A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs Water Gardens Continuing Lynne's pond experience ~spring/summer 2009

Nice Plant! It looks Cool there Will it get much Better??

yes that is a nice plant, Lynne----

Diane has a good question there--how much bigger will that papyrus get???

Thanks!

Since this is a dwarf plant, it's not supposed to get much taller, but it is supposed to grow wider. Since I have it in a small pot I don't think it will get too much bigger, but I have read that if any of the tops bend into the water they will grow a new plant!!!

It also said that you can cut off 1/3 of the top of a stem and put it upside down in water to make new plants. I will do that once the plant is a bit more established.

I also might go back to the nursery today and pick up 2 more to put on the other side of the pond. They are small plants - in 3 inch pots so I really needed to get 2 to make it look like something. I think it adds such a nice touch to the perimeter.

That plant is so cute! I would not have known it was Papyrus.

Also I think that is really unusual about it bending into the water or you putting a piece in upside down, and it grows another plant!!!

A very cool plant!

Thanks Shirley. The owner of the nursery told me tht next year he is hoping to have the taller one - that is the full sized one that grows to a couple of feet tall! I saw some of those at another nursery this year, but they did not take care of them and all the stems were bent in half and fallen over in dried out pots - poor plants!

Are you planning on wintering those over indoors, Lynne?
It is funny that you can prize them so much when all types are weeds to me. I like the looks of them but they get out of hand so easily, a lot like many bamboos here.

Yes, Tina, these will have to be overwintered indoors here. They really are a prized plant and a "find" here. Each small 4 inch pot costs $4. I didn't want to spend that much on each one - getting 4 in total, but as I said... they are rare to find here! Hopefully they will spread, as the websites say they do, and I'll be able to share sometime down the road.

Do you grow these in the ground there?

Yes they can be grown in the ground with regular water or in ponds like yours. They spread from roots or seeds or from the flower heads as you describe. So when they don't freeze back they can become quite pesky and difficult to eradicate. I agree that they are a cool looking plant. And I always wanted one until I started helping in other's gardens and had to deal with them.

Your Dwarf Papyrus is a lovely little plant, Lynne. I'm so glad you found some. I really like how delicate the leaves are.


Merme

Thanks Merme

The froggie is back! He's been here about a week now - he had been singing farther down the backyard - in the conservation easement, but now he is back up at the pond. And WOW is he ever LOUD!!!

Tonight for the first time I heard 2 of them singing back and forth to each other. I actually saw one of them on a rock that lines the pond edge. Took some pictures but these are the best of the bunch.



He's only about 2 1/2 inches long but what a mouth!!!
And he is greener and darker than the flash made him look here.


I spent a long time online last night trying to identify him by his song, but haven't found the right one yet.

Lynne--that is a great picture of your frog!!!---proper color or not!!!~

I hope you are able to identify him soon. :wink:

I still haven't identified the frog and now there are about 6 of them making a racket every night at the pond!!! It's a trilling sound rather than a bullfrog sound, and is getting on my nerves now!

I have potted up a bunch of plants the past few weeks and got a couple more today but haven't put them in the pond yet. I will try and take some pictures tomorrow if it doesn't rain for a change.

I did take a quick picture this evening of my parrots feather. I had tried growing this last summer - just floating it while tethering it to the side because of the waterfall current, but it never grew and turned yellow. This year I read that I could pot it up in soil and put the pot in the water, so I tried that and so far, so good! It's growing and still green - YEA!!! I had a piece of quartz rock that my dad gave me, and I used it to weigh down the pot - I like the way it looks in the pond. I've also noticed that this plant closes up in the dark - didn't know that before - it's an interesting feature. Here it is closed up for tonight.



When I had just the bathtub pond, Cindy generously sent me some of her parrots feather plant - yes PLANT, not Lola's feathers! It did well in the small tub pond, but I had trouble with the batch I put in the larger pond last summer.

very interesting plant, Lynne--and yes the rock does set the plant off just right.

The sun actually came out yesterday in between rain storms and here is the same parrots feather plant with the leaves "open".


And here is my pitiful water lily. It actually did overwinter which surprised me, as the pond froze over and it was only about 10 inches below the surface. I have repotted it this year and put in some tomato fertilizer spikes. This is the best it has ever done, but the pads are still very small, with no sight of a bud yet.


I still think they look like Pac Man!

well the parrots feather looks cool--and I have always loved water lilys--

so I guess "Pac man" lives huh?????---perhaps they will be larger next year???

The parrots feather is seriously cool!




apparently so

Lynne, Have you seen any of your fish lately?? Is your Pond clearing up??

Well I have sorta seen some of the fish way down in the bottom of the pond,
but it's hard to make out which ones.

There's good news and bad today.

The bad... Don saw a dead fish in the skimmer this morning. He hasn't taken it out yet, so I will go look when he gets home and does so, if it ever stops raining here!

The good news is that the UV filter that Don ordered was delivered today, so we are on our way to clearer water. That is... once he gets it set up.

The other good news is that I have a bud on one of my water lilies! YEA!!!
The plant is still small and the pads could be bigger, but I just saw it this afternoon and am so excited. The plants are 2 years old and I don't even remember which ones I bought, so the flower color will be a nice surprise.

Here is the bud in the center - the round looking thingy!

We'll be waiting to see the flower on the lilly too.

Yea!! Lynne will have a cleaner pond soon!!!!!

I've joined a ponding forum site and they asked to see some pictures, so I took these today. It's hard to fit the entire pond area in the frame of the camera, but I did the best I could.

This was taken from the bathroom window upstairs this morning.


And this was from the driveway this afternoon.


They really don't do it justice - I wish you all could see it first hand!

I love those pictures---esp the first--i am sure they do not do the pond nor the area surrounding the pond justice--but then even the best photos do not do justice to any thing (at least in my mind)

and yes I wish we could all come and see it first hand too

Thanks so much, Carol!

We have had several frogs singing their hearts out for a few weeks now. It started with just one, and then pretty soon there were at least 6 calling back and forth from just before dusk til about midnight. Two days ago, a frog floated into the skimmer and was dead when Don took it out. We have no idea what happened to it. But that night and last night there was only the one frog singing! What happened to all the others? It's very strange.

This evening when Don was cleaning the skimmer there were 2 frogs on the rim inside. He tried to get some pictures but this is the best of the batch. AND... there isn't any froggie singing tonight!!!

Can anyone identify what kind it is? Or is it a toad?
The song is more of a trill than a ribbit. Definitely NOT a bullfrog.

that is a clear picture, Lynne--but unless he holds up a sign (which I think all critters, birds, etc should do) I am at a loss as to which species he is, sorry.

I like Both the pictures .

Could your frog be the Northern Leopard Frog??

I don't know anything about frogs but your pond and yard are beautiful.

Too funny about the sign, Carol!

Thanks all!

It is of the opinion of the people on the ponding forum that it is a tree frog. I'm not so sure of the colors, but the sound is definitely the closest I have found. I thought tree frogs were smaller than that, but I guess not?

Yesterday our first ever water lily bloom opened. It didn't open all the way though, before the sky got very dark and cloudy for the rest of the day, and the flower closed right up again.

For some reason, one of the comet fish was hiding his head under a lily pad for a few hours before he died. He wasn't just floating here - he swam away when we approached him with a net. I'd really like to know what was going on with him before he died, but unfortunately we never will.

Here he is hiding...


And here is the lily beginning to bloom before closing up again.

Lynne---what beautiful pictures!!! such a good and clear photo of the bloom!! Thank you so much--

every since I was a kid I have wanted my own lily pad.--I would see them when my dad would take us out fishing----so seeing yours is especially rewarding for me--thanks

your pond is so pretty.

I love reading through this topic...I'll probably never have my own pond...so I'm enjoying yours Lynne. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Thanks so much Carol, Sheri and Rosepetal!

Rosepetal - I'm glad you are enjoying my pond, but you never know when you might have one too. For years I yearned for one this size and never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually have one. If our septic tank had not sprung leaks so that we had to connect to the village sewer system, I would not have this one either. Fortunately the contractor we hired to put in the sewer pipes was a very nice man who dug the large hole with his tractor for free.

I know things like that usually happen then away you go with your idea. I'm glad you got yours. Who knows maybe I will someday.

Beautiful

Thanks Diane!

I took a bunch of pictures today. Don't know why, because it was a bit cloudy out and definitely a bit more humid than the last few days, and my camera does not like those conditions. But I edited the pictures as best I could and thought I'd share them anyway.

Here is a view from the left front corner of the pond garden.


And here is the view from the right side.


Dwarf papyrus doing well


More pictures next post...

beautiful as always Lynne----yep I am still up----washing is not done yet, nor is the dishes --and then there is the soap oprea to watch.........

but hey, the plants & such are watered. :wink:

such beautiful flowers the water lillies have---(the last time I saw them the first one was just opening up.

Continued from above...

Won't you join me for a chat on the arbor bench?


This is where the adirondack chair will go that Don is building -
in the middle of this side


Pond plants

you know I would LOVE to join you on the arbor bench.

I know!! I will join you in spirit....name me a time!!!

omgosh Me too especially early in the morning I'll bring the cappuccino you bring the bagels Simply Beautiful Lynne!

Hey does the blue solar light still work?