Your favorite sources for pond plants

Hi,
My little pond is just about ready to go. There are local sources that haven't quite geared UP that I am sure will be my impulse buy sources. But in the meantime, who do you more experienced ponders go to for things like floaters and marginals? I'm looking for water lettuce and water hyacinths in particular and several places mentioned that they don't send these over state lines.

I can't wait! The liner will probably go in tomorrow!

Sheila


This message was edited Apr 25, 2005 8:19 PM

There are far better choices than water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and Water Lettuce (Pistia Stratiotes) for your pond. They are both identified as introduced species that are wreaking havoc on our continent but I'm sure a member will pm you that he has them and will sell them to you.

You might want to look these plants up and see if anything interests you. These were notes saved by me when a neighbor asked what to buy so they aren't too orderly:

Eupatorium coelestinum Hardy Ageratum, blue flowers in fall, native.

For a pond-

Yellow Floating Heart, Nymphoides peltata - Easy to grow and stays compact. Leaves last a long time and it can be moved around easily. Takes a smaller pot than water lilies and is not fussy. Leaves are a maroon on the underside. Yellow blooms.

Hornwort, - beautiful feathery underwater plant that does not require a pot (it has no roots). Makes thick clumps and you can just toss it around where you want it. Does not seem to attract algae like Anarcharis does.

Parrot's Feather, Myriophyllum aquatica - love the soft look. Looks great in clumps.
Water Plantain, Alisma triviale
Sagittaria latifolia - Arrowhead

Water hawthorn, Aponogeton distachyos
Water Hyssop/Bacopa, Bacopa caroliniana

Chameleon Plant, Houttuynia cordata variegata
Lizard’s Tail, Saururus cernuus
http://store.watergardenweb.com/lizardstail.html
Crushed Ice, Sagittaria graminea 'Crushed Ice'
http://store.watergardenweb.com/crushedice.html
Butterfly Ginger, Hedychium coronarium
http://store.watergardenweb.com/butgin.html
Orange Peel Plant, Houttuynia cordata
Star Grass, Dichromena colorata

I have ordered from the place above and they send very decent sized plants that are incredibly healthy. All that I ordered from them survived overwintering so I don't need to buy any more pond plants this year... well maybe just a few here and there.

Blue Pickerel Rush preferably White Pickerel Rush, Pontederia cordata
Oak Prairie Farm- aquatics and marginals?
800.894.3884
http://www.oakprairiefarm.com/

mosaic plant, and duck potato, http://www.wernersponds.com/plants4.html

Plants for a shady rain garden of wet area-
Bear’s Breeches, ACANTHUS MOLLIS

Need to Look these plants up-
Sagittaria brevifolia NEEDLE-LEAF ARROWHEAD
Sagittaria gramineus NARROW-LEAVED ARROWHEAD

Gosh, good luck to you. Ponds are a lot of fun.

Hello Equilibrium,
Well, I do prefer hardy plants to stuff that will up and die as soon as the frost hits. Both the water hyacinth and the water lettuce have reputations as being great water filters. Do you know if some of the other floaters work as well? I've got another window open to the link you posted- I think I can afford that place!

Sheila

Hey Sheila! Thought you'd like the pricing there and that maybe thoughts of water hyacinth would hopefully drift out of your head and be replaced by the likes of some better behaved species that would be equally as affordable. Have fun over there. Don't get lost at that site dreaming of what you can buy! Please post photos after you pot your goodies up.

I use water lettuce and water hyacinths and I love them. Here in Ark, zone 7, they are not invasive since they die in the winter. In warmer climates, like TX, GA, FL, CA, AZ, LA, etc, they never die. For this reason, they are illegal in those states. They can swept into a stream or river and become like Kudzu on the waterways. Then they're almost impossible to kill.

A good source for water plants is Ebay. I've bought from Peanut2052, an excellent seller, and I've bought from Aquatica6414--great plants and prices.

Now I'm off to check the sites Equilibrium posted.

NancyAnn

Umm not exactly true on the water hyacinth always dieing off in Arkansas. It just hasn't made it to the Arkansas Hall of Shame list yet. Take a look at a map of the US and look at where Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, as well as South Carolina (it's on their Hall of Shame list) fall latidudinally and longitudinally. Actually sort of disheartening if you really think about it but smack in the middle of those states that have it listed as illegal (states that acknowledge the invasiveness of the species) sits Mississippi and Alabama. Some states are just slower to respond or cater to the green industry. These plants are big money. People currently enjoy nice profits from the sale of this plant and they'd like to keep it that way.

Also too, don't discount a cold hardy ecotype of water hyacinth. Illinois has Kudzu now. That was the plant that was never supposed to make it this far north.

You might want to read some comments on water hyacinth from the plant files right here by us at DG.

The first comment says it all in this thread-
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/32226/index.html

Here's a direct link to other comments on Water Hyacinth-
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/661/index.html

Well, Equilibrium has got me sold on not getting either the water lettuce or water hyacinth. NJ has so many bodies of water that it would rather selfish of me to purposely grow something that could escape. A quick google trip shows that New York has overwintering populations of Water Lettuce- it was unclear whether it is the plants or the seeds that overwinter.

I'm glad you mentioned the algae on the anarcharis. I always thought it looked kind of yucky in aquariums. Hornwort is much prettier.

I'm hoping to get the liner installed tomorrow. Sunshine is predicted.

Sheila

My favorite place to buy water plants online is www.waterplants.com. They have a good selection, are reasonably priced and they always send nice healthy plants. They hold tropical plants and ship them when it's appropriate to put them our in your area. Personally, I tend to like the ones that are more invasive because I'm in zone 5 and our growing season is on the sort side. By the end of July I'm thinning them but it's better than waiting until the end of August for them to mature.

This message was edited Apr 25, 2005 8:34 PM

You know Sheila, branka's site has Ruellia brittoniana at it. You might really like that and it isn't weedy at all. Looks as if her site has it in both the blue and the pink forms.
It's really an attractive plant.

Thanks, Equilibrium. I have printed off your list and am going to take it with me to buy plants this week. Very informative. Great for us pond newbies! :D

Have fun gathering aquatic material Sheila. You motivated me. Tee he, now I'm buying Ruellia brittoniana from branka's site. That looked too good to pass up and I really haven't had to lay out any money for aquatic plants this year and they are so darn pretty... I'm thinking I'll try 3! Thanks branka.

lol, I'm trying to resist. I need another plant like I need a hole in my head. Ruellia are pretty, very pretty. You will love them. They are upright and gets lots of flowers. The common name is mexican petunia.

The pond is dug and lined and filled(with water)....I thought it would be tomorrow before I felt it but I'm feeling it right now. So is my little boy...I turned my back for just a second and somehow he "fell" into the pond while holding the hose while trying to get the water to go over to the other side of the pond while trying to get his bucket out. He said he landed on his butt and it hurt but it doesn't seem to hurt him now running up and down the stairs to get his toys.

Maybe tomorrow I will think about getting some of those plants. Right now, I have some parrots feather from a trade and some waterlily species seedlings from an enthusiast on the Victoria Adventure site. Guess I better concentrate on getting some floaters for cover!
Sheila

Hey OldFlowerGirl... psst... don't forget the Ruellia brittoniana!

branka... silly you! You can resist about as much as I can resist. Forget it. Indulge yourself. There are aquatics out there that have your name on them and they are calling to you to buy them. They need you!

Take Care,
Holes In The Head

Ooops!
The parrot's feather from the trade is
















Anarchis
drats...
Sheila

Ouch, Anacharis.

Well,
a kind soul traded the anacharis for parrot's feather- only the goldfish were less than happy but they are moving into the pond later this spring.

Another trade yielded some water celery. A trip to walmart earlier today resulted in my buying some white pickerel rush, blue pickerel rush, yellow canna, a hardy waterlily, Arc En Ciel and mini Cat-tails. A word of caution, check inside the box and take a good look at the plants.

I still have to get some floaters... but thanks to the links above I think I've got that taken care of. Thanks everybody.

Sheila