Common Monkey Flower (Mimulus guttatus) - Wildlife-Friendly Marginal for Pond Edges (Peat-Free, Pesticide-Free)

Bright, cheerful yellow, freckled flowers over a long season and a love of damp edges make Mimulus guttatus a brilliant choice for softening the pond margin and bog zone. Spreading gently by stolons, it knits soil around paths and stones, offering cover for emerging amphibians and aquatic insects while bringing a cottage-wild look to the water’s edge. Expect 30-60 cm height in bloom with a clump that expands gradually when happy. Best kept in a basket at the margin (0-5 cm of water over soil) or in reliably damp ground just outside the pond.

Also known as Erythranthe guttata (current botanical name in some references). This species is not UK-native but is widely grown in gardens; keep it contained and never allow pieces or seed to wash into natural waterways.

Where it thrives

• Light: Full sun to partial shade (strongest flowering in good light)

• Moisture/Zone: Pond margin/bog; sit the basket so there’s 0-5 cm water above the soil, or plant in consistently damp soil just beyond the liner

• Companions: Mix with Brooklime, Water Mint, Marsh Marigold and other marginals for nectar succession and wildlife cover

Planting & care

• Plant in an aquatic basket with peat-free aquatic compost; top with grit and set at the edge

• Deadhead to extend flowering; trim after main flush to keep growth compact

• Divide every 2-3 years to refresh and share plants around the margin

• In stream-adjacent gardens, remove spent stems/seedheads and keep baskets secure to prevent escape

Safety (important & honest):
Not grown for consumption; do not ingest. Handle as you would other garden plants and wash hands after planting. Never release plants or pond water into wild watercourses.

Truth-first wildlife note:
Open, freckled blooms are easily used by bees and hoverflies, and the leafy clumps give edge cover for froglets and aquatic insects. It’s not native, so pair with UK-native marginals for the strongest ecological benefit across the season.

Joel says…
“Brilliant little cheer-bringer for the pond edge. Keep it moist, give it light, and it’ll flower for ages. Pop it in a basket, trim after the show, and - important one - keep it contained so nothing slips downstream.”

If you are using Joel’s methods, as referenced in the ‘Wild Your Garden’ book and on Joel's YouTube channel, appropriate marginal plants can be planted in the sub-soil areas around the edge of the pond. In these cases, you will not need to “re-pot” your 9cm pots, as they will go straight into the sub-soil.

However, if you are not using sub-soil and are going for a more formal look, the 9cm pots should be re-planted into an appropriate 1l size container or otherwise before being placed in or around your pond.  Container grown marginals should be placed in trays of water so that their roots may absorb the moisture. All sizes and planting depths are a guide only and considerable variation in the depth of water over the soil will be tolerated by most aquatics.

All plants in 1 litre containers and larger are in their final mesh basket and do not require repotting. However, we recommend 9cm plants are re-potted up to a minimum of 1 litre.  We sell Finofil aquatic baskets also if you require them.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are ordering perennials between the months of October and March, including aquatic plants, please be aware that this is the dormant phase for perennials, so your plants may arrive showing potentially little or no top growth at this stage, or can in some cases still have some old leaves from last year showing also. Please don't worry, as this is all quite normal. Once the weather warms up in spring, you will start to see fresh growth and activity! If you ever have any concerns at all, please just message the team on enquiries@wildyourgarden.com and we'll always do our best to help.