What does your pond look like ... Today?

[j.w]

Thanks haver, I had to run outside and squish a piece of the leaf to see if it gave off a nice sweet smell and yes this one does. I have another similar type that is a sedge I believe as it has no smell. Anyway yes this one is a sweet flag and I just dug it up and rinsed off all the roots and stuck it in a pot w/only it's roots in the water and it has been growing like that for a few years now. No soil at all.

 

[haver79]

Did not know they give off a sweet smell when squished. I still have mine in the nursery pot. Stuck it in the skippy for now.

 

[j.w]

@haver79 Below was taken off the net:
Acorus, Of Course, For Wet Soils and Water Gardens

Acorus gramineus is a wetland perennial that is also known as Japanese sweet flag, Japanese rush, grassy-leaved sweet flag and dwarf sweet flag. The source of calamus oil, this plant was used medicinally and in perfumes and soaps because of its cinnamon fragrance. It produces this smell when the leaves are bruised or crushed under foot.

Japanese sweet flag has semi-evergreen narrow, long (up to 14 inches) grassy foliage. Its half inch glossy leaves are flat and look like thick, lush wet grass. Sweet flag is unusual in that it produces yellow horn shaped flowers on hollow stems in midsummer.

Japanese sweet flag is native to wetlands of eastern Asia, and can be grown in similar environments in Zones 6-9 in the United States. At the very least, it requires very moist soil. It thrives in wetlands, like along ponds or pools, and can even grow when submersed in up to 4 inches of water. If you grow it out of its natural aquatic element, it must be watered frequently. If the soil dries for even a day the leaves will wither. Given this prerequisite, it also needs full sun to partial shade.

If you want to plant a year old sweet flag from a seed or rhizome, it is best to let it mature in a container for a month. Year old plants can be set in their permanent positions in the spring after the last freeze. Sweet flag will need a little fertilizer if it is not planted in a naturally wet area. Mature plants should be divided every few years in early autumn or late spring. They’ll do fine through winter months without mulch.

Sweet flag may seem like the ideal plant for your Koi pond, but be aware that it spreads aggressively via rhizomes. Eventually it will establish a beautiful seamless turf that may be better for the front of a bog garden than an ornamental pool. If you don’t want yards of sweet flag, grow it in submerged containers so it can't spread. However, even container bound plants will need to be divided eventually.

Japanese sweet flag doesn’t attract any pests, but desperate deer might eat them. It is not prone to any diseases. It can become home to small wetland wildlife.

There are several varieties of Japanese sweet grass, but the two I’m most asked about are "Ogon" and "Variegatus".

The cultivar "Ogon" is also called Golden Japanese sweet flag because its green foliage is variegated with cream and bright light green stripes. Look for more golden colors if planted in the sun and greener colors in the shade. With a quarter of an inch wide and 10 inch long arching leaves, it is smaller than other cultivars. It is evergreen in warmer winter climates and produces unremarkable small yellow flowers and red fleshy berries. "Ogon" will slowly spread about a foot and you should plant them at least 10 inches apart. Performs best in Zones 7-10 and aren’t known to be winter hardy in Zone 5.

"Variegatus" is also called variegated Japanese sweet flag. It is semi-evergreen, with green and white striped quarter inch wide leaf blades that grow a foot long. Plant "Variegatus" a foot apart. It produces small green blooms in early summer that later become tiny red berries and grows best in Zones 6-9.

In addition to being ideal in wet or submerged areas, Acorus gramineus delights the nose and the eyes. Its beautiful sweet smelling foliage provides year round color and blossoms and berries in the summer. It is easy on your schedule too, as it requires infrequent maintenance and has no common pests or diseases. This simple and rewarding plant will be perfect in or around your water feature.

 

[haver79]

Thanks JW, I'm zone 5 so maybe it wont overwinter here, darn. Well maybe I will put it in a pot and bring it in the garage for the winter.

 

[j.w]

Hey we have gotten down to -6 here but only for a few days at a time then it warms up. How cold does it get where you are? Oh wait you are zone 5 so you get way colder than we do. Darn, yep you could bring it in for the winter. I wonder if when in the pond it will stay a bit warmer? I know some people here have stuff in their ponds growing..............some kind of trees if I remember right that are not supposed to be hardy but they survive. Think they were Cyprus trees of some sort.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Working on waterfall ideas today. I don't have enough flagstone but played around it see what I could come up with.

and a shot of my lily and lavender plants

 

[j.w]

Waterfalls can really be time consuming when you are trying to get it just the way you want it. Ohhhhhhhhhh, Lavender it smells so good!

 

[Sunshine]

I had a slate waterfall, took it out and made something else that I didn't like. Than went to an ugly black waterfall bucket thing cause I didn't know what I wanted. Now I want my slate waterfall back.

 

[haver79]

Mine is not what I had in mind either but leaving it for now.

JW I lost a few plants last year that I had for years. Hopefully we will not be having another winter like that one. So dont know if the Verigated sf would make it even in the pond. Maybe if I sunk it to the bottom. Did that last year with my water iris. It came out fine even being at the bottom of the pond all winter.

 

[Lisaebetten]

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wow you water is sooo clear! what is your set up?

 

[Lisaebetten]

View attachment 71484

And are those the bluest shubs every?

 

[j.w]

@haver79 I bet you could lower it in the water. I have heard of people using that plant in aquariums, smaller pieces and it lives for quite awhile like that but then gives out at some point but for only the winter doing that it might just make it. I just found this and it tells a bit about submerging it for awhile: http://www.paghat.com/dwarfsweetflag.html

 

[haver79]

Interesting JW. Well, I will give it a go. If it makes it great, if not I will replace it with something els.

 

[haver79]

@

great pictures everybody! I love looking at all the different ponds and fish.

@haver79 Would you mind showing some closer photos of your stock tank? I need to get a better feel for how these are set up. Is that green crate always on your water fall? How is it set up?

Bettas, I took some pictures for you but keep in mind this area still needs some work lol.
I'm sure others will not like how this is set up as the skippy is not hidden at all really. Our ground starts a slope where I have the skippy and I had to elevate it to make it high enough for the falls. Wanted to completely redo the falls but I'm still considering a bog so not yet.
Anyway here are a few pics.
this is where I have my extra hose. I had not got it tucked behind the rocks when I took this. Wanted to get a waterfall weir for the skippy but dont think we can get it on this tank as it has a ledge that may not give me enough room to do that with the way the holes were already cut. May have to talk to Koiguy to see if he could make something that would work. But again I may do a bog and if so may not need it then.

hoses going into the skippy. 2 ball valves, one is for the extra hose. This was a necessity for me as my pump is 4000gph and skippy would overflow without the extra hose. Last year I just had the extra hose in the pond.

This area is unfinished but is in area of the yard that you cant really see. For now I may just put a rustic fence behind it. Again I may redo all this so not too worried about it for now. I live in the country so no one sees this part.

 

[Fishylove]

@haver79, my sweet flag is in the pond bare root wedged under large rocks, and it froze solid for weeks this last winter. I think you'll be fine with it.