Raised Brick Pond Update

August 6th, 2008

Earlier this week, I posted a photographic tour of my garden, but I purposely left out my raised brick pond. That’s not because it’s not doing well, but quite the contrary. The pond is currently overgrown with emersed aquarium plants so it warranted its own post.

Raised Brick Pond

Raised Brick Pond - 8/6/2008

The centerpiece plants are two large Crinum americanum plants, which should be flowering quite shortly. They are contained in a single plastic pot of ADA Aquasoil, and surrounding them, I put a smattering of other plants to provide groundcover.

Utricularia graminfolia

Utricularia graminfolia, Taiwan moss, Marsilea quadrifolia stems.

Utricularia graminfolia is growing emersed in that pot, along with quite a bit of Taiwan moss. I haven’t seen any flowers yet on the Utricularia, but I’m really hoping I get some before the summer is over.

Taiwan Moss

Taiwan Moss emersed

Marsilea quadrifolia is sending up new four-leaf-clovers all throughout the pot. Initially, the new leaves are all folded up in a single leaf, which then opens like origami into the clover.

Marsilea quadrifolia

Young Marsilea quadrifolia leaf

The Marsilea really provides a nice softening effect over the sharp leaves (not literally sharp) of the Crinum. They’re also starting to spread throughout the rest of pond, supported by the frogbite which is now ubiqutous.

Marsilea quadrifolia

Marsilea quadrifolia clover

Also, prevalent throughout the pond, Ludwigia arculata x repens is starting to flower, displaying tiny, but attractive, yellow flowers. Notice how the emersed growth of the Ludwigia has a red stem and green leaves, while submersed this plant usually has dark red leaves.

Ludwigia flower

Ludwigia arculata x repens with flower, over frogbite.

I also have Ludwigia peploides, a native plant to this area, growing in the pond. This Ludwigia doesn’t like to live underwater, as it tries to shoot to the surface when submersed. As such, it’s a perfect pond plant!

Ludwigia peploides

Ludwigia peploides

Finally, the water sprite is quite healthy and thriving throughout the pond. I’m a little bit scared to see how big the root system will be when I pull it out in the fall.

Water Sprite

Water sprite

When I do that, I’ll probably cram a 20L full of all of these floating plants, and see if I can get some threadfin rainbowfish to breed in the roots. Until then, I’m really enjoying the pond, as a wonderful complement to the rest of my garden.

6 Responses to “Raised Brick Pond Update”

  1. Wickberg Says:

    Wow!That was an amazing pond, unfortunately the summers in Sweden are to cold for those plants, but thanks to your blog I can at least get to see some pictures 🙂

    By the way, is it alright if I put a link to your webpage on my page?

  2. guitarfish Says:

    Thanks Wickberg! There’s gotta be some plants you could grow in a pond in Sweden? I’d be flattered if you linked to me.

  3. Kim Says:

    Wow, all your plants and gardens are amazing. We have such crappy clay soil here that nothing but the hardiest weeds grow in the summer without watering. I’ve been trying to find flowers and vines that can tolerate the heat and lack of rain here, even the “tennessee wildflower” mixes have problems.

    I installed a 3×3 raised garden bed this spring with various veggies, trying the “french intensive gardening” method. It was going fine until a woodchuck ate everything but the carrots and tomatoes. They are doing great, and is the only thing in the backyard I water.

    I was hoping to get rainbarrels this year, but $$$ didn’t allow it. A small watermelon plant was determined to grow, and now I have a tomato sized watermelon growing.

  4. guitarfish Says:

    Kim, believe me, our soil is terrible builders rock and clay too. It’s taken years of soil conditioning, adding a little bit more organic material (peat moss, mulch, compost, top soil) every year to get it right. Plus, like you, the raised beds make a huge difference, unless you really dig down into the earth and condition the soil that far down.

    It sounds like you had everything going well until the woodchuck got to it. Now you know that next year you need to fence in the bed. 😉 Even with just carrots and tomatoes, I bet your kids love the garden!

  5. clifford Says:

    Wow…just…wow. This is exactly what I’ve never had the courage to install on our back patio…mostly because this is just how it looks in my mind, and I think the reality would be severely lacking!

    Do you completely drain this system over the winter? Is it heated and plumbed for circulation? Everything looks gorgeous, thanks for the inspiration!

  6. guitarfish Says:

    Thanks Clifford! It’s definitely the focal point of our small backyard. I do empty out all of the plants, and usually drain it, but inevitably, rain comes and fills it up again, which then turns into a solid block of ice. No harm done, as I always empty it of its’ live inhabitants, minus some snails (which amazingly seem to survive the winter). The only circulation is a small solar-powered powerhead. I didn’t want to run electric from the house, and it has down a sufficient job.