Pond in Southern Illinois

[Sheetmetalman]

Just some Hosta pics from around the pond and 1 strange water plant (the first Picture) that grows in Illinois that kinda looks like a Hosta but is'nt

 

[Sheetmetalman]

Well I finally bit the bullet and rented a trencher and a large hammer drill so I could run well water closer to the pond and put electrical outlets on the patio side of the pond as well as all around the patio. Worked all weekend on that and running city water to the house--be glad when its all done

 

[Sheetmetalman]

Patti, you were right about those plants you gave me spreading fast, the clump you gave me last month has already tripled in size in the skippy filter and is starting to sprout all across the filter. I think its gonna look nice when the filter is completely covered, thanks

 

[j.w]

Nice job on your water and electrical outlet project!

 

[Sheetmetalman]

Thanks J.W., the wife has hoped for city water out here for years and I even set on the water board along with one of my neighbors for several years to help usher the project along. Our water up until now was from a well that set 5 feet from the lake and was really just that, lake water. We had a complete water treating plant in the corner of our basement to try to make it as potable as possible but even after going thru 2 sediment settling tanks, having chlorine and alum injected into it, going thru a water softener and a charcoal polishing tank, it was still just lake water, we never drank it in the nine years we lived here, Anne had to use lots of bathroom and laundry cleaners every week just to help clean everything and the final settling tank would hold only so much clean water at a time so if you used it up doing too much laundry, car washing, etc then actual lake water was being used which would stain clothes in the laundry or make you wish you never started washing your car or whatever--just plain nasty. We have had city water for 4 days now and believe me its like living in a different world, we love our home and that was our only real complaint about living out here. Most of my neighbors payed local plumber's big money to have the city water connected to their house but I wanted to do it myself, so at the same time I was running city water into the house I wanted to run the existing well (lake) water out of the house to the pond so I could fill it with chlorine free water like I always have and electrify the patio area. You can rent a trencher for $150 bucks a day, a hammer drill(to get thru my basement wall)for $35 dollars a day. Total I will have $650 for equipment rental, pipe and fittings and electric wire and receptacles which is much better than the $1000 to $1500 my neighbors paid for just city water hookups. I'm a big believer in self reliance to save money and to do the job the way you want it done, not the way the contractors want it done.

 

[j.w]

Wow what a job that was! Good for you on doing it all yourself. I didn't realize you had such a problem w/ the well water. That would be horrible to go through that long length of time using that lake water and trying to make it fit to use. Most people that have well water around here anyways love having it rather than city water as it doesn't have the chemicals in it. But in your case I can see why you would want the city stuff. Now you have 2 sources of water you can use for the pond and all your plants and the other for your own personal usage. What a deal!

 

[Sheetmetalman]

was setting out by the pond 20 minutes ago and I heard a big splash then this bullfrog jumped out with a smaller frog in his mouth in 2 minutes all that was hanging out was 1 foot--I usually let nature take its course, but this time after taking a picture I caught the big one and pulled the smaller 1 back out and threw them in opposite corners of the pond, they are both fine

 

[CountryEscape]

Good job on the trenching and so forth. And, glad you like the Water Clover and Penny Wart in your Skippy!
That little frog is probably worshiping you about now ... "Oh Almighty Human Man ... saved my life!"

 

[Sheetmetalman]

I didn't like the way my new electrical outlets looked--stuck out like a sore thumb, so I planted plants around them so they would blend in a little better. Took some pics of the 2 ponds--some people hate creeping Charlie but I think it looks good around the waterfall rocks. I have too many lily pads in the big pond so I moved a couple into the little pond

 

[addy1]

Looking great! love how your plants are growing.

If creeping charlie would stay in the grass I would not care. What it does here, is grow over my flower gardens, totally smothers the other plants. I end up with a huge mound of charlie and nothing else. It does have pretty purple flowers.

 

[j.w]

I planted Wire Vine in one of my tree garden beds and that stuff climbs up the trees and would take over too if I didn't go out there and cut it off!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Looks very natural with all the vines around that little pond. Your Lilly pads look lush and green too, do you have lots of shade? Just wondering cause I don't think I get enough sun any more, to make my Lilly's bloom. Years ago when the trees were small I did get blooms, but have not seen my Lilly bloom for at least 10 years now.....

 

[Sheetmetalman]

You know Addy it was you in a post last year that said you thought that was creeping Charlie in a pic I had--I didn't know what it was till then-just knew I had a lot of it, LOL. After you said that I looked it up and found that most people hate it, because they think of it as an invasive weed because it spreads so wildly, but originally it was brought to this country as a low growing ground cover and it was used in food making and originally they used it in beer making before hops came along. It does spread wildly here but what the heck my yard never does good in all this shade, so I like it. What's wire vine look like J.W.--never heard of it either? I don't know on your lily's, Colleen mine get direct sunlight part of the day but they very wildly on blooms from plant to plant. of the six lily plants I have, the 2 I moved to the small pond never bloom anymore, the 2 (purple ones) that are around the cattails bloom fairly regularly and of the two that are in the middle of the pond, 1 (the pink one) blooms ALL the time, but the yellow 1 just occasionally, so you may want to try a new plant, or a different color, or maybe plant it differently. The 2 in the middle of the pond are my healthiest and like the other they were originally planted in pots of kitty litter--they did Ok in the pots but 2 years ago something knocked over the Pink one and it fell into the middle of the pond and grew 5 and a half feet to the surface and it spreads huge--the yellow one was out of its pot on the bottom this year and is spreading and getting intermingled with pink one. They are the healthiest but whether that's from being out of their pots or because their rhizomes are free of kitty litter and shielded from direct sunlight 5 1/2 feet underwater, who knows?

 

[j.w]

Wire Vine: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/58078/
It's a pretty little vine but it loves to take over after awhile and you must keep it from climbing up your trees!
Photo from the net below:

 

[Sheetmetalman]

Thats sharp, I may have to get some of that