The plants at my pond are lucky if they get transplanted with the
green side up. They no doubt feel positively pampered that I get
water to them. Fertilizer? The plants would be so surprised they
wouldn't know what to do with it. I have only two kinds of plants
though, those that make it and those that don't. I want tough plants.
That doesn't mean they aren't pretty. Last year I had a "showy
rattlebox" growing. I looked it up in my plant book and found that it
grows mostly in "waste" areas (I think that may be a hint) in the
southeast. I didn't have to fertilize it, I didn't have to water it,
I didn't have to do anything to it. It had what I think are pretty
yellow flowers last fall. My kind of plant -- no fuss but nice
flowers.

"Galen Hekhuis" wrote in message
...
The plants at my pond are lucky if they get transplanted with the
green side up. They no doubt feel positively pampered that I get
water to them. Fertilizer? The plants would be so surprised they
wouldn't know what to do with it. I have only two kinds of plants
though, those that make it and those that don't. I want tough plants.
That doesn't mean they aren't pretty. Last year I had a "showy
rattlebox" growing. I looked it up in my plant book and found that it
grows mostly in "waste" areas (I think that may be a hint) in the
southeast. I didn't have to fertilize it, I didn't have to water it,
I didn't have to do anything to it. It had what I think are pretty
yellow flowers last fall. My kind of plant -- no fuss but nice
flowers.
=======================
If I remember right your plants are not in pots but growing in the soil
around a more or less natural unlined pond. They're getting their nutrients
from the soil. They can't do that in lined ponds unless they're floaters
like water lettuce or hyacinths. Some do well in gravel alone but some
don't. I can't get much from water lilies unless I use soil and fertilizer.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
ISP: Hughes.net
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

I'm also a survival of the fittest gardener.
I especially like volunteers. I noticed cherry
blossoms in the back corner this year. It used
to be a vegetable garden until youngest and
friend (5 at the time) went back and planted
birdseed...
Now it is criss crossed with raspberry and grape
vines, a 20 ft maple that started from a helicopter
seed and this cherry tree. Also in there is a
huge pile of trimmed branches. Home to lots of
little critters.
k :-)

Sounds like my kind of place.

Last weekend my neighbor pulled and chopped a ton of weeds. I watered my
wildflowers. Same plants, different attitudes.

Gabrielle

kthirtya wrote:

I'm also a survival of the fittest gardener.
I especially like volunteers. I noticed cherry
blossoms in the back corner this year. It used
to be a vegetable garden until youngest and
friend (5 at the time) went back and planted
birdseed...
Now it is criss crossed with raspberry and grape
vines, a 20 ft maple that started from a helicopter
seed and this cherry tree. Also in there is a
huge pile of trimmed branches. Home to lots of
little critters.
k :-)

We hide a multitude of sins behind
a six ft. wooden fence...!

Didn't stop two pond visiting raccoons, of course,
but they got treed by the two labradors
who were so pleased with themselves
they were insufferable.

k :-)