Lotus Life

The lotus plant has one of the most showy blooms of any of the flowers in my garden.

It is magnificent. 

So what happens after blooming? 

Within days, the petals fall off, and the seed pod is left.
If you wanted it for ornamentation, this would be the time to cut it.

The seeds dry and drop down into the pod.

The entire pod dries up.  The stalk slowly starts to buckle, leaving the pod upside down. 

The seeds drop out, and the possibility of a new plant.  Like this one that is growing in the pot of pickerel rush.   (The lotus leaf is round, the pickerel leaves are spiky.)

I have never tried to save the lotus seeds, but I'm thinking about doing it.  I found a website (here) about someone doing just that, and the results of their experiment.

It might be nice to have more of these elegant blooms!

The Pond - By Demand

Several people have asked to see my pond, and so I will show it:

My pond was an experience in concrete construction.  Digging the hole was easy.  My son helped.  After that, he decided to visit friends for a few days!  The concrete work was a bit harder, but still satisfying.  (At least for me.)  My dad was intrigued by the concrete mixer, and decided to help me - for one day.  After that day, I didn't see him until the project was complete!

I usually make a mistake on every project, and this one was no exception.  The mistake was changing my plans in the middle of construction.  I had planned to use 12" square concrete blocks to cap it off.  When I got to the garden center, they looked so small, I decided on 16" square blocks instead.

I thought it'd be an easy change.  But, it wasn't.  It threw off my design.  So, it ended up not fitting exactly perfectly.   (Why didn't I think of that when I was at the garden center?)

But the worse thing about changing to larger blocks was that I could barely pick them up!  (Why didn't I think of that when I was at the garden center?)  Twelve inch square blocks would have been a piece of cake to work with.  The weight of the 16" square blocks, though, made it almost impossible for me to properly work with them.  It's a wonder any of them are level!

Still, I love my pond.

It has a cooling effect.  It attracts birds.  It gives a relaxing feel.  It makes a soothing sound.

I love seeing the colorful fish swimming around.  I love feeding them.

I love the water plants in the pond, too.

Maintenance is not hard.  (After finally getting the right filtering system - but that's another story.)

It may not be perfect, but it represents several weeks worth of hard work.  And I enjoy it daily.

What more could one ask for?

Fond of Ponds

I'm not sure what the allure of a pond is for me.  Perhaps it's the water.  I grew up near the Gulf coast, so I have a lot of fun memories of being in the water.  Maybe it's the sound.  Refreshing.  Could be the plants.  I especially love the lotus bloom.  Or, perhaps it's the fish.  Isn't it said that fish are calming?

Whatever the case, I've always been fond of ponds.  So much so, that when I started putting in gardens around the house, a water feature was the first priority on my agenda.

We didn't start with the concrete pond I have now.  The first water feature we had was a pondless water feature.  I went to an antique store and purchased a large pottery jug.  Mr. Holleygarden (my hero) drilled a hole in the bottom (we both held our breath during this procedure - we weren't sure it was going to work), placed the jug in a plastic tub I had dug a hole for, filled the tub with gravel, and put a water pump in the jug.  When filled with water, the water cascaded down the sides.  It was lovely.

But, I learned a few lessons from that jug.  It works best in shade.  The sunny spot we had it in caused water to evaporate rapidly, and algae grew on the sides.  As with any water feature, caution should always be taken if children are around.

Growing tired of the jug, we decided to expand upon the pond and purchased a black plastic form from a garden center.  That worked for a short while.  But I never really liked it.  The rocks I put around the edges never looked natural to me (although the black widows absolutely loved them!).

Deciding I needed an even bigger pond, and wanting a cement one, I dug deeper - and wider.

If you ever need seclusion, buy a cement mixer.  No one, and I mean no one, will stick around longer than the first day.  They will come up with the craziest excuses - or just not answer their phone until they are satisfied you are completely through with your project!  And, later, if you want to be left alone, all you have to do is state you're thinking about some project that involves said cement mixer and - voila! - you will have quite and solitude for a few days!

Anyway, I love my little pond.  I've grown to love it just as much for the water plants as for the fish.  Some people have a more natural pond with plants that grow in the bottom soil.  Which is best?  I think it all depends upon location.

I've recently read about a long, narrow water feature that was painted black on the bottom, but was only 1 inch deep.  No plants, no fish.  A reflecting pond.  You would still want to put it in the shade because of evaporation, and of course, always watch the children, but I think it might be a new project for me soon. Of course, I'm not going to mention the cement mixer!

All images were taken at the San Antonio Botanical Garden.

What about you?  Do you have a water feature?  Or do you have no desire for one?  Tell me, are you fond of ponds?

A Beautiful Beast

Every year I am thrilled to see the dragonflies at the goldfish pond.  This year is no exception.  And although I love seeing these creatures, I really didn't know much about them.  But just a little research about this fascinating flyer has given me a lot more respect for this beautiful beast.

Each eye sees at a 360 degree span.  My mother always said she had eyes in the back of her head.  The dragonfly actually does!  Its wings can operate independently, so the dragonfly can fly up, down, left, right, forward and even backwards.  Not many things can fly backwards, but the dragonfly can!

It moves its tail up or down, depending on whether it wants to warm up or cool down.  It can tell exactly where the sun's rays will hit, and positions its tail accordingly.

There are about 450 species of dragonflies in the United States.  Their legs form a basket to catch prey.  They will eat mosquitos, flies, gnats, mayflies, ants, termites, and sometimes butterflies or bees.  Most beekeepers don't appreciate the dragonfly being near, as it can eat enough equal to its own weight in about 30 minutes.

Dragonflies don't have stingers.  Their long abdomens are for mating and egg laying only.  They can, however, bite, and may try to bite you if you hold them down.  Most, however, could not break the skin, and they are not poisonous.  They don't actually have teeth, but strong jaws that chew their food, even though they belong to the Odonata class, which means tooth.

They like clean water, and are valued for their ability to find pure water.  After mating (see picture below), the female will lay the eggs in water.  The eggs hatch and the dragonfly first emerges as a nymph.  Unlike the butterfly, the dragonfly does not go through a pupal stage.  When the nymph is ready (this may take a year or more), it crawls above the water and hangs around the bank, waiting for its wings to dry, which takes several hours.  At this stage, called a teneral, it is very vulnerable.

Predators of dragonflies include birds, lizards, frogs, and fish.  It lives as a dragonfly from a few weeks to a few months.  A lot depends upon the weather, as they are very vulnerable to winds, rain, and cold.

I haven't been especially enjoying our hot, dry weather, but my friends the dragonflies are, and that makes me happy. 

The Power of Enthusiastic Desire

I just love my lotus plant.  The large leaves.  The exquisite bloom.  The pods that stay after the petals fall off.  I love it in every stage.

It blooms in the summer.  I always wish it would bloom in the spring, but summer is its season.  It bloomed yesterday for the first time this year.  Which is a couple of weeks earlier than it bloomed last year.  I don't know if we're early this year from all the heat and drought, or we were behind last year from all the cold and rain - either way, I was thrilled to see it blooming!

Not knowing much about lotus plants, I wasn't sure if I could keep it alive, but it has thrived in the years I've owned it.  I put a fertilizer pellet made especially for water plants in its pot each spring, and miraculously, it blooms without fail.

Other lotus plants that I've purchased through the mail have bloomed the first year, but didn't return.  This lotus is better than pretty.  It's dependable!

I found this lotus several years ago at a retail establishment specializing in garden decor.  I didn't buy any arbors, benches, or gazing balls that day.  I was in love with the lotus.  Although not technically for sale, the owner sweetly sold it to me.  Never underestimate the power of enthusiastic desire!

Green, Just Green

It's not easy taking a plan and sticking with it (at least for me.)  There are plusses and minuses to every choice, and that includes any addition or subtraction of plants in the garden.  Take the pond area for instance.  Every year I wonder if I should change this area.

I designed the pond area to be a soothing, refreshing area of green.  Boxwoods surround the area.  I chose them because they were evergreen.  Asian Jasmine, too, was chosen because of its evergreen quality.  I know it can be a maintenance nightmare, so it was not chosen without hesitation.

Pots are filled with different annuals each year.  These are difficult to fill because one is in full sun, the other in full shade. 

The only color comes from the plants in the pond.  Blue rush pickerel blooms and attracts butterflies and bees.  Lotus flowers (this is a picture from last year - it hasn't bloomed yet this year) are exotic and showy.  Water lilies also bloom in the pond.

Pond plants go dormant each winter, but the rest of this area stays evergreen.  Which is what I wanted.  My bedroom window looks out onto this area, and I wanted to see green all year long.

Many times I have wondered if I should include additional plantings.  White roses have come to mind.  Sometimes I'll picture it with tropical cannas.  Bulbs that pop up in the spring have been considered.  But I always decide to keep it green, just green.  

I doubt myself every spring and summer, but in the fall and winter, I'm happy to have an area of green to soothe my restless spirit.  If there were deciduous plantings in this area, there may be more interest, but it would not be as calming for me to look upon.  Especially in the dark days of winter right before spring when everything is dormant, brown, or grey (and I am the most anxious), I can look out at this area and see green.  Calming, soothing green.

What do you think?  Would you keep this area green, just green?

I'm linking this to Cottage Flora Thursdays.  Check out all the other garden blooms there, too!

Happy Fish!

Happy Fish!

Today I am cleaning out the pond.  It's a concrete pond, and this job has to be done.  In fact, after experimenting with different types of ponds, I chose concrete just so I could easily clean it up.  Yes, the filter gets a ton of stuff, but not everything, and I turn the pump off during the winter.  So, I usually clean it out in spring (to clean out after winter) and again in fall (in preparation for winter).  You know what's in there - leaves, fish 'stuff', old decaying food, etc.  It has to be taken out, and I have just the tool for doing it.

After doing some research, I decided upon this pond vacuum:

Pond Vacuum

It's an Oase Pondovac 3 or something like that (they now have a 4).  Anyway, I'd recommend it.  No, I'm not getting paid to say that.  Nor do I know the Oase people.  I just like their vacuum.  And though this may sound like a commercial or a review, I thought it might be beneficial to anyone wondering about pond vacuums.

Since we didn't want to spend much money there was some joking about just using a shop vac.  Because this vacuum was not inexpensive.  At least, it was much more than I wanted to pay for a fish vacuum!  But, it was necessary.  Such is life.

Input - sucking up the gunk

So, let me tell you what's special about a pond vac.  First, the input.  It sucks up lots of things - like leaves, fish 'stuff', etc.  But - and this is the biggie - instead of keeping the stuff inside the vacuum like a shop vac, it spits it out the back.  So, you get all that water and leaves and 'stuff' running out a hose in the back.  The only thing I don't like about this is that I have not found a way to keep that fishy water.  It would be fantastic for my roses!

Adding water so the water level doesn't fall

Since it sucks up water, you have to add water to the pond to keep it full.  So, I only vacuum about 1/3 of the pond at a time.  No big deal.  And I've never sucked up a fish, though supposedly they would just get spit out the back, unharmed.  I'll just take their word for it and try not to suck up my fish.

Pond bottom dirty:

Ewwww.....yucky!

Pond bottom clean:

Ahhhhh....better!

A clean pond makes me very happy.  And I know people sometimes think fish are unexpressive. :l  That they look like this all the time:  :o  But, when you get to know them, you realize they really are expressive - in their own way.  And my fish are very grateful.  :)  Really!  Yes, really!!!

Look at that top picture - can't you see them smiling?

The Sound of Spring

The fish pond has been one of my favorite garden features.  Sweet little fish that come swimming up, mouths open, eager, and always thrilled to be fed, are some of the simplest joys in the garden.  During the winter months, all that ceases.  Sometimes encased under a layer of ice, they lay motionless on the bottom of the pond, silent, still, as though even time itself has slowed.

The fish pond last year

The pond's pump is unplugged during winter so it won't freeze.  Yesterday, though, all that changed.  The water in the fish pond finally warmed enough for the fish to come back to life.  They remember the cue I have for their feedings:  a swift sequence of knocks on the side.  Back to swimming up with their little mouths open, it brought a smile to my face.  Then, Mr. Holleygarden did something wonderful.  Magical.  Almost spectacular.  He started the pump.

Suddenly I realized how much I had missed the sound of the water splashing in the fountain.  This, to me, is the ultimate sound of spring, though there are many.

Birds, of course, are quite vocal in the coming of spring.  The individual sounds of mating, building nests, and their calls of warning, are all fascinating.  The quacking of geese in their wiggly, irregular V as they fly north on their long journey is a welcome sound to any southern garden.  So, too, is the buzzing of the bees.  The clicking of the hummingbirds as they fight over abundant nectar is humorous.  But the funniest thing about the hummingbirds is how they know where that nectar comes from.  When low, they will fly close enough to peer in the windows as if to say "Hey, you in there! Come fill up the feeders!  You're falling down on the job!".  In their mind, we are obviously their servants.

There is a creek below the house.  We will sometimes walk to it as quietly and silently as possible.  We do this in order to hear the hundreds - possibly thousands - of frogs that carry on their numerous conversations until we are detected.  At that moment, they all fall silent.  It is humorous to us and we wonder what kind of conversations we are missing.

One last sound of spring could be the hissing of snakes coming out of their hibernation.  Usually not heard by me, but obviously identified immediately by the cats, because we had the gift of a silenced snake on the doormat this morning.  So sweet, I suppose, in cat language.  I'm just thankful their gift was already dead!

I hadn't thought of the silence of winter until the sounds of spring began to register.  What sound signifies the coming of spring to you?