yup... what David says... we got acid bogs just north of us with all kinds of pitcher
plants... sarcena. acid and koi dont mix all that well. Ingrid

On Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:01:09 EST, DavidM wrote:

Galen Hekhuis wrote:
Being as how these are mostly bog-type plants, and that many of us
have ponds that attract (among other things) bugs, don't these plants
seem like naturals? Has anyone tried a bunch of these planted around
their pond? They don't seem to need much care other than to keep them
wet, which doesn't seem all that hard in a pond setting. Am I missing
a real big drawback to them?

Ponds are not very boggy though. Those kind of plants evolved to grow in
a very niche environment. Bogs are typically acidic and contain
extremely low levels of dissolved nutrients and minerals, hence the
requirement to catch insects for their mineral content. Ponds tend to be
alkaline and packed full of the nutrients and fertilisers that will kill
a bog plant pretty quickly. The water in my part of the UK is also very
hard, so that would kill the plants as well.

It's a shame because as you say, they would be excellently suited
otherwise. Perhaps create a small bog garden next to the pond. I used a
half barrel and pond liner to make mine, they are great fun in the summer.
Regards
David