Water Garden

Green Maiden lotus seed pod. Click on image to view larger.

Purple Lilly Pond

I am so glad my spouse talked me into using the above ground container approach as opposed to digging a hole in the ground in our backyard. The agreement was …we wound see how it went as a test case with the option to expand later if successful and easy to manage long term.

Using aboveground containers allows me to see up close and very personal all the plant and animal activity at eye level.  A ground level pond seems like it would be less visual and interactive as a hobby. Being a scientist myself I enjoy learning how stuff works. I am constantly looking up and learning new stuff.

There are just a few challenges … managing water quality, mosquitos breeding in standing/stagnant water and rapid algae growth (up to 5 feet a day). Using the container approach water quantities are smaller and easier to manipulate and maintain utilizing small water plants known to filter the  waste nutrients from the water rather than a physical mechanical filtration system.

I keep Mosquito Fish in my containers and they eat the mosquito larve before they grow into flying mosquitos that can transmit infected blood that can cause serious diseases/death to humans and animals. Another mosquito management approach I found at most nurseries is a product called Mosquito Dunks. Biological mosquito control ie not a man made chemical and won’t hurt fish or aquatic plants.

Algae grows rapidly in sunlight and standing water and appears in three basic forms in pond like environments (1)green water- single celled free floating makes pond look like “pea soup” (2) the long thin green string or hair like type and (3) slime – the kind that grows on the sides of container and rocks etc.  I am mainly growing Lotus plants and Lilly plants which thrive in a still environment so a waterfall or moving stream  design are a bit incompatible unless you have lots of property to provide both together.

All this information is available via the internet with simple searches.

A list of plants shown in the Large Water Pot – Lindsey Woods Purple Lilly, Parrots Feather, Dwarf Parrots Feather, Mosaic plant, Water Hyacinth, floating clover and Azzolla.  A Bamboo fountain that utilizes a small “micro” water pump (25-30 gals/hr).  The one shown is a solar fountain pump and only works in direct sunlight (tho it has a long cord and can be easily moved around) and we love it, tho at night no sound of water trickling.

Almost any container can be turned into a water garden by simply plugging the whole of any pot using GE Water Proof Silicone.

Bricks are used in large pots to raise/adjust the plant water level needed for each plant to thrive.  Most aquatic plants are kept in containers and don’t typically get planted or grow from “the bottom of a pond” as one would suspect.  Water plants don’t typically co-mingle in the same shared soil similar to the way land plants do.  In nature there is a natural transition from pond bottom to shallower water then into Bog plants.

I have been watching the timing, appearance of and positioning of the aerial foliage ( ie the leaves that stand above the water) and as the book Lotus: Know it and Grow it briefly mentions that a flower bud can be expected shortly there after. The aerial foliage once unfurled  continues to grow in size i.e. diameter, and continues to move, adjusting the leafs’ angle and pitch several times a day like a satelight dish tuning-in a signal.

Inside each tiny seed holds the genetic coding for the orchestration of each event. The seed pod from my first Lotus Green Maiden appear ready to drop its’ seeds any day. I will make a seperate post about the seed pod. The Lotus seed pod may look familiar as it is often used in dried flower arrangements because of its exotic appearance.

This picture shows four (4) Lotus Buds in 3 different container pots.

The front pot has two Lotus buds. ( at 5 O’clock and 10 O’clock)

I discovered the second bud just tonight. Things grow so fast in the water garden and I am constantly surprised.

Water Hyacinth Flower

Water Hyacinth is an Invasive Pest Plant.

Infestation of Water Hyacinth

Non-Native

Water hyacinth is native to South America but has naturalized much of the Southern U.S.

Water hyacinth is a free-floating perennial plant that can grow to a height of 3 feet. The dark green leave blades are circular to elliptical in shape attached to a spongy, inflated petiole. Underneath the water is a thick, heavily branched, dark fibrous root system. The water hyacinth has striking light blue to violet flowers located on a terminal spike. Water hyacinth is a very aggressive invader and can form thick mats. If these mats cover the entire surface of the pond they can cause oxygen depletions and fish kills. Water hyacinths should be controlled so they do not cover the entire pond.

Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus” for many aquatic invertebrates. Water hyacinth has no known direct food value to wildlife and is considered a pest species.

source: AquaPlant

Water Hyacinth are common in ponds and water gardens as they biologically filter the water for nutrients while producing oxygen. Water Plants that produce oxygen are referred to as “oxygenators”. Water lettuce is also a commonly used oxygenator however it does not produce flowers. Water Gardens are complete ecosystems unto themselves. You may notice the water clarity in my container water garden are amazing even without any moving water or any physical filtration methods.