Pond plant question

 

Hi. I’m in Riverview. I have a small pond 4’x4’, with waterfall. Looking to get some plants for it. Can’t find anywhere. Lily, hyacinth, etc. Havecsny suggestions? Thanks, Matt iy, hyacinth, etc. , Matt

Welcome to the world of pond plantings! I have several large and small ponds here at my house in spring hill, the taro in the picture I originally purchased from a vendor at one of the USF botanical gardens spring or fall events. It was tucked in behind stuff and very overlooked. My whole garden theme is permaculture and edible, and of course it is hard to find and grow most of those plants well. We can feed Florida with water plants if people were just open minded.

I have this black Taro and the regular large elephant ears, and papyrus. I also have water hyacinth, which I eat, the rabbits eat, and the ducks I got this spring love to eat. I bought them originally online, possibly because you aren't allowed to sell it here due to it invading local waterways (it is a problem at some state parks south of here.) I sell it on Etsy here and can ship it to you.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1206813854/water-hyacinth-edible-floating-plant?ref=listings_manager_grid

And grow it in all of my ponds, none of which have waterfalls or circulation.

One of my other favorite pond plants is cannas, of which the native variety has yellow flowers. The leaves and corms are edible.

I have experimented with azolla and water cress, neither of which worked out for my big pond, possibly due to frog predation or heat stress. I use goldfish as my mosquito control in the two larger ponds and nothing or bt dunks in the smaller ones like in the picture.

But you asked where to get these things. Hmm.. there was a pond place I liked very much in Dunedin, it is small but has a lot of different (expensive) lilies, which I am not as interested in. You're in Riverview so you're not far from Tampa Pinellas and Sarasota, maybe you could find the local pond shops and let me know! As far as edible plants, there is a very nice nursery in Howie in the hills I quite enjoy called A Natural Farm. And I'm always scoping the sales at any botanical gardens I stop at, like nature coast botanical gardens by me and boo tower gardens near Orlando.

Huh. Riverview. You can grow avocado and sugarcane there. The cannas might not even freeze in the winter there. I'm jealous.

Red Sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum

   Last fall I took a road trip to a nursery called A Natural Farm, at Howie in the Hills, Florida. They had many interesting plants, which pleased me very much, including many that I already owned. I ended up buying three sugar cane rooted cuttings, and planted all three in the back yard. The back is sheltered from frost and winds, as best as I can make it. These are some pictures taken shortly after planting.

     Wikipedia says that sugarcane is the worlds most produced crop by quantity. It also says that sugarcane is a true grass. It is propagated by stem cuttings that must contain at least one bud. These three are stem cuttings.
     IFAS recommends cutting linger stalks into 6 bud seed pieces ( about 2-3 feet long) and planting that. Also, "Single node pieces, which contain a single bud, can be planted in pots or trays and later transplanted at the target site."

Purple Mystery Flower

May 14th, 2019

Found this growing in the side of a baby fig tree that I bought from the botanical gardens. Whatever this is, it's beautiful, so probably toxic, right?

Dwarf Yellow Canna

     Cannas. So beautiful. They bloom all the time, and they are edible and attract pollinators. They make great bog plants and they look good in ponds. Makes a great gift.

Another Canna for Sale

     While this particular Canna is small and easily transportable, I have several more of this variety that are more than 6 feet tall with lush and thick foliage. This canna produces bright red flowers that are attractive to hummingbirds. As I am sure you know, Cannas love full sun and water, and make great pond plants. This would be a fantastic Mother's Day gift for any mom on your list. $5.
Have many other beautiful plants that are attractive to hummingbirds and bees, including sage and ginger.
     Thank you for your interest! Feel free to ask questions.
   - Knotty Pots

Buy this plant from me - Dwarf Red Canna

This morning I snapped a quick picture of this dwarf, red Canna. This is its first bloom of the season.
As you may know, Cannas love full sun and plenty of water. It's difficult to overwater them! Cannas can be placed into a pot in a new or existing pond, or planted out in the ditch that might exist in your yard.
I was thinking $5 or a trade/barter would be a good price, as this is a 100% organic offering of an edible plant beautiful enough for the front yard.
Thank you for checking out my plants. More offerings to come in the future. Ok to ask questions, even dumb ones.
-Knotty Pots
Chrissy

Eat Your Sand, beautiful edibles for the front yard

Announcing the official opening of project Eat Your Sand

After two grueling years of college, I have finally emerged. Hopefully the headaches will be over, and I will have more time to do the things that I love to do, like teach the little ones about nature and growing plants. I have also been cultivating a minimalist lifestyle, and this spring I have been potting and propagating, in hopes to find other permits to trade with, or just interested gardeners. Its not about selling plants and rabbits, its about sharing, getting, and producing bounty. Care of people and all.
So this spring I have more growies than I know what to do with. It has inspired me to create a trading page with a listing of everything that I have a lot of success with, including rabbits and premium plants.
Come check it out
EatYourSand
Don't hesitate to shoot me an email or use the form to contact me. I love to trade! Eat Your Sand will be updated frequently with what is currently being offered, and I am willing to travel to trade.

Chrissy Hibiscus'seed?

     As an aside, I am secretly envious of David's home nursery. I definitely have decided I want to do that with some of my not-so-spare time. There needs to be more permaculture nurseries, and I want to grow and maybe market edible plants and their cousins, edible ornamental plants. I'd like to grow it from the roots up, slowly, potting up my extras and offshoots.

     It's just so fun propagating plants, and so useful if the plants can be used as a survival food source. I even have family support on this kind of endeavor.
     And when I think about how much it would cost to turn my tiny yard into a food forest with plants from the big box stores, I shudder in horror. I have no access to that kind of money at the moment, and wouldn't choose to blow that much on plants anyway. Even if a person had the money, there is no place selling all the varieties of edible plants that grow well in this area, a place where freezes do occasionally happen but there are so many plants that can tolerate it. Much more possibilities than up north, even more possibilities than north Florida.
     To be a public figure in the plant world, I would have to specialize. I would make myself known, preferably by propagating and growing out many many hibiscus' and taking them all over the state like Johnny Appleseed. Chrissy Hibiscus'seed? Awesome!  Chrissy the mad hibiscus maven. What would I name my nursery? Maybe Sandy's Edible Yard. or Sandlot Plants. Sandy (the Hibiscus Maven)'s Edible Plants.  Hmmm...

Another Great Reason to Grow Lemon Trees

     There are several reasons to grow citrus trees even if your production of fruit turns out disappointing, or if you live in an apartment and only have room for a small plant in dim light indoors.
     Vitamins found in the leaves can be higher than the vitamins found in the fruit. This includes vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin A precursor. Potassium and vitamin C are not stored well by the body, so have to be replenished periodically by the diet. There is some evidence that dehydrating the leaves concentrates the vitamins, as long as the dehydrating is performed without excessive heat. Can we say valuable post-apocalyptic trading commodity? Also a great reason to enjoy herbal tisanes and justify the cost of an inexpensive solar dehydrator for the backyard.
     Citrus greening could become a problem, but not if you are growing the plants specifically for the leaves. Greening is the newest, baddest threat to Florida's citrus industry, basically an uncontrollable bacteria that causes fruit to improperly ripen. However, leaves are unaffected, and the bacteria is not a human pathogen. The best time to harvest leaves is right before the lemon trees flower and fruit, as that is when they will have the maximum nutrition. Meyer lemons flower in December, usually, and fruit a few months later. The flowers are fragrant and nutritious too! Citrus trees are perennials, so care must be taken to sustainably harvest them.
     As much as IFAS and the news sensationalize the plights of the citrus industry, most citrus trees are largely resistant to pests. Perhaps it is because those statistics come from the monocultured orchard citrus industry. Perhaps it's because most are already grafted before you have the opportunity to purchase the trees. Perhaps it is because most people's backyard citrus are not planted so densely so as to encourage the growth of pests and the lack of beneficial insects and bacteria. Remember this previous article about how the state destroyed thousands of homeowner's citrus trees, then lost a lawsuit because it was scientifically unfounded? It just shows that they don't really know the answers either.
     The fruit has many culinary uses. It is used in canning to lower pH and prevent oxidation. It can be used to cook raw fish without heat, but dehydrates the proteins - changing the texture. Lemonade. Household cleaner. Fragrance. Color. Limitless possibilities.
     It may have some medicinal properties. Although not thoroughly researched here in the US, lemon is used in Ayurveda in India. According to this study, lemon is used to treat disorders of the throat and persistent catarrh (inflammation of the mucous membranes usually in the airway, causing an overproduction of phlegm and mucus). The low pH of lemon juice inhibits bacterial growth. Certainly vitamin C is absolutely necessary in our diet. Remember this post where I wrote about vitamin C and guinea pigs (as a survival protein source)? We all need good nutrition.
     The recommendations for lemon culture from IFAS state that lemons are more vigorous than most citrus species and that dense plantings encourage pests. They are recommended for the warmest, sunniest part of the landscape that does not flood. IFAS doesn't recommend propagation by seed, but rather grafting onto a rootstock specifically chosen to avoid certain soil pathogens.

Perennial Vegetables for the South

     Ever since I found this list I have been returning to it whenever I might be going to a plant sale or nursery. There are many plant sales in the spring and fall, so here's a great list of plants that produce food and grow well here in Florida.
     Most, if not all, of these plants can also be fed to the rabbits, except for maybe taro.                                        

Perennial in all of the Hot and Humid zone:

Allium ampeloprasum perennial sweet leek

Allium cepa aggregatum shallot

Allium cepa aggregatum potato onion

Allium cepa proliferum walking onion

Allium fistulosum Welsh onion

Allium tuberosum garlic chives

Apios americana groundnut

Aralia cordata udo

Arundinaria gigantean canebrake bamboo

Asparagus officinalis asparagus

Asphodeline lutea yellow asphodel

Atriplex halimus saltbush

Bambusa spp. clumping bamboos

Brassica oleracea acephala tropical tree kale

Bunias orientalis Turkish rocket

Camassia scillioides wild hyacinth

Canna edulis achira

Cedrella sinensis fragrant spring tree

Cnidoscolus spp. bull nettles

Colocasia esculenta ‘Celery Stem’ taro

Colocasia esculenta taro, cocoyam, eddo, dasheen

Cynara cardunculus cardoon

Cynara scolymus ‘Purple Sicilian’ globe artichoke

Cyperus esculentus sativa chufa

Dioscorea bulbifera air potato

Dioscorea japonica jinenjo

Dioscorea opposita Chinese yam

Diplotaxis spp. sylvetta arugula

Helianthus tuberosa sunchoke

Hemerocallis daylily

Malva moschata musk mallow

Nasturtium officinale watercress

Nelumbo nucifera water lotus

Oenanthe javanica water celery

Opuntia spp. spineless nopale cactus

Petasites japonicus fuki

Phyllostachys spp. running bamboos

Phytolacca americana pokeweed

Polygonatum biflorum canaliculatum giant Solomon’s seal

Qiongzhuea tumidissinoda running bamboo

Rumex acetosa French sorrel

Rumex acetosa ‘Profusion’ sorrel

Rumex acetosella sheep sorrel

Rumex scutatus silver shield sorrel

Sagittaria latifolia arrowhead

Sagittaria sinensis Chinese arrowhead

Sasa kurilensis chishima-zasa bamboo

Scorzonera hispanica scorzonera

Semiarundinaria fastuosa temple bamboo

Stachys sieboldii Chinese artichoke

Taraxacum officinale dandelion

Tilia spp. linden

Perennial in colder parts of the Hot and Humid zone:

Allium tricoccum ramps

Chenopodium bonus-henricus good king Henry

Cicorium intybus chicory

Crambe maritima sea kale

Laportaea canadensis wood nettle

Levisticum officinale lovage

Matteuccia struthiopteris ostrich fern

Urtica dioica nettles

Perennial in warmer parts of the Hot and Humid zone, or perennial with protection. Most of these species can also be grown as annuals in the colder parts of this zone.

Abelmoschus manihot edible hibiscus (as dieback perennial)

Alternanthera sissoo sissoo spinach

Arracacia xanthorhiza arracacha

Basella alba Malabar spinach

Brassica oleracea wild cabbage

Brassica oleracea acephala ‘Western Front’ perennial kale

Brassica oleracea acephala ‘Tree Collards’, ‘Walking Stick Kale’

Brassica oleracea alboglabra gai lon

Brassica oleracea botrytis perennial broccoli, including ‘9 Star’

Brassica oleracea ramosa branching bush kale, including ‘Dorbentons’

Capsicum annum ‘Perennial Capsicum’ sweet pepper

Carica papaya papaya

Coccinia grandis ‘Sterile’ perennial cucumber (probably as dieback perennial in colder parts)

Cnodoscilus chayamansa chaya (as dieback perennial)

Cucurbita ficifolia Malabar gourd

Dendrocalamus spp. clumping bamboos (probably as dieback perennial even in warmest parts)

Dioscorea alata white yam

Dioscorea esculenta asiatic lesser yam

Dioscorea trifida cush cush yam

Dolichos lablab hyacinth bean

Eleocharis dulcis water chestnut

Gigantochloa spp. clumping bamboos (probably as dieback perennial in bad winters)

Gynura crepioides Okinawa spinach

Hibiscus acetosella cranberry hibiscus

Ipomoea aquatica water spinach

Ipomoea batatas sweet potato

Momordica charantia bitter gourd

Manihot esculenta cassava

Moringa spp. moringa (as dieback perennial)

Musa x paradisica ‘Rajapuri’ banana (warmest parts, with long season protection)

Nastus elatus clumping bamboo

Oxalis tuberosa oca

Phaseolus coccineus runner bean

Phaseolus lunatus Lima bean

Phaseolus polysantus cache bean

Physalis pruinosa ground cherry

Psophocarpus tetragonobolus ‘Day Length Neutral’ winged bean

Psophocarpus tetragonobolus winged bean

Saccharum edule pitpit

Sauropus androgynous katuk (as dieback perennial)

Sechium edule chayote

Smallianthus sonchifolia yacon

Solanum tuberosum & spp. potato

Tetragonia tetragonioides New Zealand spinach

Trichostigma octandrum basket vine (as dieback perennial)

Xanthosoma brasiliense belembe

Xanthosoma saggitifolium tannier, yautia, malanga (roots need long season)

Xanthosoma violaceum violet-stem taro (roots need long season)

On Permaculture

     Permaculture is the idea of creating a self sustaining ecosystem with no human inputs (work) that produces a bounty for the landowner. This bounty could be in fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, firewood, fish, or all of the above. Many property owners are interested in creating a permaculture to efficiently and sustainably use their land.
     A lot of people get caught up in individual aspects like swaling and food forestry yet lose sight of the big picture. Permaculture can be created on any size piece of land. The biggest, hardest part of permaculture is deciding what you want to do with the land and never losing that ideal.
     I think when people move to Florida they usually don't know what they are getting into. Traditional northern gardens where you plant your strawberries and pumpkins in the spring and harvest in the fall simply do not exist here. The bright sun and high humidity bakes most vegetable plants, so gardening for food must be creatively timed around the seasons.
     A much better approach is to plant perennial food-producing plants that tolerate the conditions in your area along with supportive plants, like for example nitrogen-fixing legumes. Sweet potatoes and prickly pear cactus are two great examples.
     Native plants that benefit your ecosystem should be encouraged, not removed. These plants are already well-adapted to the sand and heat. Non-natives that provide no fodder, nitrogen-fixing, edible food, fencing, or firewood should be coppiced and mulched as the caretaker implements his or her permaculture.
     One of the hardest, if not the hardest, parts of starting a permaculture is identifying the plants you already have before jumping to replace them. There are many great plant identifying websites out there, but many do not have pictures or have misleading information about the care of the plants listed. A lot of the commenters on these websites do nothing but complain about how invasive some native plant is. Those people should go live in the city surrounded by buildings and grass, because they won't be happy with anything else. Nay-sayers abound in our lives, just listen to them, smile, and nod, then go do what you want to do anyway. And research your plants; if it's invasive but beneficial, please invade!
     On where to get plants... a complicated question. I have had tremendous luck with the plants from the Spring Hill Garden Club. The plants they offer for sale are disease-free and well-rooted without being rootbound. When you buy from Home Depot and Lowe's it's dicey, plants are usually expensive and rootbound, but the year guarantee kinda offsets that. I have had a lot of annuals die out quickly. Another great place is the USF Botanical Garden spring and fall sales. Vendors from all over West Florida bring an amazing variety of plants. The very best way to get plants is to propagate your own from healthy plants, but this is a skill which takes some practice. What better time to start than now?
     As far as I know, there are no permaculture homesteads in West Florida. There are several CSA's in every county, and these are all polycultures and should be supported. Homosassa Springs State Park grows much of the feed for their animals on-site in the form of duckweed. It's a fun place to take the family in the cooler times of year to see the manatees.
     There was a family that was working on a true permaculture homestead in Dade City, but their blog says that last year they were forced to sell their property. I suspect one or both were laid-off. The young man, errr, I guess he must be about my age, did a great deal of research into good plants for the area for food forestry and aquaculture. I'll put up a link.
     Personally, I am doing a good deal of work on my suburban lot and looking to purchase 10 acres in Citrus county, or maybe Sumter or around anywhere I suppose, for camping and permaculture and hunting. I have had tremendous success with peppers and tomatoes here in Spring Hill, and we are building rabbit pens in the back to continue that success. Here in Spring Hill it is forbidden to have fowl even though it is a bird sanctuary.
     Research. Listen. Figure out your own Big Picture, work slowly toward it. Don't get distracted into the little things or by nay-sayers.

Withalacoochee Permaculture