edited to remove question. Found a website with wonderful info! Thanks anyway.
This message was edited Apr 19, 2006 1:32 PM
Need help potting nelumbo
And I was going to offer to either hold the pot or scoop the dirt. Now you've missed out. LOL
Well, ONE of us has! LOL Turns out I did not even HAVE nelumbo, but nymphaea. LOL See what happens when I don't put on my glasses? 8~p
Here is my new pond area, I had to hurry this morning and get the flagstone set where it goes so I could get the walkway dirt in so I could seed it, decided to level them later cuz we were supposed to get rain today and all weekend, so fought the wind and got the grass seed down and came inside to get the camera & came out to sunshine! LOL Figures, huh?
Do you know of any groundcover I can put around the pond that can handle full sun and won't hurt the fish if it drapes into the water? I was going to put the stones directly around the pond, but then last week as I watched DH mowing the yard, banging into the flowerbed borders and stepping on plants to turn around, I decided to save myself sore ears and heart and pull them back from the edge. Only took me 27 years to figure out what WILL happen with him & a mower. Or a weedwhacker. LOLOL
hehehe Hello!! Yes, slight difference between the Nelumbo and the Nymphaea. Might have been funny to see ya put a rock on top of the Nymph though. :) Both are lovely though so you are going to enjoy whatever ya got! LOL
That looks really nice! Did you seed between the two rows of rocks or just outside of the whole area?
Are you looking for a perennial type groundcover for the edges? You have to remember I am on a learning curve since I am on zone 6. LOL My first thoughts would be things like ajuga or creeping phlox or iberis or something along those lines but those wold probably be thugs for you. I'm drawing a complete blank!
I got creative and added colors to the pic so it would make sense. I seem to think everyone can see into my head.
I made the grass area green, duh huh? LOL
And I put red where I want to put a low groundcover that won't be effected by DH driving the mower over it. But hey, better over the groundcover then into the pond. hahaha
It looks very Christmas like and spotty. LOL Go ahead. Reach through the monitor and smack me. :)
Okay, serious question. Why did you want grass (and hubby) by the pond? I know it is very bad of me to ask AFTER you seeded but why didn't you put plants there?
I keep banging my knuckles on the screen! LOL
I wanted grass because that is a walkway that we use to go from the house to the yard & side yard, and where I am standing to take the picture, you really cannot see, but I have allowed myself all new beds around the house. I have been documenting it pretty well in my garden diary here on daves, if you get bored you will have to go look at it. I think it is titled Deck Replacement. I know you have soooo much free time...HAR
I think I will find a pond place around here and ask them about the groundcover. Whatever they suggest will probably be easy to find locally. I don't want to put something down that will kill the fish if it hits the water!
It sure is funny, I went out to put the wheelbarrow away & when I looked at that area I thought, boy, it looks better in the pic I painted! LOL
This message was edited Apr 21, 2006 6:22 PM
See! I knew your answer would make perfect sense! I only asked because you said hubby was a beast with the tools and I wondered why you would risk him and grass by the pond. LOL What about creeping thyme or something mint like that would at least smell good when he mutilates it or when someone walks on it? I have no idea how fish feel about either. ;) There is always water celery. It's safe for fish, will grow in the water, out of the water on the side of a tree between your toes................
I just might go look at that diary. :)
I don't know what kind of drugs I am on but when I started reading your reply, I thought it said you had a red neck deck. LOL
Wow, even between your toes???LOLOL Sounds like something you would give to an enemy. LOL
Yeah, I am wondering about the drugs too, "red neck deck?" Not even sure I can figure out what one would be! Maybe a rusted out car up on jacks on the porch? LOLOL You crack me up Chele.
I like the mint idea! I will look into that. Give me something to graze on while I work. ;~)
I think I just found some kind of wild mint in my field, right at the edge of the grass. It looks really happy and I have a feeling that is going to be really bad for me. LOL
Hubby and I have been talking about building a bbq pit. We have been through so many grills in our 15 years together. You should see the picture he sent me of a red neck grill. LOL It's a shopping cart placed over a fire and there is a note about that special upper shelf for keeping things warm! hahaha
LOL, that IS cute, and I like the whole "upper shelf" thing for keeping things warm. LOLOL
Sorry to interrupt the digression, but if you're still looking for a potential groundcover near that pond, have you considered Scotch moss or Irish moss (sagina subulata)? I can't speak to their suitability for Stockton, but I ringed a Berkeley pond with Irish moss (the dark one--Scotch moss is a lighter green), and, after a slow start, it filled in nicely and was quite gorgeous. It stood up well to the inevitable foot traffic of someone needing to get to the pond while ignoring the stone pathways, and endured an occasional push-mower tire being dragged across it. It spreads steadily but by no means aggressively. It also feels great to run your hand (or toes) across.
If you plant it, be sure to keep it watered: dry Irish moss is dead Irish moss.
I planted a couple of packs of the Scotch moss between the flagstones on the other side, wanted to have it in the doorway cracks so my toes would have something soft to land on, LOL, but it seems to be having a real problem with the heat, and that is with daily waterings. If it can't handle it now, it is gonna REALLY hate it in another month when it is 20 degrees hotter! I am gonna leave it there though, especially after you saying it is a slow starter, maybe it will be a little stronger by the time the real heat comes. I won't give up on it until it is completely brown instead of just in the center. Do you think the Irish moss is as tough or tougher then the Scotch? I had been told that the Scotch was the only one that could handle the full sun, do you agree?
Thanks for your input. I appreciate it. :~)
Dive in NorCal! I'm betting you know more about plants for Cali than I do. LOL
Have you given any thought to creeping thyme? A lot of the herbs can take being more dry. Maybe you could fill a milk jug and punch a small hole in the side so it will just spit or dribble water on the plants until they establish.
spit or dribble??? lolol hmmm, or I could just TALK to them! LOL
I think the packs I picked up the other day are some type of creeping thyme.
Scotch moss fried for me, too. I am having slightly better luck with Thyme (var. "minus") but then it isn't August yet - and I have it in partial shade for part of the day.
Have you thought about Sedum Acre? Plop a few Yarrow or Stokesia in, maybe some canna if you want a vertical accent, then groundcover with sedum acre. Mine hasn't fried yet, which is especially impressive as we haven't had rain for almost three months.
Parson's juniper (shore juniper, Juniperus conferta) will also survive heat, and will trail nicely, but you'll have to be a little patient. Oyster plant (Rhoeo spathacea, I think) will survive but not trail. Purple Queen (Tradescantia pallida) will survive and trail, is a little loud in color though.
Have you thought about ornamental grasses? Purple love grass, perhaps.
Thanks for the info on moss and thyme, maybe I won't put it there afterall! I need something that hugs the ground, don't want anything over a couple inches because where I have it, it is a very small area and not much space between pond and the flagstones. I also have some Isotoma, I guess I will use that. I don't want anything with height because I have things in the background I do not want blocked. I finished poking dirt down around last night, so I think I can go ahead and add the dirt to the ring, get my flagstones leveled and plant.
I am adding a pic I took yesterday morning when the sun came up, you can see behind it, my vine fence which I have clematis on and soon the corkscrew vine will be leafing out & covering the whole fence. I cannot block that view, and to the left in the background but not showing up is my fountain. Eventually all the scalloped edging will be the flagstone.
Thanks again for your help everyone,
Donna
Sedum golden acre will hug the ground - but the Isotoma looks lovely. Does that not cook in your area? I may have to get some myself.
Well, according to the nursery it can handle full sun. HAHAHA We shall see. Hopefully it will get some good roots going in the next month before we get over 100 degrees and maybe with daily watering it will tough it out. Wishful thinking, I know. My last resort is dichondra which does GREAT in full sun here, and really hugs the ground, but then I run the risk of it getting into the lawn. I have grown it in another bed out front that has the same flagstones that lead up to a wooden bench, and it looked so pretty in the front area, but when it gets up to the bench and the shade, forget it! If it grows at all it is 4 inches tall and look absurd. It has to have that full sun to stay low.
I am not a sedum fan. I never see it at the nurseries around here but a gal from Southern Ca sent me some & it lives in the back bed.
I will let you know how the Isotoma does for me.
Ihave used perenial geraniums and ladiesmantle aound my pond
rather succesfuly.they make a gracefull edge .also a stella doraiday lily.I post pictures when Iget smart enough to do it.
Many of the mints come in different colors and leaf patterns....all can trail into the water. Apple mint is variegated green and white....chocolate mint has larger leaves, and brown/maroon stems.....spearmint is a bit more upright and slightly fuzzy...and peppermint has large round leaves. If you go with something like pennyroyal (In the same family) it will trail, smell good if someone brushes up next to it, and can be made into a non-edible tea, that can be used as a natural flea repelent for your pets, you just poor it on.
Some on the normal spider plants can be used to trail babies over the side. They too come in solid green and variegated.
All of the above are normal everyday plants and are easy to get ahold of.
Hostas do well in the heat if their roots stay very moist. Although they don't grow well here in Central Florida, I can grow them successfully in only water, with a few tadpoles added.
Mary
Hi everyone, thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. I have planted the whole area with a mix of whoolly thyme and isotoma. They are both blooming and seem happy, but we have not hit 100 yet, so we will see. I may need to find another ground hugger if these 2 don't work out. I ended up going with that because I do not want anything taller then an inch or 2. Last resort I know I can go with dichondra, it loves the sun and hugs the ground when it gets it, but I really do not want it invading the grass area.
I have added several plants into the pond (the lily has a bud that is about to open, yippieee) and everything is filling out nicely. I spent a fortune on the plants, and then this last weekend I am at lowes and all their bulbs, boxed clematis and WATER PLANTS are on clearance for a quarter!!! The same plants that were $4 & $9 when I bought them! LOL So I bought 8 more and of course have no place to put them in my pond, so they are all living in the fountain until I can get them out to my mom to put in one of hers. LOL
PudgeMP....What a great deal on water plants! MAN! Of course my Lowes here is selling them at the same price as normal....poo
well don't give up, if they still have them then they will probably clear them out soon. I wonder if they would tell you if you asked... the gal that is the manager at my local one is really nice and I always talk to her in passing when I go in. Next time I go I will ask her if this is something they do nationally and will let you know what she says. :~)