Pond watch: 1 week later

July 23, 2009


It’s been just over a week since I installed my stock-tank pond, and the water has, predictably, turned mossy green from algae. No worries though. It’ll clear up pretty soon. The triple offense of submerged, oxygenating plants, algae-eating fish, and surface-covering water lilies will work their magic as soon as they get established. Tune in next week to see if the water has become clearer by then.
By the way, my thanks to Bob of Gardening at Draco for giving me half a dozen baby fantail goldfish for my new pond. I also brought over my three-year-old comet goldfish from the old pond and added two new shubunkins from Hill Country Water Gardens. They’ve been too shy for photos, but it’s fun to watch them darting around in the pond.

And now for something completely different. Anyone interested in a fuchsia, carpeting ground cover? I have just the thing! It never needs watering or pruning, and it can handle light foot traffic. Any guesses? You Southerners will recognize this as a carpet of fallen crepe myrtle petals. Isn’t it…er…stunning?
Nah, I don’t think so either. I’m not loving this hot-pink snowfall. Ah well. I do like the large, established, shade-giving crepe myrtle that produces it, so I’ll just have to live with the pink carpet, at least until fall.

While I’m jumbling up different pics from the garden, here’s a look at a Datura metel I’m growing from seed that Frances of Fairegarden sent me after I admired it on her blog. I sowed the seeds late, and this has been a very tough year in Austin for establishing new plants, but I hope to see flowers later this summer. Thanks, Frances!
All material © 2006-2009 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

0 responses to “Pond watch: 1 week later”

  1. Gail says:

    The redbud blossoms cover the ground after a heavy rain here…they look fine for the first photo then they turn brown! It’s been fun watching the pond. gail

  2. I am intimidated by pond gardening–I’ll be interested to see how the water clears up! Perhaps I’ll gain some confidence.

  3. How funny, Pam – we have the same carpet! Hot dusty pink really goes well in my Blue, White & Yellow garden! Even with algae your pond looks good, and after seeing so many immense ponds on last weekend’s Pond Tour, it’s good to see one that’s human scale.
    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

  4. Lisa at Greenbow says:

    I wouldn’t mind that pink carpet for awhile. It just shows how pretty your crepemyrtle must have been. I can’t wait to see fish photos. I bet they are having a hay day in their new pool. Speaking of pools, everyone around here are whining because it has been too cool to swim. I am loving it though.

  5. Loree says:

    Call me a freak but I love the green water…no matter how long it lasts!
    I thought your C.M. carpet was going to be Sempervivum, I have a species that is blooming and looking just like that (well if I had 100’s of them together)
    Go Datura!!! I saw one tonight that literally made me slam on my breaks! Be posting about it soon…it’s amazing.
    I like the jumbles!

  6. Nancy Bond says:

    I actually love your hot pink carpet. 🙂 I missed your post about the installation of your pond (but am going back to it now), but I think this is a smashing idea! I can’t wait to see how this looks as it fills in. Wonderful!

  7. Jake says:

    I have read new ponds turn green at first, but shortly after clear up. I thought you ad found an awesome new ground cover, lol. So far my Crepes flowers don’t make that large of a mess, but they are small plant.
    Jake

  8. The new pond looks great! I so admire those stock tanks, they have such a classic look.
    I like your fuschia carpet. It’s kind of like what happens when my Crabapple blooms get blown. I make the most of it with chartreuse foliage plants under the tree that look good with fuschia petals on them.

  9. Chookie says:

    I don’t have a problem with crepe myrtle flower carpets! But the area needs more of that dark-leafed plant. Or more of *something*.
    Oh, it needs something all right. There were rudbeckia there that I pulled out due to excessive rattiness. This fall I’ll try something else. —Pam

  10. Jean says:

    I’m looking at the same colored carpet on my bluestone patio. I could live without it. Pond is looking good!

  11. Lola says:

    Love the pond. Strange carpet but pretty for now.

  12. Bob Pool says:

    What a difference the plants make. The pond looks great. I have even more gold fish now then when I talked to you. At a minimum hundreds, and maybe over a thousand. I really don’t know what I’m going to do with all of them. I’ve had two Goggle Eye perch in the big pond just for eating baby gold fish. I guess the last water snake must have gotten them. Should you need more just let me know.
    Thanks, Bob! The babies are doing fine, and I’m glad the big ones aren’t eating them (or maybe goldfish are too civilized for that?). —Pam

  13. Layanee says:

    Green or not, the pond looks just wonderful! It looks as though the children picked a new lawn color-fuschia! Living in an Alice in Wonderland world for just a bit could be good for the imagination. I will enjoy your crepe myrtle as they are not hardy here. I always admire the muscled bark on those trees.

  14. Looks like you’ve found the perfect groundcover for your drought conditions. Here, our blue-violet jacarandas were blooming all over town until just recently. That’s another plant that carpets the ground below with spent flowers. Curbside plantings always have cars with flowers dropped on them… Nice to see the progress on your pond. It wasn’t long ago when the tank was leaning sideways against your fence. I’d consider that a lot of progress for a season.

  15. Thanks for this one-week anny photo. I’d freak at the algae…looking forward to next week’s picture.

  16. Diana says:

    Pam — I love watching the stock tank pond evolve. I can’t wait to see it clear up and get some sneak peeks at your little fish!

  17. Frances says:

    Hi Pam, so glad I scrolled back to catch up on posts now that the email thingey is solved, for now. Thanks for the link love and thanks even more for the joy of seeing the datura growing well for you too, despite the horrible conditions Austin has been experiencing. Maybe those conditions are not horrible to the datura?
    Frances