Bird Lovers can’t be Koi Lovers…I explain
This post will definitely go under “off topic” though it dose pertain to water gardens. I would assume many gardeners are bird lovers and outdoor lovers as well. And if you are a brand new water gardener, then you may not know that the arch nemesis of a water garden with goldfish or koi, throughout most of [...]
Barbara Barnett Water Lily (Nymphaea Barbara Barnett, Hybridized 1997)
Barbara Barnett is an exquisite water lily hybridized and developed in 1997 by Brad McLane at Florida Aquatic Nurseries. Described by its creator as “one of the few sunset water lilies”. This speciesis non-viviparous and is similar to size and color of the Albert Greenberg water lily.
Winter: early, cold, and nationwide
Last week we had ice storms in the north east, this week in Chicago and Indiana. Snow twice in two weeks in Seattle which is uncommon, and more uncommon they now refuse to salt the roads in the city (for a good laugh look up the news stories about police officers responding on foot in Seattle because the city refuses to salt the streets because the salt may go into Puget sound, a body of salt water?). New Orleans and Beaumont TX had snow last week as did Las Vegas in the city. Florida has remained same so far but winter just arrived officially 5 days ago. Having lived here in Ohio for 8 or 9 years it wouldn’t surprise me if most of January and February are in the 50s but there is no sigh of that just yet. Tomorrow I will return to plants as I am anxious to begin discussing water lilies and what will be available this spring.
Water Hyacinths #1 Selling Pond Plant in America! (Eichhornia crassipes)
These plants like still water, they like to grow in clusters, do not break old foliage apart only new if you must. They enjoy sunshine but will do well in shade. Add them only after wether is warm, cold night will prohibit growth for up to 6 weeks and cause yellowing! They love nutrients, you can add a granular fertilizer like regular old miracle grow to a pond. Fish wont notice anything and plants will thrive. Add a few tablespoons per week anywhere in the pond, THERE IS “NOTHING” SPECIAL ABOUT POND PLANT FERTILIZER. (it will contain no iron but thats it, most fertilizers dont contain iron which is a cause of algae).
Moneywort (Bacopa monnieri) New 2009
Though only new for the company I work for, I have been familiar with moneywort for some time. It is easy to grow and can be planted as an oxygenator under the water or a flowering bog plant. This plant can actually be grown as an herb apparently benefiting the brain. I am not growing it for that purpose so that’s as deep as I will go into that use. As a submerged pond plant it is very easy to grow and enjoys light. This plant will probably rot and die in shady ponds.
Red Star Ludwigia (Ludwigia glandulosa) NEW 2009!
Of the four new submerged oxygenating pond plants we are introducing to the homeowners of water gardens in 2009 this I think will be my favorite. A fan of Ludwigia repens for years this new market variety is bright red and grows from below the waters surface to above. The foliage is absolutly fantastic, a deep wine red in color bings something new and amazing to the surface of the pond.
NEW! Lemon Bacopa (Bacopa Caroliniana)
New for 2009, Lemon Bacopa, with a fun name and a very interesting pond plant. This plant comes bunched like anacharis but grows up to the surface of the water and then slightly above. Not only that but once above the surface it begins to bloom with tiny wondrous blue flowers. This plant can also be planted as a bog plant and will love the soil and bloom more often. A great oxygenator I hope we can keep this in stock for 2009.
Vallisneria, Jungle Vallisneria (Vallisneria Americana).. not sea weed
This plant will remind you of what you think of sea weed perhaps. It is an freshwater submerged pond plant. One of the few submerged oxygenating pond plants that does not come banded and bunched as each is an individual plant. It begins with a root and almost bulb underneath the stem, the leaves grow tall toward the surface. You can still use lead weights on the vallisneria to anchor each plant. Fish like the plant to hide around and most of them will leave the plant alone. It may not be as easy for baby fish to hide in as hornwort or anacharis but its a great plant and looks great under the water. It will overwinter in the bottom of ponds.
Cabomba, perhaps my least favorite submerged pond plant!
Cabomba furcata and Cabomba caroliniana are the two most common types I have found sold in the water garden industry. The plant for all intensive purposes belongsstricktly in the aquarium plant industry. Why? Well it is very soft and both the stems and the foliage break easily. Normally harvested and bunched in Florida shipped once is OK, if we ship it to another supplier and then they ship it to you, the plants arrive unhealthy and falling apart. Anacharis and hornwort can be damaged slightly in shipping and come back in a matter of days with new growth. Cabomba simply disintegrates. On top of that problem they are so soft they make excellent meals for fish. One final problem, sold as a bunched plant, the rubber bands often destroy the bottom stems and the plant then float about the pond.
Please don’t break the ice!
Have you ever seen someone tap their finger on the glass of an aquarium? The fish jump, the sound waves scare the crap out of them. This is not healthy for fish, for some reason making lound noises affects fish very badly causing them to become succeptable to bacterial infections and viruses. Were am I going with this? It is winter and if you have fish in your pond you probably know that a frozen over pond or water garden often has fishkill, (fish that die during the winter). Some people think they see the fish under the ice which dont appear to be moving are actually dead, frozen in the pond.
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