Greetings and Salutations from DC

[Linus_Cello]

Hi-
I just discovered this forum. I've been water gardening for 15+ years, but more seriously the last 3.
I have 2 pre-fab ponds- 75 and 120 gallon-ish, and 2 15 gallon tubs. One tub has Helvola, which seems to really love the heat. The other tub has a small shoot that broke when I divided a Lotus var. Chastity this spring. Surprisingly, the shoot developed very well, the plant is about 12 inches tall and had a 4 inch bloom. The 120 gallon pond has a "parent" Chastity (sold the other one to someone in the local tropical freshwater fish club), and a "No I.D." pink waterlily (purchased 15 years ago from home depot, a division of a plant that was growing in my parent's 40 gallon sunked plastic trash can). The 75 gallon pond has a Lotus var. Momo Botan and lotus var. Baby Doll. Both large ponds also have siberian and ensata iris, and pitcher plants; the 75 g pond also has water hawthorne (and an arrow plant, apparently both were in the pot when I got it in the spring), and various bog orchids (Grass pinks, ladies tresses, and Dactylorhiza). All ponds/tubs have water lettuce, and parrot feather growing like weeds.
Also in the ponds I have various endlers, swordtails and platties in the ponds to control mosquito. My two other hobbies are tropical freshwater fish (I have a 56 gallon, 75 gallon and 12 gallon tank, where the parrot feather and water lettuce "overrwinter") and orchids (primarily lady slipper types- has anyone tried growing phragmipediums in their ponds?).
Who else is in the DC area? Occassionally I go up to West Virginia for work, and off course I stop by Lilypons on the way home.
Linus

(Oh yes I play cello)

 

[sissy]

welcome and ok dish the dirt where is lily ponds .I know up in the Greenville VA there is springdale water gardens and it is great if your ever that way .Great prices too .I gave you mine now give me yours :razz: Glad you found us .

 

[addy1]

to our group!

I went out to lilypons once, nice plants and fish, but over my petsmart fish price range lol

 

[sissy]

I guess that is why I like springdale they are so much cheaper than most places .Gosh they have what they call the plain fish and they are only a dollars and most of there plants are really cheap .They have so much to look at it takes you hours before you can decide what you want or remember what you wanted .

 

[Linus_Cello]

Lilypons is off of I-270, south of Frederick, MD and I-70. It's address is 6800 Lily Pons Road, Adamstown, MD 21710 (http://www.lilypons.com/). I just found Springdale's website. It's too far from me, being east of Charlottesvile VA. I looked at their prices and it comparable to lilypons (for a lotus, springdale is $35, and lilypons is $40).

 

[addy1]

It is about 30 minutes from our house, they have good stuff, but I am a cheapskate...............they did have some great looking fish and plants.

 

[j.w]

Linus
Post some photos of your ponds/plants/aquariums and I never met anyone named Linus before or anyone who played the cello either................pretty cool and you could make a youtube video of you playing the cello for us if you like B)

 

[don't ask]

welcome Linus...

had to google --phragmipediums --interesting.. growing an orchid in a pond huh?

 

[Linus_Cello]

[quote name='don't ask' timestamp='1342571707' post='131220']
welcome Linus...

had to google --phragmipediums --interesting.. growing an orchid in a pond huh?
[/quote]

Why not? There are a lot of orchids that naturally grow in a temperate bog setting (Calapogons, Plantathera, Dactylorhiza). Phragmipediums are a little different (besides being tropical) in that they grow on stream banks with flowing water.