Well this is year four for the pond and it's pretty well established.
The umbrella palm and cat tails have taken over the margins, which is
good because they don't seem to mind the brunt of the sun and they
give a good amount of shade. My lilies are huge now as well and
already cover most of the 8x10 pond surface. The umbrellas have
actually left the pond and are springing up all over the yard. For
plants that started out growing in standing water they don't seem to
care that they are in the desert. (I'm surprised the earth isn't over
run with them!) The ones that came up between the pond and the block
wall I left for more shade, and they are doing great. It did take a
while for all the plants to establish, but since they are so thick
they kind of shade themselves. I don't prune them til fall so any
dead stalks shade the live ones. So it doesn't get as hot as it did
in years 1 and 2. It's 2-2 1/2 feet deep so I bet it's actually
pretty cool down there. Fish seem to thrive, so that's what matters.