In another forum, I've read that I can let the water hyacinths just die back and let the roots sink. I'm in Zone 7 and the crazy things are still blooming! Well, they actually did last week, probably the last till Spring, I would think! But I've not had any hyacinths for several years and don't remember what I did when I last had them! "A mind (and its memory) are a terrible thing to lose!" :bye2:
I cut back the hardy lilies as the leaves turn yellow until there is nothing left put the tubers in the pots. The pots are well below the surface (~12 inches) and we seldom get more than one thin ice layer and even then it's gone within 48 hours or less.
The only other plant is an iris that never bloomed for the last six years until this Spring! It has always just been sitting in a pot out on the ground, must be tough little thing! But this year, some ants decided to build a nest in the pot! Their aeration reinvigorated it and I took out and slit it between two pots. I put one in the pond with its soil top about the same level as the water. The other one is still sitting on the garden surface. So far, I can't tell either one is doing better than the other! At least they both look healthy and maintained good foliage. I
know they can survive even in the cold but I plan on lowering the pot in the water to the bottom of the pond. It should stay warmer than the dry pot during the Winter. There must be one way that's better for this plant? The blooms are absolutely beautiful!
Maybe Spring will reveal the secret!
