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Hardy Waterlilies The hardy waterlily is the jewel of the water garden. These exceptional plants provide the shade, shelter and beauty every pond owner demands. Lilies are easy to grow and maintain, while providing a fragrant and luminescent flower show all season long. They provide fish with shelter from predators, help stabilize the pond temperature and reduce the vigor of algal growth. They require a minimum of 4 – 6 hours of direct sunlight and are heavy feeders. Fertilizing on a regular basis will encourage repeat flowering and strong growth. These sun-loving, frost tolerant perennials come back year after year often more brilliant than the year before. Lilies are among the most exotic of all blooming plants, these marvels of the aquatic world are special gifts of nature without rival. Owning a waterlily creates a reward that is far worth the small initial investment, by showing its owner one of the greatest shows in all of horticulture.
Hardy Marginal Plants Marginal pond plants are essential for providing the finishing touches to the perfectly balanced water garden. These handsome flowering and foliage plants transform a soggy site into a natural oasis by adding color and shape to the water garden. Marginal or bog plants can be placed directly into a shallow pond shelf or even planted in the soggy areas surrounding your pond. Marginals create a transition from land to water. Hardy Marginal varieties:
Tropical Water Plants Add instant color, size, height, and beauty to any pond with a touch of a tropical aquatic. Due to their immense beauty, tropicals are favorites in ponds even in temperate zones. Although, capable of being overwintered indoors these aquatics are essentially treated as annuals. Tropicals should not be added into the pond until water temperatures reach upper 60’s or low 70’s. Tropicals require extra feeding to continue to showcase their flowering ability. Tropical Water Plant varieties:
Floaters and Oxygenators Every pond needs oxygenating plants to keep the water crystal clear and aerated. These submersible and floating plants grow in or on the top of the water surface. Submerged and floating plants play an enormous role in establishing a healthy balanced water garden. Give credit to these plants for helping to keep algae in check by soaking up excess nutrients from the water. They also help provide habitat, shelter, shade, and spawning area for fish. Stock as much as 1 bunch of oxygenator or floaters for every 2 square feet of pond surface area. No chemicals, and less maintenance is needed in keeping your water naturally clear when using these essential plants. Oxygenators are indispensable when fish are present, as they set up a balanced or natural condition for the water, while providing roughage, and protection for baby fish. Floater and Oxygenator varieties: Water Lettuce. ‘Pistia Stratiotes’ Water Hyacinth. ‘Eichornia Crassipes’ Anacharis. ‘Elodea Densa’ Hornwort. ‘Ceratophyllum demersum’ Pond Life For any water garden to be successful it must contain both plants and fish. Not only is this an optimum aesthetic condition but a balanced mini-ecosystem is created by the interactions between fish and plants. This will ensure proper water conditions throughout the season. Fish and other pond inhabitants increases biodiversity and greatly reduce insects (mosquitoes) since scavengers eat their larvae. Try to keep as many of the various components in your pond, which will contribute in their own unique way to help control water quality. These scavengers coexist with the plant-life to help create and maintain the perfect pond environment. Stock scavengers, such as tadpoles, and snails, liberally. An average pond can support several dozen of each. Fish and plants benefit each other in two distinct ways. First, fish and plants contribute to the successful functioning of the nitrogen cycle. Waste products from the fish, in the form of ammonia, are made into nitrates which are used by the plants as fertilizer. These nitrates, which are deadly in large doses to fish, allow plants to grow vigorously and mature. Increased plant-life creates a valuable food resources for fish, thus completing the nitrogen cycle. This ongoing biological cycle ensures healthy pond life. Well established plants must be present to incorporate fish into any pond. If plant-life is absent, excessive nitrates produced by fish will kill off all aquatic life. Fish require oxygen to live while naturally releasing carbon dioxide. Plants in turn require carbon dioxide, and emit life-giving oxygen. During the day plants will consume the carbon dixode released by fish, and also emit the much needed oxygen required by the fish. Pond Life varities: Comet. ‘Carassius Auratus’ Shubunkin. ‘Sarassius Auratus’ Koi. ‘Cyprinus Carpio’ Trapdoor Snails. ‘Viviparis Malleatus’ Tadpoles. ‘Rana Catesbiana’
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