| So the water garden bug has bitten. You've dug and | | | | depths of 8 to 10 feet. |
| leveled and sweated and said words you hope that | | | | Both hardy and tropical water lilies are real sun |
| no one else has heard. Now it's time for the fun part | | | | worshippers. At least 5 to 10 hours a day is what it |
| - picking out your water garden plants! | | | | takes, along with regular fertilization, to keep these |
| Plant varieties within these four categories are what | | | | plant pals happy. |
| you need to eyeball: deep-water, marginals, | | | | Everybody and their brother with a water garden |
| oxygenators, and floaters. (If you think these words | | | | wants a lotus plant. (Sisters, too, no doubt.) These |
| are big words, just be happy we're not talking about | | | | water-lily relatives come in hardy and not-so-hardy |
| medicine.) | | | | strains, so make sure you know what you're buying. |
| After you've diligently planted your new plants in | | | | Much bigger than water lilies, lotus have huge, |
| plastic tubs, pans, or clay pots, packing the fertilizer- | | | | famously splendid blooms that not only will knock |
| and chemical-free soil down tightly, load the container | | | | your socks off, but make you forget you have feet |
| down with pea gravel to keep the soil from floating | | | | altogether. Their leaves and seed pods are so |
| away. (Don't ask why this works, but it does.) Plunk | | | | breathtaking, they're a favorite in costly cut-flower |
| your plant into the water at the appropriate depth | | | | arrangements. Big, bold, and beautiful, with |
| (You'll read about that in just a minute) and you're on | | | | water-depth needs of 2-3 feet, these shouters are |
| ready to go! | | | | really better off in big ponds that get plenty of sun. |
| Plant-dunking should be generally be done during the | | | | Marginals (sometimes called "bog" plants by those less |
| growing season. For new ponds, wait four or five | | | | high-falutin') are grass-like plants that strut their stuff |
| weeks for the water plants to do their thing before | | | | in shallow areas no deeper than 6" that border the |
| you add your fish. If you just can't hold your horses, | | | | water garden. They also do well in mud. Cattail, |
| or your fish, for that long, you can jump the gun a | | | | bamboo, rush, papyrus, and many other plants fall |
| couple of weeks, but the idea is to let the plants first | | | | into the family of marginals and grow best with a |
| get established. | | | | minimum of at least three hours of sun. |
| When picking your plants, you'll no doubt be wowed | | | | Some plants are there but not seen, working stoically |
| by water lilies of the tropical persuasion. These | | | | under water and without fanfare to fight algae, |
| aquatic wonders are popular compared to their | | | | oxygenate the water, and provide food for fish. (In |
| hardier cousins with knock-out fragrance, big blooms | | | | lieu of these plants, if your pond is small, you can |
| day or night - depending on the variety - and a habit | | | | fake it fairly adequately with an aquarium pump.) |
| of blooming their little hearts out nearly every day | | | | Easy on the wallet, varieties of these plants can be |
| during the growing season. They love their warmth, | | | | bought in bunches and like their soil sandy and/or |
| though, so unless you live in a year-round, | | | | gravelly. Like hardy water lilies, they, too, will warrior |
| warm-weather climate, be prepared to hasten them | | | | it through the winter. |
| into a greenhouse or at least muster up some funds | | | | Water hyacinths have become a recent rage, |
| to buy them some "grow" lights to tough it out | | | | especially for the lazy among us. No soil is required |
| through the winter. | | | | for these beauties. Toss them in the water and |
| They will definitely bite the dust at freezing | | | | they're "planted." A water hyacinth ain't just another |
| temperatures, but give them night-time temps of at | | | | pretty face, though; these plants do their part in the |
| least 65F and daytime temps of 75F or warmer, and | | | | war against algae and blanket weeds by keeping |
| your love affair with tropicals will only grow that | | | | sunlight scarce on the water's surface. But one note |
| much more torrid. | | | | of caution: This plant may take over the world if |
| Hardy water lilies, while not the showboaters that | | | | allowed. It's invasive as all get out, so keep it under |
| tropicals are, are . . . well, hardier. Their big advantage | | | | control or you (and your neighbors) may wish you'd |
| is that they can stay in the water year 'round unless | | | | never laid eyes on it. |
| it freezes so deeply the rootstock is affected. And | | | | A water garden isn't a garden without plants. Take |
| being the tough guys they are, you can plant these | | | | your time, know your climate, and choose wisely. |
| puppies deeper than the tropicals, some living it up in | | | | Your rewards will be great in return. |