Marginal plants provide secure cover for wildlife and act as a jetty for the activities of wildlife in and around the pool.

Marginal plants can allow you to develop your instincts for design as Paul toms did here for Chenies Aquatics with their Golden Pond at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 2000.

Menyanthes trifoliate is a pioneer of deeper water often growing out from the margins in rafts of foliage.

The yellow flag, Iris pseudacorus will grow relatively dry ground out of the pond or right down to 25cm (10inches) below the water level.

Marginal plants come in all shapes and sizes. They generally sit at the edge of the pool with the water lapping more or less at soil level. There are some plants that do revel in a depth of up to 15cm, as in the case of the Menyanthes trifoliata (bog bean) or Iris pseudacorus (the flag Iris), which makes some people like to classify some of these plants as deep water marginals. Really they are more tolerant of deeper water and if you plant them in the shallows will grow out to the deeper depth anyway.

Marginal plants can have the dual function of softening the edges of the pool area and using up the mineral resources in the pool. They provide secure cover for wildlife and act as a jetty for the activities of wildlife in and around the pool. Early spring colour, the beauty of them in reflection and their, often striking, foliage also make them an essential ingredient for the water garden.

The inflorescence of sweet galigale, Cyperus longus, the native hardy water grass that is a close relative of papyrus.