Waterlily

Possibly a Sioux flower, but I didn't trace the stalk down to the pot to be sure.  What a difference 6 months makes.  It's been in the eighties, and not a bit of snow in sight.

Water Lily

A surprise water lily that bloomed last week. Obviously I should have posted it last week. I've been busy, working, not doing anything fun...

Water Lily

Working days means i've barely gotten top see the two water lily blooms this year. They open around 8 am and close around 4 pm. I leave at 7 and get home at 5:30, so not much chance to view them. This is as open as they get at 7 o'clock in the morning.

Tropical Water Lily

First post on my new blog. I spent the long weekend in New York and went to the New York Botanical Garden on Sunday morning. It was freezing outside, but the conservatory was pleasantly tropical. They are currently highlighting plants of the Caribbean, but are in the midst of setting up their annual orchid show. I toured that show last year and it was phenomenal though crowded.  If you're anywhere near New York while the show is running be sure to visit.  You won't be disappointed.

Daily Photo - Water Lily

The water lily I used as a potting example back in May bloomed this week.

Sunday in The Garden

^Pink Astilbe, quite the surprise, as all my previous bagged astilbe were bought as pink but came up white.^

^Surprise Amaryllis that bloomed after months of being a weird little bud right off the bulb, apple blossom I think^

^Water Lily - White^

^Parrot's Feather^ ^White Astilbe^

Most of the stuff from last week is still blooming, though it is getting flattened. We're also having a wicked aphid season. I found this guy on the house and moved him to the roses. It's a ladybug larvae.

25 Cent Goldfish -> Pond Fish

My recommendations if you want to buy feeder goldfish and put them in your pond, but actually want them all to live. Or alternately to keep them from infecting other fish. Step One, a plastic tub, unused (or only used for fish), 15-20 gallon utility tubs work well. Those ones sold in different colors with rope handles are quite good. Round is best because then there is equal pressure on all sides, so they don't bow out. Step Two, fill the tub with a known quantity of water, 15-20 gallons, fairly exactly. Add a water conditioner to this water. It's best to let it sit, but as long as it is close to room or outdoor temps it should be fine. Alternately you can use water direct from the pond if you're exact about measurements. The reason you want a known amount of water, preferably divisible by 5 will be in step four. Step Three. If possible get only fish with spread and undamaged fins without any obvious abnormalities. At the very least avoid fish that can't stay upright in the water, they are almost guaranteed goners. This is the important bit. Do not use any of the fish store water. Float the fish for a good 20 minutes, and you can add water to the bag, but dump the fish into a net and put only them into the new water. pet store water is often full of whatever diseases the fish have, especially true for feeder fish. Step Four, get a body fungus medication, and treat the fish. most of these medications are listed as how many per 5 or 10 gallons. In my experience with feeder goldfish, and oddly enough chain store bought angelfish, they will have fungus, even if overall they look good they can look fantastic after one fungus treatment. Whether you do a second is up to you, but if the fish look good a week after the first they'll go out in my pond. If you are going to keep the fish in the tub for more than a week, you should probably add oxygenating plants, or a cycled filter. Most fungus treatments however are very damaging to plants, so consider what you put in a loss. Also, I've done this with up to 6 3-4 inch goldfish. You'd need more water for more. The tub is also good to make sure they're eating before you release them with the rest of the fish. I've had to treat non-feeder goldfish for fungus as well. I've found it under treated at pet stores, especially in feeder fish (goldfish, shiners, and tuffies esp.), angelfish, gouramis, and koi. Technically it's also a great idea if you insist on feeding another fish with feeder fish. It's really easy for them to get diseases from their foods, and many feeder fish aren't even fed at the store, so aren't the best nutrition they could be. Predated to break up some daily photos.

Sunday in the Garden

^Jasione Blue Light^ Grew from seed last year. The pic on the seed packet was purple.

^Waterlily 'Attraction'^

^My surprise Rose Champion^

It's been raining since Tuesday, so this is all I've got.

Water Lily 'Attraction'

So when I repotted all my water lilies last month I ran out of space in the pond. Half of this plant was chopped off and potted, and the other half was planted in this tub.

A little more than a month later, the reward, though the rain keeps beating it down and I missed it's first day.

Potting Waterlilies

Well I bought another water lily and it wasn't even on clearance yet. Supplies needed for potting up water lilies: Water Lily Bulb - Offset from existing tuber, or a new one New Pot, sized for lily (bulb pan used in example) Cat Litter Pans Kitten sized seem to work well too. Something to block holes if needed (I used a piece from a net pond plant pot) Enough Clay Cat Litter to 3/4 fill the pot (MUST BE PURE CLAY NO CLUMPING OR PERFUMES) This is the kind I've used before. Smallish Aquarium Gravel to cover about 1/2 - 1 inch unless you have Koi, which may require a heavier rock size to keep them from digging. Tuber as packaged. I only once made the mistake of dropping one of these plants directly in. They spread roots every where, and when they get huge getting the plastic mesh off is quite a chore. At this size they pop right out. Make sure any tuber you buy is firm. If they have sat around for too long and gotten too dry they tend to molder, if wet sometimes they rot and turn to mush. Cover any holes in your pot with mesh, this is from a pop up grow bag I tried once. Never again the lily roots grow right out all over the place anyway. They're great for filling holes though. 3/4 fill with cat litter. Position the bulb on top with the cut end on an edge and the growing tip aimed at the open space in the pot. If you have one with roots they should be buried as you pour in the cat litter. I put a small amount of gravel in the bottom, just enough to keep the liner from raising, dry cat litter is too light to hold it down. Cover over with a small amount of gravel. Keep the growing tips free of gravel and above the gravel height. Some of the rootless cuttings have a tendency to float, so you may have to hold it down with a U shaped pin, or gently place a few larger rocks on it.

Moving the Pond

To go along with the high garden fence I needed to rotate my pond so there would be more running space for the dogs. Moving it wasn't that bad, though getting it empty and getting the plants all out was a hassle. I've been draining it over the last two weeks. Last week I got the plants out into temporary tubs, and this week finally got all the water out. I had been using it to water the other plants, but the sludge at the bottom wasn't really pourable. I decided after getting the plants out last week, that most of them needed to be repotted. All the lilies were trying to grow out the sides of their pots, and the marginals had climbed over the edges last year. I repotted most of the lilies in cat litter pans with pure clay cat litter in the bottom, and gravel on the top. A few got broken apart but grand total is 10 hardy water lilies in a 5 foot by 3 foot pond. The largest one got repotted at the bottom of a tub all by itself since the cat pans weren't big enough for it. This is why every time I walk by those pond plants in a bag I have to stop myself. I only really like the lilies, and since I already have 10, should probably stop getting them on clearance. Maybe I'll buy one more so I can show how I repot them... I was too dirty for pictures yesterday.

Beach Trash

This July family reunion trip to Cape Cod (it's an annual thing) I decided to go off on my own a bit more. I also cut it short by 3 days, as I really hate a vacation when I just read books while paying $50 bucks a day for the dogs to be kenneled. I visited three of the five Cape Cod National Seashore Beaches (I'm only counting the park service controlled ones, not the town ones.) I went on a number of the nature walks I've been carrying around a map for from 2 years ago, and I went to the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary at low tide. If you've never been at a sanctuary beach at low tide you're missing a treat. Fiddler crabs run across the trail at many points, so numerous you think they're bugs. You even get a chance to see birds that aren't gulls. I'll admit I mostly go for the footprints. Lots of bird prints on the sand just waiting for me, without many people footprints to get in the way. All the neat stuff low tide tosses up is still there, rather than carted off by the first person who saw it. These are a sampling of the over 1,000 pics I took on vacation. I'd also recommend visiting as much of the National Seashore as possible. Lots of stuff to see...