wrap their eggs in!

Native water Lilly (Nyphaea alba) – floating leaves are the perfect landing and drinking places for insects such as bees, a great spot for a frog, and they shade the water beneath, discouraging algae bloom.


For full instructions and more gardening for wildlife ideas, visit WWT's website at https://www.wwt.org.uk/mini-wetlands