Water lilies and Mollies
Foxfire
The outside pond is starting to come together as well. The water is clear as gin - I love that phrase - and the lilies are blooming. I’ve identified one positively, which is the one I most wanted so that’s cool. It’s called Foxfire and was developed by an online friend Craig Presnell. How the lilies got to me is through another water lily aficionado who was instrumental in developing the Aquaparque - Mérida’s incredible public water garden. He has ponds of his own here and sold me 5 of Craig’s lilies. They weren’t all tagged correctly though, in fact they had no tags at all but he said he thought he knew which ones he pulled up for me. All his lilies came from Craig so I knew I’d figure it out when they bloomed.
probably Manassas
I’m still waiting for confirmation but I think this is another of Craig’s hybrids called Manassas. I am waiting for the third lily to bloom so I can send Craig the pictures and be certain. That third lily could be another favorite of mine although not one of Craig’s, there is a bud rising now so I don’t have long to wait.
Water Hyacinth
I’ve also had one of the hyacinth’s bloom, they are a reviled water weed in some places and a valuable plant for cleaning water in others. Almost forgotten at times is how beautifully they bloom. They are a floater, with trailing roots in the water that can absorb and detoxify even heavy metals. In a pond, they take up a lot of the organic waste and keep the water clear. The fish like to eat the roots as well and I had problems in the beginning keeping them alive. I think most of that was the elevated PH from the curing concrete. The lilies are doing better, the hyacinths and the cannas in the pond as well.
lily pond
I had a vision of this pond as mainly a water garden with small colorful fish darting among the lily pads. It’s coming together, it’s not there yet but then when you are hooked on gardening or ponds you rarely feel they are finished - that’s why it is an endlessly fascinating hobby.
Duque or Duke Mollies
The Mollies are still numerous but I have added 5 small and 1 more large Angel Fish to the pond, there are now 4 large adults and 5 younger and smaller. Hopefully I will achieve a balance and the Angels will only eat enough of the Mollies to keep the population down without decimating them. My bet is that the Mollies breed faster than the Angel’s eat. The Angel’s only eat the very tiny fry so the adults pretty much ignore them, they aren’t a threat. I might even get some baby Angel fish, two of them have paired off but I haven’t seen any breeding activity. I can’t take a good picture of those Angel’s for anything. They are paranoid and shy and you have to catch them from the side or they disappear they are so narrow.
I do get out and about and I’ve got some ideas for posts that aren’t just gardens and ponds. Plus, we’re going over to Akumal this weekend. Mimi is working at the annual free spay and neuter clinic. So, more pics of the beach and the Caribbean.
Jonna, you can write about your pond and post more incredible photos of the lilies forever….gorgeous!!!!
Kathe, you might enjoy the pond forum El Estanque, it’s in Spanish and there are a lot of Yucos on it. One showed a trip to the Bay San Jose outside Chetumal and all of the wild lilies. I believe they are the same lily that is around Rio Dulce in Guate.
El Estanque link
I read it but rarely post because writing in Spanish is difficult. I have a couple friends there though, Hoe and Robie, I am Extranjera on that forum.
Flower photos are great Jonna, especially beautiful ones like yours! I have been putting a few of my own on the Blog lately. Very peaceful… I really like what you are doing with your ponds. Very classy! Hi to Mimi…
Croft, tell Norma her roses are beautiful! I do miss big, beautiful roses. They don’t do well here.
I wanted a water garden at my last house, but never got around to it. I am now simply enjoying yours.
It’s an addiction, a lovely one but you can never seem to stop futzing with a pond. Just watching the fish is relaxing though, I prefer it to TV.
Sigh, living in a mobil home park limits your flower garden choices. We have flowers but our only tropicals are Plumarias…which are lovely, but don’t hold a candle to your efforts, m’dear.
Hi Anne, I love plumeria. I am planning on a large one when we re-do the yard. They are called Flor de Mayo here, I took a pic of a lovely red one at a nursery the other day - it’s on my mental list
I’m going to paint my bungalow the color of that lily in the first photo…and I don’t live in Mexico.
Kudos to volunteering at the clinic. All those strays in Mexico… breaks my heart. Here stateside, it costs me about $100 to fix a stray, but in just 2 years, it’s really cut down the stray populationin my immediate area, and increased the local barrio happiness quotient.
Even bigger kudos to you for spending your own money to fix strays. You are an angel! It does have an effect, the difference we have seen in Akumal in the last 10 years is astounding but it takes a constant effort. I think your bungalow will be beautiful in that color, I love it.
Jonna, I so need your help with my pond. We have lost our goldfish while we are here in Houston.
Billie, I am at your disposal. Anything I can do to help, you have only to ask. I wish I could come up and work on it for you but right now that isn’t happening. One of these days we will have to drive north again and will stop to see you and Ned - by then I’m sure you will be happily back in SMA.
I enjoy the photos of your garden and hearing your gardening stories. I am working on ours too. Have may mollies and sword tails. Never thought about getting an angel fish or two to help keep the ever-increasing population of fish down. One thing I have learned since becoming a “water gardener” is to watch the plants that are brought in. I recently added a lily that had a nasty weed in the soil - so now I spend a lot of time trying to get rid of the weed. Keep posting the photos, I love them! Pete
Where do you find fertilizer for your aquatic plants?
Wow. Just wow.
Incredible pics. Hopefully we will get down your way this winter and see them (and you and Mimi) in person. Having seen the house in it’s “less than finished” version, it is really fun to follow the progress….great job!
Thanks Cristina and Jan, I’d love to see either of you down here, with your respective partners of course. Everytime we go to a really interesting restaurant, I tell Mimi we have to remember this one to take Cristina. From street stands to haciendas, I have a mental list for you.
Pete, I use Osmocote regular for the lilies. They are heavy feeders and I try and feed them every month or so. You can see the difference, when the pads start getting smaller they need food. If you can’t find Osmocote (it can be expensive here) you can use tomato stakes or any time release, balanced food without pesticide. You can either pull up the lily and poke a hole to put the pellets in - near the edge of the pot not near the crown - or you can put some in a piece of nylon stocking, tie it off and poke it into the soil at the edge of the pot. I use a couple spoonfuls per lily.
Mimi filled one of those neck pillows for travelers with Osmocote the last time she was in Denver. Worked a charm! I got a huge supply and she took a nap on it on the plane.
I don’t fertilize anything but the lilies once they are in the pond. I do put Osmocote in the bottom of the pot if I put something in a pot. I’m trying to get most things bare root, they will pick up nutrients from the fish waste. It’s a great cycle when it’s working right. There isn’t enough fish waste in the hall pond because they are so small, so I do poke Osmocote into the boxes a little every few weeks. Too much fertilizer will just feed the algae and you’ll get green water.
Thanks for the tips on fertilizing. I have a few lilies in the pond now, but haven’t fed them yet. I will look for Osmocote next time at Walmart. Do you think Miracle Gro spikes would work? I have a box of the small ones for indoor plants. I could poke them into the pot, easy. I worry about green water from too much fertilizer. So far, the water in the pond has stayed clear. Pete
Really, probably any balanced fert would work, look for it to have the same 3 numbers - either 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. There is a preferred ranking for lilies but I’ve never remembered it and had good luck just using a balanced one. Time release is very good as it keeps the pond from getting a spike of fert that could boost algae growth. Try the Miracle Grow spikes, one first and see if the pad size increases or you start getting blooms. I think the reason the pond forums recommend using tomato spikes is that it ensures there is nothing in them that would harm the fish.
The lilies should be planted in pots without holes in the bottom or at the least with newspaper over the holes. Push the fert as far down as you can so that when it dissolves it moves up towards the roots but hopefully not out of the pot to feed the algae.
Hey, you want some Mollies? I have thousands. If yours are breeding then you should get some Angels to help with fry control. They are territorial - they are cichlids - so get them all the same size and get at least 3 preferably 5 or so depending on the size of your pond.
I will give the Miracle Grow spikes a try and let you know how it goes. These are easy to get here and not expensive. My lilies seem to be growing fine and are blooming nicely. I just noticed a new type at lunch today that has a small pink bloom. The leaf is round and fucia on the underside.
I have thousands of mollies too. So, I think I will pass on the offer. I will get some angels this week and see how it goes.