Marlee Marie; our 7 year old granddaughter. There's lots of reasons to have a pond; grandchildren are just one.

This is our very first water lily bloom ever. I sent this shot into "Birds & Blooms" magazine for a contest but didn't win. But my daughter enlarged it on her computer & made an 8 x 10 framed print for us to hang on our wall. It's so silly & fun! Another friend printed it for herself to have on her desk at work. It makes me smile.

More pond pictures and information in Bed #35, Bed #36, Bed #37, and Bed #38.

My pink water lotus is my favorite pond plant. It's the only one Ron lets me claim. A gardener friend gave it to me. She very generously shares her pond plants & fish with whoever wants them & will give them a good home.

This plant grows in shallow water just a couple of inches over the top of its pot. For winter we sink it in the deep water & move it back to more shallow water in early spring. It loves to be fed fertilizer tabs.

Once the summer weather gets hot water lotus put on a spectacular tropical appearing display. The huge leaves erupt up out of the water & tower there. Then blossoms that are so "alien looking" burst open to display the most awesome future seed pods. They are so beautiful they don't even look real. After the petals fall off the seed pod remains turning hard & brown. Holes open up allowing round hard seeds to fall. The dried seed pods are so cool in dried flower arrangements.

An European mint that thrives in wet / sunny places;
Naturalized in eastern North America.
Hardy zone 6-11: However it over-winters extremely well here in zone 5.

When I bought a 4" pot of water mint from my pond-guru buddy, Josh Spece I had no idea what a strong grower it is. I took terrible care of it; just plopping the pot into shallow water along the edge of Ron's top pond. I kept thinking I should put it in a bigger pot or something, but never got to it. However, the plant saved itself, escaping it's pot & creeping into shallow water along the pond edge, then scurrying over rocks & going anywhere it desired.

I would call water mint invasive. It is easily controlled by gentle pulling. It grows only 3 - 4" tall but vines for long distances of 2' or more. It puts down rootlets wherever it touches just a little soil, naturalizing the pond's edge. The foliage is nicely green all season & the blooms are a lavender treat that bees love.

This little plant adds wonderful color & personality to the pond's edge. The dainty blossoms are the prettiest blue with such precious tiny little faces. When I got this plant from Josh, he didn't tell me it would be such favorite. I just sat its little pot in the rocks in shallow water & away it went. It makes me smile!

Water celery is also known as water dropwort, seri, sui-kan, pak chi lawm, shelum, and damoe.

It will grow in full to partial sun. It will grow in a glass of water on a sunny window sill. I have grown it in pots full of water anchored by pebbles. I have grown it in pots of soggy soil. I have just let it float on the water surface in small water features. It escaped me and has taken up root in the shallow water & rocks along the top pond's edge where it happily adds delicate color & festive texture. It grows 4" - 5" tall & spreads 12" or more. It is prolific but not an invasive "monster plant". Water Celery is winter hardy in Iowa. It requires no maintenance-care once established in the pond.

"It is a perennial herb with creeping stolons and long, threadlike, white rootlets. The erect, slender, hollow, green stems range from 4 inches to 5 feet high. The deep green leaves, having an odor like carrot tops, resemble celery in shape and size. Tiny, white, fragrant flowers form in compound umbels of 10-25 blooms. The tops are eaten raw in salads or as a garnish similar to parsley. The young stems and leaves are also steamed with rice, or boiled and chopped as greens. There are many oriental recipes that include this vegetable.

The plant grows wild in freshwater marshes and swampy fields, and along ditches, canals, and streams in many Asian countries. It is also cultivated there and in Hawaii. A dense evergreen ground-covering perennial with pink, green, and cream variegated foliage. Withstands a wide variety of soils and thrives in boggy areas."

Info: Fact Sheet HS-682, a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Revised for CD-ROM: May 1994. Light:

Aquatic Plant Index