Duck Potato, Sagittaria platyphylla, Delta Arrowhead

     I once stole this plant from a ditch at the community College. No really,  I really did do that. I wasn't arrested either. It almost tops the time I took cattail from the ditch at the hospital. I wasn't arrested then either. 

     Actually I didn't know what this was until it made a pretty white flower, and now I love it. I had wanted to buy duck potato because I had read that it's edible to, well, ducks. Possibly rabbits? Not sure. But now that I have this plant, all I have to do is propagate it, and I will have unlimited duck food! Mwa haha.

     Supposedly the underground tubers are eaten by ducks and snapping turtles. It sounds like a great plant to grow. Supposedly it can be propagated by transplanting the tubers. Also supposedly, it was a major food source for the Native Americans that lived in the Okeechobee area. 

Another kiddie pool water garden

     Decided to put together a nice little pond garden at a friend's house so as to have something to look at. This served the purpose of encouraging me to put to good use an extra kiddie pool and to repot some overgrown cannas. Both the cannas and the water hyacinth are edible perennials that look incredible when planted in the right place.
     The pool was simply thrown onto that spot, which receives full sun for about 7 hours a day and dappled for the remainder. It has no overflow holes in it, so if a storm comes it is possible for water hyacinth to be washed out and released into the yard. I felt comfortable doing this, because this area of this property is not near any natural or unnatural standing or moving water sources. Water hyacinth is known for its exponential growth here in Florida. I like it because it is edible after cooking and edible raw for the rabbits, plus high in plant protein. It also has an amazing purple flower sometimes.
     The Cannas were replanted in layers of rabbit manure, then mulch, then dead leaves lining the bottom of the pots. I have been perfecting this mix for a long time, and it works well for the cannas. The manure is so high in nutrition that the water in the pool promptly browned up, causing supergrowth of the water hyacinth. Not only that but a few days later tadpoles spontaneously appeared in the water. I suspect the parents were tree frogs, likely the Cuban tree frogs that also live at my place.
     I also tossed a mosquito dunk into that water. I know, it's got genetically modified bacteria in it, but it is the most natural simplest prevention of mosquitoes outside of seeding fish. With the virus running rampant I wasn't about to hit the pet store, even supposing they would have something that would be able to survive in water that was likely to get very warm. Words have been said about burying the kiddie pool so the plants are more at ground level, but words are just that.
     I look forward to building more of these in the future. The kiddie pool gardens seem to be a great way to keep the cannas warm in the winter and hydrated in the dry season. Maintenance is the same as every other garden - weeds have to be removed, extra water hyacinth may have to be eaten or composted, mosquitoes will have to be controlled.