You've got the pond. You picked out some plants that looked great at the nursery. And now you're staring at a murky green disaster, wondering where it all fell apart.
Here's the thing about water gardens in LA: our weather is absolutely perfect and completely terrible at the same time. Year-round sun, consistently warm water, mild winters—plants grow like they've been shot out of a cannon. That same weather? It also supercharges algae blooms, evaporates water faster than you'd expect, and stresses plants that aren't built for our specific climate. We've seen it countless times with clients who went plant shopping with zero strategy or inherited someone else's overgrown nightmare.
The good news is this: once you understand what actually works here in Southern California, water gardens become some of the lowest-maintenance features you can own. It's not magic. It's just knowing which plants to pick and how to get your water balanced.
Start With the Right Plants—Everything Else Gets Easier
A lot of people think more plants equals a prettier pond. They're wrong. What matters is variety and function. You need floating plants to shade the water and choke out algae. You need submerged plants doing the unglamorous work of oxygenating and vacuuming up excess nutrients. And you need marginal plants—the ones growing at the pond's edge—for structure and visual pop. It's like composing a photo. Too much of anything and the whole picture collapses.
For LA specifically, water hyacinth and water lettuce are your floating workhorses. They grow fast enough to actually make a dent in algae, and they tolerate our heat without complaining. Water hyacinth has those pretty purple flower spikes, so you get beauty and function rolled into one. Just watch it—in our warm water, it gets leggy and aggressive if you don't thin it out every month or two.
Underwater, anacharis and hornwort are set-it-and-forget-it plants. They'll root into your pond, start pulling nutrients from the water, and provide shelter for fish if you decide to add them. Hornwort's especially great if you're new to this game—it thrives at almost any depth and keeps working even when your water quality isn't quite dialed in yet.
At the edges, pickerel rush is the showstopper most people picture when they dream up a water garden. Those dark purple flower spikes against bright green leaves? That's not accidental design—it's built to grab attention. Canna lilies deliver that tropical vibe if you want it, and they're tougher than they look. If you want something different, society garlic blurs the line between garden and water feature without demanding fussy care.
The Real Talk About Algae
Here's what nobody wants to hear: algae loves LA. Our sunlight's fierce, and in summer, water temps stay high around the clock. It's basically algae paradise. You're never going to wipe it out completely, and honestly, you shouldn't try. Some algae is actually healthy. The real goal is keeping it under control.
Floating plants are your first defense. They throw shade across the surface and starve algae of light. Beyond that, keep your water moving. It doesn't have to be an elaborate waterfall—even a simple bubbling fountain or recirculating feature helps with oxygenation and keeps water from going stagnant. We've seen clients cut their algae problems literally in half just by adding one small circulation feature. That's it.
Then there's the debris reality. Leaves, dirt, pollen—it all lands in your pond, decomposes, and creates a layer of muck that turns water cloudy and green. You'll need to skim regularly, especially in spring and fall when trees are doing their thing. Dead plant matter should come out too. Grab a net and spend fifteen minutes—that beats spending days troubleshooting why your pond looks like a swamp.
Evaporation in LA is brutal. You might lose half an inch of water a week in July and August. Keep an eye on the level and top it off with fresh water as needed. If your water stays murky even after regular cleaning, it usually means nutrients are building up. Prune back some plants and give it a few days—the cloudiness typically clears once your plant load balances out.
Make It Work Without Wasting Water
We get it. Water conservation matters in Southern California, especially if you're already feeling guilty about that lawn you're still watering. The good news? Water gardens don't have to be water hogs. Catch runoff from your roof or collect excess irrigation water and channel it into your pond. You'll slash your municipal water use, and your plants will thank you for the rainwater anyway.
If space is tight or you've got young kids around, skip the traditional pond. Pondless water features give you the sound, the visual interest, and the ecosystem benefits without the depth and maintenance of standing water. Same vibe, fraction of the upkeep.
The Takeaway
Your water garden doesn't need to be complicated. Give it the right plants for our climate, some consistent but light attention, and accept that a little algae is completely normal. After that, what you've got is something actually worth looking at—and something you'll actually enjoy instead of dread.
If you're starting fresh or you've inherited a pond that's been nothing but a headache, we're here to figure out what went wrong and make it right. That's what we do. Ready to build something new or save what you've already got? Let's talk about your situation.
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