what do you put around pond plant roots?

Place soil don't cover crowns if they have them

Actually if I was using a pond basket I'd put in gravel so it doesn't muddy the water. Sun27 I notice you are asking a lot of questions because you have an exam coming up. Don't you have text books or something else you are studying from? We are all amateur gardeners and you will not necessarily get the correct advice from us. And, as you can already see you will get advice that differs.

What Moon grower says is valid, so I will simply say what I do. I line the basket with hessian (from G.C.) then fill with either aquatic or other poor soil (no nutrients). The hessian degrades by the time the roots hold the soil.

Many thanks!