Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Before and After Gardens ....., 1 by Cordeledawg

Cordeledawg wrote:
Thank you Sheila, Debnes, and Becky. I'm enjoying it. I can now say I've walked on every blade of grass in my yard for the first time in 28 years.

According the UGA weather Station, my county has a 9.78 in rainfall deficit over last year's drought year. Last year we had 86 days of rain with 38.65 in as compared to the year before (2005) with 47.68 in. From Jan 1 to Jun 11, 2007 we've had 13.06 in of rain as compared to the same time last year with 15.74 in in the same time frame. I'm sure y'all know exactly what a drought feels like living in Tx and Fl.

When I started the pond gardens last year in July, the pond was at what I thought was an all time low. It was hard for me to remember what the pond looked like when it had been full. So I started planting my H. fulva dls at the edge of where I thought the water stopped. Wrong! I purchased white wire flags to designate the dormant daylilies. When the pond finally filled up, I had planned three rows of dl too close. I was digging up dormant dls in Febuary and moving them upwards. I placed some timbers and bolders and rocks along the edge all the way around the pond so I could remember where the true water line was when it fills up.

have a few water plants, but not many. I threw out about four or five water lilies and can see at least three lily pad groups made it. Louisana Iris and cannas are there and can take a drowning ok, as can the pickerel weed (Pontederia ordata). There is an invasive creeping vine that covers the mouth of the pond and crawls up into my gardens. I hate it. It runs underground with white tubers. However, If it puts oxygen in the water though, I can live with it. Last year we lost about 30 large bass due to low water. I wonder if water lotus would crowd out this ugly vine that's in there?

The soil around the pond was (is) concrete Ga red clay. I amended with lots of cardboard, leaf litter and pine straw. It brought the earthworms and it's getting better. Each hole I dig for a new plant gets pine bark nuggets, worm castings, black top soil and watersorb crystals. There are over 500 dls out there, not to mention all of the seedlings of other plants. That's a lot of hole digging that my back can relate to.

I've still got to get more Ga native plants and small shrubs and trees that serve as host plants. I've got a little Christmas Senna that I'm planting today. I don't know anything about this particular plant as far as water needs goes. Can anyone give me some advice on the best place to plant it?
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