Could you go down to a lake or pond and fish some plants out of the water?

I have java moss and java fern that are both inexpensive on ebay and grow very well in my aquariums. It is very important to keep these plants out of ponds and streams because they are invasive.
If you have water hyacinth in your area they are nice in a water garden and dwarf water palm overwinters well in a pail of water in a sunny spot.
I'm not sure if you want aquarium plants or water garden plants but a swap might be good at this time of year.

plant media??? as in what the plants grow in?? I have all of my pond plants planted in pea gravel. About 3 dollars for a 40lb bag at the large box stores. You dont want the real tiny pebbles. You want the size thats about the size of grapes or a lil smaller.

I use the stuff that you get at automotive stores for sopping up oil (I think it's bentonite clay). Very similar to kitty litter, but no scent or anything like that. You can get a huge bag for not too many dollars. I've also used the cheap kitty litter from big box stores, but I always make sure it is nothing more than clay (no scent added, or anything like that). You just have to make sure that once you have it planted, you run the hose through it some to get the dust out of it, otherwise it'll cloud your pond water something fierce!