Ponds in Canada

[callingcolleen1]

Nice to hear from you RB. Like how you got the moss to grow in the waterfall. Please feel free to post your pond pictures here too. It's always more interesting to hear other people's experience.

I too discovered many years ago that constant cleaning and changing of water makes pond life more difficult. I think is can disturb the pond balance. I add enough fresh water to replace what's lost due to evaporation and I'm sure those big flags drink alot too. Also most people don't realize that phosphate feeds algae, and phosohate comes right out of the tap too. If you put a glass of your tap water in the window within a couple days or so you will see it start to turn green. Phosphate can came from many different sources.

Got to go to work in yard for a while, then have to work a short shift tonight, later dudes!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Today was nice at the pond, yellow flags and sweet flags are growing fast, weather was 85 degrees today. Fish are moving around and hungry lot more as the water is warming up nice. Tomorrow is supposted to be hotter, might move my big Tin Foil Barbs outside soon.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Puppies swam in their pond by the river today. Changed my profile picture today, hope I don't confuse anyone, did you think for a second it was someone else! Ha ha

 

[callingcolleen1]

A shot in the dark..... Having a drink just now by the pond

 

[j.w]

Is that a real duck in your pond?

 

[callingcolleen1]

Yes, a real plastic duck that I play with and move around, love my garden junk! Ha ha ha

 

[callingcolleen1]

Today's featured plant is my Wool Grass Bull Rush, it grows in the top pond were my two biggest fish are located. This plant is really a grass, not a rush, it just resembles a rush when it is blooming. Grasses are another sedge, and great pond cleaners too. This type of grass is also very hardy and grows very well in Canada.

 

[addy1]

Nice plants, pretty fish too

 

[j.w]

I like that Wool Rush, it looks very nice in your pond!

 

[CometKeith]

Hi Colleen, great info on plants. I am looking forward to your daily featured plant. That is one thing about ponds I know the least about. I do good with floaters and have one tropical and now one lilly that comes back every year but don't know too much about other plants beyond that. I am going to look for yellow rush and aquatic mint at the garden center I go to. Also I am going to check for square stems of weeds i am pulling out. If I find a wild mint can I put it in the pond? I just learned that the yellow thrushes that I love that have a nest right behind our pond love thistle plants which I normally get rid of as soon as I see them, so I am rethinking pulling them out. I bought a few grasses this year but they are in low pots and are below the water line. Should I try to raise them up?

 

[callingcolleen1]

Some thistles attract lots of different bees, which are in short supply these days, and their good for pollen.

The plant that I think you meant to say was "Yellow flag, Iris" That would work real good for you too in Chicago, it's pretty cold in winter there too I heard. There are many different types of rushes too, which is different than the yellow flag Iris. I will feature some from my pond soon.

The mint that grows in water is a special type of mint called "water Mint" or otherwise known as "Mentha aquatica" It is hardy to zone 5 but I found it grows real good for me and comes back every year.

There are hundreds of different types of most all plants, kinda like there are hundreds of different types of apples. Each plant is different but yet the same. Like there is Lemon Mints, Spearmints, Peppermints, Water Mint, and on and on ..... They are all in the same "Mint" family, but yet they are all different, except that they all have square stems. That is how you can identify a Mint. Once you find a mint growing wild, if you wish to identify what type of mint you found growing wild, you would have to look up mints to see which you have, or just enjoy the mint in tea or whatever!

 

[callingcolleen1]

I find that grasses like to have one inch or so of water over the top of pot.

 

[CometKeith]

Great info. Thanks!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Todays featured plant CALLA LILY otherwise known as "Zantedeschia aethiopica"
Hardiness Zones 9-11
This species grows 2 - 3 feet tall with large, fragrant white aroid flowers 3 - 10 inches long surrounded by shiny arrow-shaped leaves.

Calla lillys like to be planted in rich soil with up to 2 inches of water over the crown. I find that it grows best in part shade.
I let my calla freeze lightly in the fall so that it can "rest"over the winter in my greenhouse. Callas can also be grown inside during the winter months, in a small "puddle" of water. In areas that don't freeze too hard, it can also be wintered below the ice, this method can be "tricky" sometimes.

I planted this Calla in rich soil, in a basket and placed small gravel over the top.
I have had this Calla lilly for over ten years now, last fall I split up the plants into smaller sections, gave some away last year. I love calla lilys for their "sweet heavenly" smell. In Canada I too can have a "tropical" water plant to love!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Just now reporting live, their coming..... yes the caterpillers are now here, seen leaf rollers and bit of chewed leafs today. Pond water now naturally turning a darker golden color, due to the caterpiller dung falling in pond! This is good, dark golden water filters out the suns hottest spectrum, helping to prevent algae!