NOT JUST WATER LILIES
BY GLADYS JEURINK
There are any
number of plants that like constantly wet feet as well as those who do
well in deeper water. They
come in all heights and widths with a great variety of blooms.
Since my ponds are already overcrowded with water lilies I have
been growing various ones in my “mini ponds”.
Some of these are animal watering tanks and others were intended
for above ground pools. In previous articles I have written about the
most dramatic plant I have in one of these ponds-the
Lotus. Each plant has its own pool.
My new plant
this year is COTTON GRASS, usually listed as a bog plant but can be with as much
as 2 inches of water over its roots.
They are in 8 inch pots on top of bricks so that the top of the
pot is just even with the top of the water.
So far they look good and should grow to 24 inches high with 2
inch cotton heads. They are natives of
Several years
ago I was given WATER PETUNIA (Ruella sp)
that I also grow in pots with the tops just even with the top of the
water. They have blue flowers that do resemble those of the wild prairie
petunia, and are sometimes called
WATER BLUEBELLS. The Prairie Petunia is interesting in that it
travels and I always have some but not always where I saw them last.
They do best at the edge of a taller plant.
I am not sure whether the water ones would survive down on the
bottom of my large pond in winter, so I keep them in a pan of water in
the greenhouse to keep their roots wet.
The
PICKEREL WEED (Pontedaria
cordata) grows about 24 inches tall with blue flowers on a spike.
In nature they are generally found at the edges of ponds or in
bogs. The stems feel like sponges. One reference book said not to have
over 5 inches of water over their roots while another said 12.
I pot them and try not to have over an inch or so of water over
the root. They are listed as zone 4.
Some years they have survived at the bottom of the pond but other
years they rotted. Perhaps
this fall they will go in a pan of water in the garage.
I have some big pans about 4 inches deep that contain enough
water to keep their roots wet at all times.
Their blue is a pure blue one doesn’t find very often.
An
umbrella plant and two
black leafed TARO’S
are doing fine after winter in the garage. (It is insulated and never
goes below 35 degrees F.)
LIZARD’S TAIL (Sauvrurus
cernus) is a fun one with a white curvy bloom stock (tail?). They
can be grown in wet soil or in 2-5 inches of water.
Leaves are heart shaped and blooms fragrant, about 18 inches
high. One summer I grew
CATTAILS (Typha
angustifolia) that are 4 foot tall, and
Typha minima (dwarf) about 2
feet tall, in the same white enamel oblong tub.
They had cattails of 8 inches and 2 inches. Many people do not
want the large one or the still bigger 8-9 foot tall plant in their pond
as it will take over against any other plant.
Both will survive if only their feet are kept wet.
The big tail can be eaten when it is young and tender. They can
also be dipped in oil after drying and used as torches.
LOBELIA
(Lobelia
fulgens) has a red bloom 24 to 30 inches high, and is usually sold
as a perennial but asks for partial shade and lots of water. It is a
late bloomer (August) which is good to have, but sometimes burns and
doesn’t bloom well for me. So this spring I found some new ones, planted
them on the north side of a pine trimmed rather high. I also created a
dam around several with cement edging blocks.
This way I can fill it with water more often than I water the
other perennials and hope to be more of a success.
Even the leaves are red underneath.
Floating in my bigger ponds are a
WATER LETTUCE (Pistia stratiotes) and a
WATER HYACINTH (Eichhornia sp.)
that I usually buy each spring. They both have thick hanging roots for
baby goldfish to hide in.
Both are considered “weeds” by many as they reproduce so fast. The
Hyacinth stems are thick and spongy and after they crowd a space it
stimulates them to bloom a light blue. Both Water Lettuce and Water
Hyacinths are very frost sensitive and both are impossible for me to
keep alive during the winter.
Both are also banned as obnoxious weeds further south as they can
block waterways. I have never had a lettuce bloom.
Unfortunately, they protect the baby Goldfish too well and I have
many too many babies.
A frog plops into the water when I go by,
but these babies are too big for him to eat. Sometimes he suns on a
“log” I have in the water and sometimes on the rocks around the pool
edges. I have even seen him
going under the bridge that separates the two ponds.
Later, Dragon Flies should appear. Usually mine are blue winged
and a male will claim his territory to chase others away while the
female will lay eggs in the pond.
They and the goldfish keep the big ponds free of mosquitoes.
For the tank ponds I get the mosquito “dunks”, a form of Bt
(Bacillus thuringiensis). The last few years I have found it in 2 quart
jars in a granular form that can be thrown in every 6 weeks. This is
very easy to use. Copyright 2014 |