In the pond.
We planted a number of Irises, water lilies, water lettuce, and hyacinth. Again, I do not by any means consider myself an expert gardener so I do not feel qualified to offer advice. I will, however, tell you what we did and what we learned.
Water Hyacinth: These plants
simply float freely in you pond. They have large green leaves and occasionally
produced incredibly beautiful blue blossoms that last for a few days. This plant
is an excellent natural water filter and it’s long floating roots make good
spawning ground for fish. They seem to do well in full sun or shade. My pond is
in full sun and my Hyacinth produced numerous blooms over the summer. My plants
multiplied rapidly but never grew very big. On the other hand, my in-laws have
Hyacinths in a shady pond and while they produced fewer blooms, but they grew to
enormous size. Only buy one or two because these things multiply like you
won’t believe. You will soon be thinning them out on a regular basis. They
will not survive cold weather but are cheap to replace each spring.
Water lettuce: These are small floating plants that multiply rapidly so only get a couple to start with. They have flat green leaves and do not bloom.
Water Lilies: There is large
variety of Water Lilies available both in hardy and tropical varieties. As the
name implies, hardy lilies are more enduring and can survive the winter. They are
generally cheaper than tropical lilies. Water Lilies produce a wide variety of
beautiful blossoms in various colors. Some are day-bloomers, some are night
bloomers. When they bloom, the bloom will open and close each day and the blooms
will last for a few days. Water Lilies are planted in pots and placed in the
bottom or on a shelf in your pond. Like Hyacinth and Water Lettuce, they provide
good shade to the pond and help to keep your pond’s ecology in check.
Iris: These are potted marginal
plants that you would place on the underwater plant shelf. I have had mixed
success with Iris. Some grew well and produced pretty yellow blooms and others
did not grow at all.
Blue Bells: This is a shallow water plant that produces numerous tiny, delicate blue trumpet-like flowers. Very nice.
Cattails: I have planted a couple but have not yet had one to grow.
Next: Around The Pond