What would be some good plants to consider in an area that I get runoff from a field? I want to plant something in the spring that is good for filtering and decorative. Any thoughts?

lilies, asters, ferns, reed grass, honeysuckle

Reeds and rushes are the most efficient followed by sedges.

I should have also said they will be in a wet location but not always during dry spells

I would avoid the honeysuckle due to its invasiveness. I tend to love the honeysuckles where they have gotten too thick to keep in check (kinda like I love moles in the yard - lol), but I do not spread them on purpose.

Yeah honeysuckle is not an option....that stuff tries to grow everywhere

I ended up with sawgrass all around the edges of my pond. It is beautiful green, baby fish love it, birds love the seeds, and it has filtered the runoff very well. Only gets about 48-60 inch tall and only grows out to about 12 inch of water. I like it a lot!! Also easy to weedeat down if you need to.

Sawgrass? There are a lot of sub-varieties? Do you have pictures? I'd like to research a cold hardy equivalent. I have some nice clumps of 'sedge' that came by themselves and are good habitat like you say for tadpoles, frogs, young fish, especially when the individual blades or tubes start falling over and laying on the water.

Can you split sawgrass and plant 'plugs' or does it spread under ground?

Just to be clear, are you looking for suggestions on marginals just at the edge of a pond or are you looking to cover a wet spot in the watershed?

Could you take a pic or two of the sawgrass? I've only seen it at Florida lakes in the fishing magazines.

Just a thought that I have found to be most time saving...Look around your area for "what likes to be there", meaning the plants that like your neighboring ponds will likely be the easiest to get established in your pond. For example, I tried to establish silver maple trees and Catalpas(of all things) on my place that cost me about 35 holes being dug and the same number of deer guards. There was only one silver maple on the property beforehand and now there are 26, the original and 25 that are dead or dying (same with the catalpas).

Wet spot in the watershed

In that case, you could use a wetland meadow mix. There are a lot to choose from. Here is an example:

http://www.prairienursery.com/store/seed-mixes/infiltration-wetland-mixes

This looks good but my area is part sun-mostly shade.

before you plant contact your regional nrcs or nature conservancy office...you might be able to get seed for free or a reduced price

Not a problem. The two places I've used are Prairie Nursery and Prairie Moon Nursery. I had good luck with both and both will make custom designed mixes at no extra charge. All you have to do is give them a call and tell them what your requirements are.

Now is the time to plant this kind of mix as many of the seeds need cold stratification to germinate and will come up next spring.

Thanks! I will call them today!