Bigoledude, I'm about to dig up my water canna rhizomes to prepare for winter storage (they're not winter hardy here). You're welcome to some of the divisions if you'd like. I also have a few seeds. Given a very moist location (mine is in a bog next to the koi pond), this plant will multiply rapidly and provide bright yellow blossoms on tall stems (each 4-5' stem will have 4-8 blossoms) through summer into fall ... this one bloomed until an early frost took out the last buds. Since it is so prolific here, I would caution you to keep an eye on it, lest it become invasive down there, where frost woudn't be a limiting factor. At this point, however, it seems maybe you need something that's going to fill in quickly and be low maintenance. It prefers full sun, but seems very happy here in good morning sun until about 11:00 a.m. You're going to want some bushy plants, groundcovers or plants to spill over out of containers also, aren't you? Any ideas there? I don't know how sweet potato vine does there, but it's great here in summer, and comes in shades from chartreuse to deep burgundy (the latter even gets inconspicuous lavender flowers when mature). It grows very quickly, too. I have some in my greenhouse (tucked the annual planters in there when cold weather approached), both colors I mentioned. I haven't tried rooting any cuttings, but will give it a try if you're interested. I have wonderful memories of three visits to New Orleans - wonderful city and wonderful people. I'm afraid many people see/hear about the glitz of Bourbon St. and overlook the true treasures the city has to offer. So glad I was able to take my family along in May '05 to share some of my discoveries there. I'm particularly fond of those live oaks at Jean Lafitte National Park at Chalmette ... how did they fare? It's hard to comprehend the amount of work to be done along the entire Gulf Coast - I'm glad to do any little bit I can to help. Diane

I hope the new guy in our area is able to keep afloat. (Sorry for the really bad pun.) He has had the kind of plants I think of as water garden or koi pond plants that I haven't been able to find short of driving 60 miles or more. I just found out he babysits them through the winter too. The big box stores either eliminated or drastically cut back on aquatic plants in the last three years. One large local nursery had just started selling aquatics and bog plants and I hope they still have a market for their third year. I don't know how many ponders there are in the area to support sales for what is essentially a niche market. It strikes me as strange that there are lots of contractors around but not a lot of day laborers. I really don't want or need the services of a contractor but I could use someone to get stone and cement from the front yard to the back where I can use it. It is annoying. The guy who gets rid of the leaves obviously wants to be my year round yard guy but he wants to do it his way, not mine. He doesn't understand that I have spent the past 8 years putting the wooded front quarter back to the way it was landscaped when the house was built for a local architect. If he was willing to cut up and collect the leaves as he cut the grass and put them in the wooded area I would hire him in a minute but all he wants to do is blow them into the street for the city to pick up. It's the same way some grocers are marketing frozen veggies now. Rather than stocking packages of one or maybe up to three veggies that go together well so you can use as much as you need for as many people as you have, they are stocking single use packaging with combinations I don't care for in amounts that are too much for my husband and me and seasoning them in ways I dislike and DH won't eat. He also hates leftovers and so too much goes to waste. What is wrong with letting me season my own food? I have stopped making favorite recipes because it requires an extra trip to the store to get fresh veggies instead of using what is in the fridge. I really don't want to go to the expense and trouble of cutting down a couple of trees in order to have some sunlight and then the additional work of prepping a garden, just to grow my own veggies and then finding a way to keep it for later use. I am worried there will be more lay-offs coming soon. I'm not working except for volunteer work but I can see friends and acquaintances who are worried. Local government has finally stopped crowing over the 100 or so jobs they manage to get to relocate to the area while soft-pedaling the major job loses as the larger manufacturers close their doors. If I do spend on the pond I may be redirecting my usual allotment to more permanent things rather than a lot of ephemerals like annuals. As long as I can continue to bring in the tropicals for the winter I will keep those going but I wonder if I will be able to add to them. Sandy

Hi. Can you give me the dimensions of your pond? Length, width, depth. Approximate is fine. Koi CAN get up to 3 feet long if given everything they need. Both koi and goldfish breed worse than rabbits. So be prepared to find homes for babies. Ideally when adding new fish to a pond they should be kept in a quarantine tank/pond for at least 3o days before adding to your existing pond. BUT most people don't want to wait that long. Quarantining your new fish helps prevent bringing any parasites to the pond and possibly killing your existing fish and prevent you having to spend a bunch of money on meds to rid your fish of the parasites. Now for the fish in the bucket. I hope they are not still in that bucket now. If so I hope you have a filter and air for them. If you want to keep your fish healthy and happy please get a fresh water test kit and test your water. At minimum you will want tests for Ammonia, PH, Nitrites. There are other test available : KH , GH, Nitrates, salt, ....Those are basics. Ammonia should always be zero PH between 7-8 Nitrites 0 Sorry, I could ramble on all day about the world of ponds, koi & goldfish. If you have more questions just let me know.

Blue Pickeral is a beautiful weed isn't it? I also have it in my garden pond for the first time this year and I'm loving it. Mine is contained in pots, so it will not get out of control.