Floating aquatic plants come in hardy and tropicals, but most of the plants listed here are tropical plants and must be considered annuals in all but the most southern zones of the United States. Floating plants are very useful in the garden pool in two ways.

The floating plants foliage provides shade cover, which helps stabilize water temperature and denies light to the algae below, retarding it's growth.

The extensive root system removes nutrients from the water that could eventually build up and poison your fish. In addition, by removing these nutrients they are not available for the algae, thereby starving the algae. Also, their root systems serve as spawning site and provides a place for young fish to hide.

 
Click on any picture to go to the page describing that plant.

Water Hyacinth

Water Lettuce

Duck Weed

Azollia

Frogbit

Water Fern

Floating Fern