Your Pond
These plants take nutrients from the water, discouraging algae and providing shade, shelter and spawning areas for goldfish and their fry. They also add oxygen to the water during the day.
This group of plants is very useful in the watergarden. Because they float, they have to take their nutrients directly from the water. They also provide shade for the fish and discourage algae. This means they are cleaning up the water. If your plants begin to cover more than 3/4 just remove them and add them to your compost heap. This is not a hardy plant and must be removed from the watergarden before the frost or it will release everything back into the water.
Definetly the beauty of water plants. More costly but worth the money. This plant needs 6" to 18" of water over it's pot. It need's to be potted in a clay type soil and requires full sun. Water liles are heavy feeders and should be fertilized every 60 days, this will promote the blooms, which is what this plant is all about. Use a slow release fertilizer pushed 2" to 3" into the soil, so as not to foul the water. The second year they should be divided and potted into a larger pot. At the end of the season trim this plant down to about 3" and sink it to the lowest level in your pond so that it will survive the winter.
There are advantages and disadvantages to this plant. Some of the day blooming varities are grown for the blue and purple flowers it produces not found in hardy water lilies. Also night blooming tropical water lilies open their flowers in the evening and remain open until midday. Tropical's are also much more fragrant than hardy's and extend their flower about ten or more inches above the surfae of the water. This plant need's about 6" of water over it's pot and also needs fertilized every 60 days. However, this plant will not survive Ohio winters and must be taken into a green house to overwinter.
These are plants that in nature grow on the margins of lakes and ponds. They are grown on the shelves of your water garden. There are many different types and varieties, not all are spectacular in bloom and therefore are used for their foliage effect. Most hardy marginal's can remain in the location where they are grown year round. Trim them back to about 3" but no need to sink them to the lowest level.
