Cooking and gardening with Sam

We talked about bogs last week, so this week, while it’s on my mind, let’s talk about water gardens in your yard.
When thinking about putting in a water garden, think if you want a shade garden or a sunny garden. Plants in a water garden have different needs, and you have to think of the hot summer days and the freeze in the winter. They are beautiful. They take some care, but if you have the time, you can have a water garden with greenery and also bloomers, too.
Think of water lilies floating on the top and beautiful lotus blooms open with a smell that you will always remember on the hot summer nights.
Now is the time to start thinking of where you want to place the garden. Most of your big box stores are marking down their garden pools and pumps, so you can get a good buy, and if they have plants that look like they are dead, if the roots are still alive, remember you have all winter and spring to get them started in water.
If you have lots of light in your garage or a covered patio, you can place them there. If it gets really cold, you might want to think about bringing them in until the freeze night is gone.
Here is a list of plants that you can start looking for and other pond owners love to share.
– Given calm water and at least six hours of sun, water lilies throughout the hotter months.
– Short spikes of blue and white flowers appear among the glossy leaves of pinkerel rush.
– One of several types of wetland irises, hybrid Louisiana iris carries butterfly-like blooms on 3-foot stems. Colors include violet, yellow and red.
– The slender cylindrical leaves of bulrush make a vertical accent.
– Named for its angular leaves, arrowhead grows about 20 inches tall with white flowers; it spreads rapidly if not contained.
– Water blue bell, or ruellia, bears petunia-like flowers in purple and pink all summer long.
– Giant pennywort scrambles over the water’s surface, making a low carpet of round leaves with lacy sprays of flowers.
– Upright blue rush looks like a clumpy grass. It’s evergreen in mild climates.
– A shade lover is yellow monkey flower, which blooms in spring and summer.
– Elephant-ears leaves of black amgice taro make a bold textural statement.
– Twirly spirals of corkscrew rush grow about 18 inch tall.
– Dwarf umbrella plants are one of several forms of tropical papyrus that look like bursts of fireworks.
– Bengal tiger canna and many varieties of canna are happy with their roots in waterlogged soil.
Containers for plants do really well in clay pots, and to give height to the pool plant, just turn pots upside down to show off your plants.
Happy gardening,
Sam