But even though we’re all anxious for the weather to turn nice so we can begin planting our flowers, vegetables gardens and clean our ponds, we have begun sending allot of nice plants to those who have the warm weather.  Lucky them! 

Dragonfly Aquatics has a couple new hardy water lilies to introduce.  Hidden Violet which is a very unusual waterlily.  Large red-violet flowers with pointed petals that catch the eye.  The leaves are a darker green which gives a nice contrast to the flowers.  It requires full sun as most of the red hardy waterlilies do and performs well. 

The other new water lily is Walter Pagels, a very creamy white hardy water lily with with a hint of pale pink.  This water lily is considered a medium hardy water lily and is an excellent choice for small to medium size ponds.  Unlike the red water lilies it will perform well in sun to part shade.  It also is one of the water lilies that will stay open later in the day for more enjoyment.

Well the holidays are over, the tree is down and all the holiday christmas decorations are put away.  I could probably leave my christmas tree up for months as I always miss it once its put away.  Its hard to imagine the room is exactly like it was a month ago because it looks so bare now. With that behind I start thinking that in just a few months it will be spring again.  My how time flies.  The plants are all beginning to grow nicely in the greenhouses and within a couple months will be ready to plant.  

No sooner said then the snow began…let’s hope February is a quick month and we can all get started on our spring projects and planning our gardens.  Actually January is a good month to start ordering some plants for your gardens, at least I’m getting alot of plant magazines in the mail.  So its getting me in the mood.

Then there is the Clyde Redmond which blooms a little later in the season. Its nice to have different iris blooming at different times of the season. The Wedgwood blue color of this iris adds alot to the pond.

Other than dividing the iris in the early spring they require little care and the rewards of color in your pond are worth it.

I spent hours weeding our vegetable garden yesterday as I had neglected it for a couple weeks.   I can’t understand why the weeds seem to grow overnight.  Other than throwing them in the compost what other need do we have for them? 

But I did pick a nice batch of tomatoes.  Now its time to start working putting them away for the winter.  I enjoy canning almost as much as I enjoy my pond.  And there are so many ways to can tomatoes that can be enjoyed all winter long, that is if you don’t eat most of them while your picking…..

Then as I was wondering about in the garden I got caught up in the wonders of nature.  I like nothing better than watching the dragonflies, butterflies and yes the bees frolic around the garden.  Its my favorite time of the year.  I tried to get a picture of a hummingbird but they are so quick he didn’t give me time to click….

During the growing season the sensitive plant will grow tiny yellow flowers that are about an inch wide along the stems.  You can float this plant and it will grow spreading out over the pond.  It can also be rooted in soil at the edge of a pond where it will spread out over the pond and grow to about 5-6 inches tall.  It requires sun to part shade and is hardy zones 9-11.

There are two type of sensitive plant, the regular and the giant sensitive plant.

Dividing the water lilies and re-potting them in early spring will ensure a better performing water lily this summer. Several lilies in the same pot compete for available nutrients resulting in fewer flowers this summer.

Water lilies need to be planted in at least a 1 gallon planting container for best performance. The medium to large varieties should be potted in a 2 to 5 gallon planting container to reach maximum flowering and growing potential. Don’t be fooled by purchasing a potted lily in a 4 inch pot and expect it to flourish in your pond. You will end up paying more for the lily, and will still need to purchase a larger container to re-pot the lily in.

Whenever this happens, those of us who wanted our plants shipped thinking its finally warm wonder, now what do I do with them.  Make sure you protect them by bringing them indoors until it warms up.  Remember most of the plants have been indoors in a greenhouse environment and shiver even when the temps are in the 60s.  But we need to make sure the water temperature have stabilized to 65 degrees before we put those floating plants out.  

The floating water plants in your pond need to have the water temperature reach 65 degrees.  They will show signs of yellowing leaves and black spots on their leaves if left  in water temps below that.  The water lettuce will wilt and turn white if too cold.   We tend to get anxious in the spring and sometimes put floaters in before the water is warm enough.  Even the lotus and waterlilies need the warmer weather to start growing.  But at least those were outside all winter and were pulled to ship out. 

Hopefully, like last year, this is a short spell and in a couple weeks things will turn around and we can once again start looking forward to enjoying our ponds.

A water feature can become an artful addition to any landscape.  A water feature should complement and enhance the landscape, fitting into the surrounding scheme and placed where they look most natural.   A powerful waterfall gives self-expression and fulfillment to some while for others, nothing is nicer than a stream flowing into a bog garden and lily pond.  Some enjoy just growing aquatic plants in a container garden on their deck or patio.  The possibilities are endless but the beauty is your choice.

Be sure and add a sitting area where you can sit and enjoy your garden retreat.

Plants in picture Thalia Dealbata, Umbrella Palm

There are alot of products on the market for killing aphids that sometimes find our plants in the water garden.  I use a mixture of soap and water  to spray mine which seems to work for me rather than purchasing a product on the market.  This is natural and won’t harm your plants, fish or water.

1 Tbl liquid dish soap and 1 cup oil.  Mix this together and then take 1 tsp of this mixture and add it to 1 qt of water and put it into a spray bottle.  You don’t want to do this during the hot sunny day but during the evening or early morning when its cooler.   Its never a good idea to treat any plant during the heat of the day.