On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 12:00:36 -0800, ~ janj wrote:

It's time to come back out and play. (I hope)

What are your plans for this spring? I know I want to get the out-of-pond
in-the-ground filter put in on the lily pond. I'm planning on not draining
and sucking the muck out. The weather hasn't been too agreeable so far. No
early spring for us like last winter. We thought it would be, as January
was so mild, but February turned on the cold and March is hanging on to it.
How about you? ~ jan

Spring has definitely sprung here. My pond used to be just a junk heap
albeit in water. I don't have a liner or anything like that. I had
carefully watched the water level last year (I was too lazy to get it
cleaned up) and was pretty sure I knew how high the water got. So after
the bulldozer got through with the thing this year, I waited for the hole
to fill up again. It did so in about a week, and then I waited another two
weeks before planting bulbs. A few days after I did, this particular area
got some rather heavy rain. The water came up in the pond over 16 inches,
covering the yardstick I had stuck in there as a measuring device. I
figured the bulbs that were covered were pretty much toast and so I planted
some more bulbs. Lo and behold some of the day lilies and cannas sprouted
underwater, and are still surviving today even though the water has
receded. (I mostly planted day lilies, cannas, iris, elephant ears and
stuff. I'd planted some last year and the deer didn't eat them and they
seemed to thrive even with my neglect.) I'm impressed. My style of
gardening is to get bulbs at a specialty store (Wal Mart), dig a hole and
pop 'em in (no fertilizer or anything), and then maybe water them if I get
around to it. I still can't get over seeing tadpoles resting on a plant
that sprouted underwater, and today is happily growing out of the water.
Like I say, I'm impressed, although I'm probably easily impressed.

Galen Hekhuis NpD, JFR, GWA
Stings like a butterfly, floats like a bee