2017 Water Gardening and Ponds

Ocoee (W. Orlando), FL(Zone 9b)

Warm weather seems to be here early for everyone, so let's find out what's going on in everyone's pond!

Thumbnail by MerryMary
Hillsborough, NC(Zone 7b)

... Well, that went well, didn't it? Try again for 2018? I'll start.

I've got sixteen lotus seeds sprouted and needing a safe growing place, so I'm putting in a bigger pond this year. Previously, I was given a tiny pre-formed liner by my up north grandmother, which I installed in my down south grandmother's patio for her, but that would only fit one lotus. And, it would be a very tight squeeze. So instead, we're digging a pond and the plan is to re-direct the roof runoff into it instead of down the storm-drain. This pond won't be getting any fish big enough to eat my lotuses, and I'll be able to stock up on other native aquatic plants.

The native plants I'd like to put in or around the new pond include swamp milkweed, sweetflag, buttonbush, bottle brush grass, joe pye weed, swamp rose-malow, various irises, water willow, spatterdock, native white water lily, water mermaid, swamp rose, lizard's tail, duck potato and cattails.

It's a pretty long list, admittedly, but I actually already have, or have access to, a fair number of them. Largely because they are native plants. milkweed, bottle brush grass, irises, water willow, lizard's tail and cattail are all ready to go into the new space. I'm completely open to suggestions about other plants to consider, so long as they aren't invasive. We do get flooding here from hurricane backlash, and I would hate to see anything get washed off down the Eno to become a problem.

The only real flood plan though is the fact that my down-the-hill neighbor's yard is flooded about fifty percent of the time anyway...

Battle Ground, WA(Zone 8b)

We moved to Washington about 3-1/2 months ago. Our new house had a waterfall and pond, the latter of which was in pretty poor shape -- murky green water, lots of algae on the rocks, etc. We've cleaned it up and added some plants (2 water lilies (Patio Joe and Charlene Strawn), a Japanese Water Lily, and a couple of clumps of Water Hyacinth. Now our pond is clear (thanks largely to the plants) and full of life (pollywogs from our Pacific Chorus Frogs, water boatmen, water beetle, and some snails I introduced). We're planning to add some shibunkins and a catfish or two in a couple of months (after a trip to Hawaii to meet our Australian kids and grandkids).

Thumbnail by weatherguesser
Decatur, GA

Your little pond is lovely. Have you gotten some fish? How is it now? I've had a water garden with koi and goldfish for years. Love the fish and the hobby.
I'm back on DG after several years away.
Not nearly the activity there use to be. I think facebook has taken most of the traffic.

Battle Ground, WA(Zone 8b)

We now have three shibunkins and 3 baby koi in the pond. They're all pretty much hunkered down for the winter (pond temp is about 35 F right now), but on warmer days they want to get fed -- they refuse to touch Fall and Spring food, though. Go figure. The Patio Joe water lily is growing new leaves; the others are holding out for spring. I have some algae to clean up when it gets a little warmer (let it grow over winter in case the fish got hungry). The rocks are covered in snow right now, but everything seems okay -- just waiting for spring.

Tolono, IL

I’m in Illinois. I’m going to try to get 100 varieties of pond plants in the pond by this fall.

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