Open and unpack your plants promptly after delivery. Some temporary softening or flattening of foliage during transport is normal. Allow the plants to rehydrate after their journey before positioning them permanently.
See our Receiving and Caring for Your Pond Plants guide for more detailed advice on helping newly delivered aquatic plants settle.
Always follow the planting-depth guidance on the individual plant labels supplied. Different marginal species prefer different positions, so the four plants should not automatically be placed at the same depth.
Our Pond Planting Zones Guide explains the different planting areas around a pond and how planting depth is measured.
1. Check each plant
Remove all delivery packaging and inspect the plants.
The plants are already established in 3 litre Finofil aquatic baskets and normally do not need to be repotted before being placed in the pond.
Allow them to rehydrate after their journey before making final decisions about their appearance or permanent position.
2. Plan the planting positions
Consider the shape of your pond, the width and depth of its shelves, and the eventual height and spread of the plants supplied.
Because these are larger plants, four well-positioned baskets can create substantial areas of structure and foliage. Rather than spacing them automatically at equal intervals around the pond, use their different forms and eventual sizes to create a more natural arrangement.
Where space allows, grouping two plants within the same broader area of marginal planting can create greater visual impact, while placing others separately provides structure elsewhere around the pond.
Make sure there is sufficient room around each basket for the plant to develop.
3. Check the planting depth
Read the individual label supplied with each plant before positioning it.
Marginal plants vary considerably in their preferred water depth. Some grow best at or immediately beside the pond edge, while others can sit with part of their basket submerged below the water surface.
Planting depth is measured from the top of the aquatic basket to the water surface.
Do not assume that all four baskets should be placed at the same depth.
4. Position the baskets
Place each basket on a firm, stable pond shelf or in the appropriate marginal position.
A 3 litre aquatic basket is larger and heavier than a 1 litre basket, so make sure the shelf is wide enough to support it securely before lowering the plant into place.
Lower submerged baskets gently into the water to avoid disturbing the planting medium. Make sure they stand upright and are not positioned where strong currents from pumps, waterfalls or fountains will continually disturb the plants.
Newly positioned plants may establish more reliably towards the shallower end of their recommended planting range before being moved deeper if appropriate.
5. Allow the plants to establish
Aquatic plants vary naturally in appearance throughout the year. Depending on the season, plants may arrive compact, recently cut back, without flowers or at a different stage of growth from the photographs shown.
Although 3 litre plants are supplied at a more established stage than smaller formats, they will still need time to settle into their new surroundings and develop after planting.
Allow them to establish before assessing their eventual height, spread or flowering performance.
