A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs Water Gardens Continuing Lynne's pond experience!

nice. i like it.

We don't have a UV light - unfortunately it is NOT in our budget right now.
They told us at the pond store that the size we'd need is about $500!!!

Diane - I don't have steppable plants there - YET! Carol was telling me about her Coriscan mint and I think I'd really like to get some next spring and plant it in the spaces. Hope I can find some locally then. And yes, that was the only piece of driftwood that we were able to find when we spent the weekend at Marion and Steve's on the beach.

This afternoon, I put another group of 4 baby koi in the pond. They've been living in the 39 gallon tank in the basement for about a month now, and it's either swim or not for them now. If they do not make it, they will be the last for this year.

I thought I'd share some of the flowers that are doing pretty well on one side of the pond gardens. I have chased the BIG FAT Father woodchuck from the gardens the past several days, and today I found that he has eaten almost all of the new marigold flowers that finally grew back, and crushed most of those plants as well. I sprayed Bobbex when I was finished in the gardens today - boy does that ever stink! And it burned my skin where the wind blew it, so I'm hoping it will keep the varmints away! Most of the damage was in the garden on the other side of the pond.

See Jimmy's cannas, Diane's brugs, and Tina's wind spinner? Thanks again, all!

That is so pretty!

yes, it is. very nice

Very pretty. Lynne, it is filling in wonderfully.

I planted some Mother of Thyme steppables, the scent is heavenly....and they also get a nice light lavender coloured flower as well.

Thanks all!

Tamara - I am sensitive to a lot of herb scents - I actually get headaches from some, but I do love mint, so I think that is the way to go for me. I had some thyme a few years ago by the bathtub pond - it did well the first year, and barely came back the second. The next summer it was completely gone - I don't think it liked the full all day sun here.

I just think I'd enjoy the scent of mint better - it's a personal choice really... but I'm glad you are enjoying your thyme.

Will the mint take over everything and choke out the flowers?

I hope not, Sheri! I only plan to put it in between the stones which are not too close to the other flowers. Also... this is a low growing creeping mint, so hopefully I'll be able to control where it goes. I do know about other mints - that is why all of mine are in pots!

I like the smell of mint too. I think mint has a fresh smell while rosemary and thyme have a more woodsy smell.

I know I keep posting pictures of these plants but I just cannot get enough of them this year. I am so very happy with the way they are growing, and flowering for such a long time. Jimmy's cannas are like the energizer bunny, and they are getting so very tall and still standing straight up - amazing!

But the really nice bonus are the smaller cannas in the large pot IN the pond that is now in bloom too! I wasn't sure it would bloom in time before frost, but it has opened up on 2 stalks just this week. They were a few small tubers that I didn't plant with the other ones in the ground - put them in the pot and waited to see what would happen.

And... look at all the brug flowers on Diane's Charles Grimaldi cutting.
This started out as a single cutting about 6 inches long that she sent this past winter!





continued ...

WOW That is sooooooooooooooo pretty,, How inviting!!!!!!

One of Brian's friend's father has had a pond for the past few years, and I finally got to speak with him about it on the phone yesterday. He was supposed to come over this afternoon for a visit, but apparently came earlier when I was out grocery shopping. He brought over many of his pond plants that he had planned to throw out before we spoke yesterday. They were crowding his smaller pond, and I told him I was desperate for some to help cover my pond surface.

Here are the water lettuces he left for me -
the yellow ones are my sickly ones that are still somewhat alive,
and all the nice green ones are from his pond.


Here are the water hyacinths that he also brought for me.
Too bad all these plants will die soon from the colder weather, but at least for now I, and the fish, will be able to enjoy them!


I'm hoping that next year, he and I connect sooner, as he told me he's gotten rid of a lot of plants over the summer!

nice

Lynne, can pond plants be overwintered in your house? Can they be put in tubs of water I mean...

It's hard to overwinter them as they need lots and lots of light. I'm going to try to overwinter a few things in my empty fish tank.....figure the light is pretty bright maybe it will work. Worth a shot anyway.

Your pond looks really great Lynne. I know how much hard work you've put into it. Are you enjoying it more now? How are the fish? I think I read that you put the rest of your fish in there?

Thanks all!

Tamara - I don't think I can overwinter the plants - with 3 of our own cats here, and Brian's 2, they would have to be in a closed-off room with lots of sun and I just don't have that. I might try a few in the tank in this room as Loz said, but it really wouldn't be enough to make a dent in the pond size that we have for next year.

I did put the other fish in there about a week or so ago. Have only seen 2 of them maybe twice. But it is getting pretty cold here now, so they might not come up again for a long time. Last night was 49 degrees when I went to sleep and it's only 60 right now and very cloudy.

How about you, Loz? How are your fish doing?

You know Lynne, this year I had a lot of hyacinth. But they really didn't multiply---just sort of floated around. Didn't die, just didn't grow. I think next year I need many more than I bought though. Get's expensive.

Will you be leaving your fish in the pond Lynne?

My fish are good. I bought 4 new ones last week. I believe now I'm up to 13 fish in there. And a bunch of mosquito fish still. And THREE froggys.

I drained the pond yesterday a lot and refilled it and it's looking much clearer now. I can actually see the fish again.

Well I have not seen the fish since I put them in - hope they are doing ok - they are probably in the large 1/2 pot in the bottom - thankfully they have not come up dead by the skimmer.

The plants in the pond gardens continue to do well - I am so pleased!
Although I just heard on the news that we are in a frost advisory tonight -
please say it isn't so - I'm not ready! And the brugs won't have a chance to bloom all the second flush of buds that are on them!!!

Anyway... I do really enjoy looking at the ornamental grasses in bloom
on the top of the waterfall hill. I tried to capture the sunlight through the tops, but my camera absolutely died after I took this last picture - it is completely dead now - not the batteries, but something that cannot be fixed!



And Jimmy's cannas continue to grow taller and bloom - really gotta love them -
blooming in the middle of October!

Lynne, I would simply LOVE to see your pond in real life--the photo's are simply wonderful.--and your choice of plants are jsut perfect.

thank you for sharing.

Wonderful Lynne!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I took all of my pond plants out yesterday for the year and it made me sad...and I cut all of my big huge grasses down.....as pretty as they are now it's easier for me to cut them down now because last year parts of them kept blowing in the pond thru the winter.....

I love those grasses there though.

And Wow, I want some Canna's like that! I don't have any! I think I must buy some.

How many fish are in there now?

Thanks so much Carol and loz!

I leave all my grasses through the winter, loz. I cut them back to the ground in early spring though.

The last batch of fish I put in were 4 koi babies. I would so love to see them a bit bigger and healthy at the start up next spring. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they make it through the winter.

Ah so they will stay in the pond then? I think they will be fine......and if you don't run a pond heater then remember you can just float a few basketballs so it doesn't freeze solid.....

I wish I could've left my grasses....but as they die back the winds of winter whip pieces of them into the pond, then I'm constantly fishing them out if I can. They need some SERIOUS dividing.

Do you sit out there often in your chair? I always miss being able to sit out by mine in the winter. Usually I put the bench on the back porch, under cover so it doesn't get too weathered.

Can you believe that I only sat in that chair maybe 2-3 times?!?
It did not weather well at all - I am very disappointed in the horrible quality of the wood - it was pieced together and not solid pieces - a real piece of garbage!!! I am so upset because I really liked the color and the set was nice in the store - guess they picked a good one for display?!?

I couldn't get the fish out of there if I tried - can't see them through the pea soup, and it's too big to fish them out anyway. So it's "do or die" for them I'm afraid.

My grasses will need to be divided next year also. Not so much the ones on top of the hill, but others nearby. And the large sedum in the pond garden - it's so big that it fell down from the center out during the first heavy rain we had. So now it has a large bald spot in the center with the flowerheads laying on the ground in a circle around it.

Did your algae ever clear up for you, loz?

lynne, it's beautiful!

It didn't clear up all the way Lynne, nope. I did drain it out twice this past week, not all the way but at least half each time. Each time I do that the water clears up some.

Before it freezes over for the winter I'd like it as clean as possible for the fish since they have to live in it for so long under ice. Probably do it a few more times before it freezes over.

I'm sorry that your chair turned out to be junk. You never know how things will weather until you put it out. My bench looked terrible this summer, it didn't weather well either. Mark took it apart and sanded and stained/weatherproofed it and now it's pretty again.

I think your fish will make it! They are tougher than what we always think of them as.

Your pond is absolutely beautiful Lynne! I wish I could come and sit by it! Yours too Loz! I may need to get one of them one of these years. James might be more willing if I tell him he can keep his catfishing bait in it!

Thanks Jiffy and Jessica!


WELL POOH!!!

I just chased away a huge heron from the front of my pond!!!
I was putting out some food for Slinky - our feral cat who eats on the deck, when something caught my eye at the front of the pond - it was a huge blue heron with his beak in the water!!! OHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Now I don't know at all if there are any of the 4 baby koi left in there! The water is still pea soup green, so we won't know until next spring, if we happen to see any fish coming up for food when it warms up again.

I've never seen one here before - have seen them flying overhead way up high a few times this past summer, but that is all. It seems that we just cannot win with this pond. It looks really nice, but that's about it I guess...

I am so sorry about the Heron, Lynne. we will hope you caught him in time, and that he did not find a meal at your house.


I think yor pond is lovely, I wouls love to sit by it, and I think you are so lucky to have it. Hopefully this next year you and Don will be able to find out what the problem with the water is.

lynne, i'm going to be optimistic for you, that the heron didn't find dinner but his presence meant that your fish are ok

Hey that's a good way to look at it Lynne!

I like the way Jiffy and Diane think---and I agree with it.

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