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The patio pond

 

We built this patio and pond when we decided to get married in the back yard, way back in the late 90s. The trickle of the little waterfall added extra character to our patio ceremony.  The pond is home to several water lilies, including a Virginia (for Amy's childhood home) and a Hollandia (for mine).  Plenty of fish too: even though the big ones usually perish in a bad winter, some of their offspring always survives.  The original ones (two fantails and two Shibunkins), have some mighty odd-colored great-great-grandfish swimming around.  When we're lucky we have frogs, too - they don't care for the winter either, but when they find our pond they stick around (they must love murky water).  Don't ask about the hand...

 

 

 

 

In the beginning of winter, as the pond starts to freeze over, we keep the waterfall running, which makes for some interesting ice structures. Eventually, a deep freeze will stop the waterfall, and the pond will be iced over altogether. Meanwhile, our denizen below is starting to suffer frostbite...

 

 

 

 

A partial list of plants growing around our pond

Acanthus spinosus (spiny bear's breeches)
Aconitum carmichaelii (monkshood)
Amsonia rigida (stiff blue star)
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)
Camassia quamash (blue camass; indian hyacinth)
Campanula takesimana (Korean bellflower)
Carex curta (white sedge)
Caryopteris x clandonensis (bluebeard, blue mist spirea)
Chaenomeles 'Cameo' (flowering quince)
Chasmanthium latifolium (sea oats)
Crocus speciosus ssp. speciosus (autumn crocus)
Digitalis grandiflora (yellow foxglove)
Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon' (chameleon spurge)
Geranium sanguineum (cranesbill)
Helleborus x hybridus (lenten rose)
Hibiscus moscheutos (hardy hibiscus; swamp rose-mallow)
Hydrocotyle bonariensis (large-leaf pennywort)
Iris (tall bearded hybrids) (bearded iris)
Iris sibirica (Siberian iris)
Iris versicolor (blue flag)
Magnolia 'Elizabeth'
Nymphaea odorata (and hybrids) (waterlily)
Nymphoides peltata (floating heart)
Orontium aquaticum (golden club)
Physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark)
Ranunculus flammula (lesser spearwort)
Sagittaria australis 'Benni' (silk stockings; Appalachian arrowhead)
Salix integra 'Hakuro-Nishiki' (dappled willow)
Scutellaria incana (downy skullcap)
Symphyotrichum sp.
Thuja koraiensis 'Glauca Prostrata' (Korean arborvitae)

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Last modified: April 24, 2015
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