WATERLILLIES, THEY GET SO BIG!
 |
| Picked this morning from my pond |
I made a gamble a couple of years ago.
There on the Allotment rubbish heap (which includes junk as well as green stuff) I found a huge, woody root of waterlilly.
Obviously somebody had found it too big for their pond, and chucked it out.
My gamble was to grow it in my small pond for a couple of years, and then do the same thing, chuck it out when it got too big. I cut a couple of pieces off the large root and tied string round them. Then I lowered each piece into my two ponds, one small, one minute.
THIS YEAR, RESULT
The flowers are truly beautiful, but the leaves are very large. This morning I cut off all the biggest leaves, which were hiding the flowers and I picked a bloom to put in a vase. It is getting a bit droopy already, but is still lovely.
Next year I really might have to get that root out and chuck it away, meanwhile I love it.
My pond is a real pain though, so much work removing exuberant pond irises and sundry water plants, not to mention the problem of finding small holes in the butyl lining. I think these leaks are caused by herons, who come into the garden looking for the fish. I have a few sticklebacks.
I have also seen herons fly off with frogs in their beaks. Its a hard life if you are a frog.
