As well as increasing stock, propagation is an excellent way to promote fresh young growth in your pond plants while discarding the older, unproductive plant parts.

• Most pond plants can be divided, including: Nymphaea (waterlilies) and especially marginals such as Butomus umbellatus AGM (flowering rush), Caltha palustris AGM (marsh marigold), Iris laevigata AGM (Japanese water iris), Pontadera cordata AGM and Schoenoplectus lacustris (bulrush)
• Submerged oxygenators and creeping marginals can be propagated by cuttings. Examples include: Hottonia palustris (water violet) and Ranunculus aquatilis (water buttercup)
• Floating plants including Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) and Hydrocharis morsus-ranae (frog-bit) naturally produce runners, plantlets or turions in the form of swollen detachable
  A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

  buds
• Pond edge
  Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

  perennials and bog plants can be divided such as Astilbe chinensis var. pumila AGM, Filipendula ulmaria, Iris ensata AGM, Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ AGM and Lythrum salicaria
• Some aquatics and moisture-loving pond edge perennials can be seed raised as well as increased by division. Examples include Aponogeton distachyos (water hawthorn), Lobelia siphilitica, Cardamine pratensis (lady’s smock)

Timing of propagation depends on the method;

• Divide clumps of fibrous-rooted, tuberous-rooted and rhizomatous plants when in active growth in spring
• Cuttings, root-bud cuttings and stem cuttings can be taken in spring and summer to produce young plants to be grown on under glass until danger of frosts has passed
• Collect seed when ripe in summer or autumn. Seeds can also be obtained in specialist nurseries. Note: seed of cultivars may not grow true to type

Division

• Divide plants with fibrous or creeping roots, such as sedges and reeds, in spring. Pull roots apart by hand or use two garden forks back-to-back and lever apart. Each division should have a growing point
• Cut off old leaves and roots then trim new roots before replanting in individual containers. Top dress with gravel and cover the container with 5-7.5cm (2-3in) of water
• Pull apart plants with strong rhizomes, such as iris. Use a sharp knife to divide into sections, each with at least one
  A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

  bud and some young roots. Trim foliage and long roots then replant with the rhizome almost exposed
• For waterlilies, cut the
  Rhizomes are creeping swollen root-like structures that are actually adapted stems. Roots, stems with leaves and flowers are produced along its length. See plants such as Anemone nemorosa, bamboo, canna, border iris.

  rhizomes into sections with two or three growth buds

Cuttings

Take healthy, young shoots from oxygenators and insert into pots of loam or aquatic plant potting media. Submerge the pots.

A method of growing new plants from parts of an existing plant, such as sections of root, stem, leaf or bud. When prepared correctly and planted in the right conditions, they can produce roots and eventually become independent plants. There is a wide range of different methods for taking cuttings, depending on the plant and time of year.

Root-bud cuttings

Waterlilies and tuberous plants, such as Acorus, can be propagated from root-bud cuttings from the rhizome. They may produce tiny, new growing points on the roots where shoots emerge. Cut off a 7.5cm (3in) piece of the root behind the growing point. Pot up and grow on.

Bulbils

Bulbils of plants such as Butomus umbellatus (flowering rush) are simply detached. Pot up and keep just submerged.

Runners and plantlets:

Floating plants, such as Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), produce plantlets. These can be snapped off in early summer and placed on the water surface to grow on separately.

Turions

Some water plants, such as Hottonia palustris (water violet) and Hydrocharis morsus-ranae (frog-bit), produce turions. These are swollen nodule-like root

A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

Seed

Sow seed as soon as it is ripe. Use pots filled with aquatic

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant. It starts with the seed coat absorbing water, expanding and splitting, which allows oxygen and water into the seed so its food reserves can be broken down and used by the embryo for growth. The first root (called the radicle) pushes into the soil to anchor the new plant in place and start absorbing water and nutrients. The first shoot (called the plumule) then grows upwards, out of the soil, towards the light.

Germination

There are not many problems to watch out for, but the following may be troublesome at times:

• Invasive non-native plants: Choose your pond plants for propagation carefully, as invasive species can be difficult to control once established. Never dispose of any unwanted pond plants in the wild. Fast growing aquatic weeds such as Crassula helmsii (New Zealand pygmyweed), Lagerosiphon major (curly waterweed) and Elodea canadensis (Canadian pondweed) can all get out of hand where conditions are favourable
• Slugs and snails can quickly eat through young marginals and moisture-loving plants. Water snails may be a problem for submerged plants
• Powdery mildew can affect some soft-stemmed marginals and pond plants encouraged by overcrowding and humid or damp air
• Bog plants such as hosta, primula and astilbe are vulnerable to vine weevil damage to the roots