I have been growing my waterlilies for awhile now without containers in a
relatively small pond (8'X7' maybe?) and they do just fine. I also have
some cattails growing that way as well but I'm going to have to pull them
out. They just take over. The pond has slowly been moving into the shade
what with the cattails and two trees that came up from seed that I never
could force myself to pull up so the lilies are smaller now than they used
to be but they still flower happily. I really need a larger pond but I no
longer have the strength to dig one and there is no way I could ever get a
rented backhoe or the like into my back yard..... Ahhhh testosterone envy
raises it's ugly head.... Where is upper body strength when you need it...
DK


"Hank Pagel" wrote in message
...
The only thing I plant w/o pots is watercress in the waterfall. It
grows like crazy but is easy to pull out or cut back once a week.
"Wendy Kelly Budd" wrote in message
...
If you're thinking of planting without a container, say in the
waterfalls or
in a bog, please consider the mature size of the plant. When it comes
to
Yellow Flag Iris, I am dense enough to have to learn this lesson
twice!
First time I planted that small little slip of a plant I put it into
the bog
(what I refer to as a bog, not a 'real' bog). After growing for 2-3
seasons
that dang thing was 4' wide by 5' tall and fused to the bottom of the
bog.
I got rid of all but one little piece that I put into a container. On
a
whim, I tucked a small little slip of a plant into the top of the
waterfalls. Mistake. It was so large that it was busting out the
side
walls of the waterfalls. I had to remove the liner to get that thing
out.
It was too dense to 'cut' any pieces out, but after 2 hours I finally
dragged it's butt out of the pond. Tomorrow it's going to the compost
pile.
--
Wendy* in N. California,

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to
choose a
relative." Mordecai Siegal