We've had our pond for 3 years and what we did was to plant the hardy water lilies directly into the pond. We also have flags and iris planted directly in the pond and they behave themselves and are easily pruned. Any tropicals are kept in pots because they are not winter hardy. Some people prefer to pot the lilies and drop them into the bottom of the pond before winter, but we've noticed it doesn't matter. We live in a pretty cold area and the lilies have done fine. As for fertilizing, you poke a hole into the middle of the plant as far as you can with your finger, then stick in the tabs. Plants that sucker or spread rapidly are better left in pots and you can only figure that out by trial and error. I'd start out by potting them first and see how they behave. Some of the worst offenders were pickerel and cattails. I'm still pulling out volunteers. What we've learned is to start the plant in a pot first because they are more easily contained. People have their own favorite potting media, but we like pea gravel. It's much less messy than dirt and the plant gets its food from the water anyway. We learned the hard way that many plants grow quickly and invasively in water so you should start on the cautious side.

In a deeper pond, lily tubs could be stood on blocks so they can be reached at arms length The purpose of the lily tub is to anchor the waterlily, which when it is not rooted in is buoyant and likely to be a bit messy in growing habit if it is floating Theres no need to store hardy waterlilies indoors, they are hardy outdoors in a pond, set below the likely freeze line When waterlilies are growing in water too deep to wade, that is a problem, reaching them. You might try something like a boat hook to pull them to pieces where their roots are in soft mud... If you can feel the plants with your feet, put on a face mask, hold your breath and have a fun time doing an underwater tug of war lifting stray rhisomes where they wander Figuring a way to set a lily tub on a pedestal at a depth which is convenient to plant makes it easier to move the tub to a shallower depth to sort them out Waterlilies have varying growing habit, some trot 6' in a Summer, others trot a few inches a year. Needless to say the very invasive fast spreading types tend to be cheap and easy to find and probably the most unsuitable to plant on a very large pond. Marliac type waterlilies which have slow spreading but prolific blooming habit would better suit a position which is difficult to plant, that you do not want choked...

Happt Birthday dln949! And you're killin'me with this question! I'm just starting to enjoy all my lush growth of summer, it's too soon to be thinking of winter! I'm near Morris, MN (west central). My pond is 5'x5'x28" deep. I trim my lilies back and sink leave them on the bottom. Most of the marginals can be left where they are, but I sink my potted ones just to be safe. Parrot feather is an annual here. I have goldfish/comets and I leave them in the pond. I cover 2/3's of the surface with foam board on strips of wood to cut the wind chill factor, throw in a 1000w tank heater and a small aquarium airstone and hope for the best. Two years ago I tried a 100w de-icer and we had a brutal winter and I lost my fish, but no plants. Be sure your pond is really clean before ice-up, no dead vegetation to rot. And stop feeding the fish when the water hits 50F. Feel free to ask if you have more questions! S

Scientific name: Cytisus scoparius. Common names: Scotch broom, broomtops, common broom, European broom, Irish broom, English. Native Origin: British Isles, central and southern Europe Ecological Impacts: This aggressive, rapid spreading plant can grow 3 feet in the first year. It can form dense impenetrable stands that degrade rangeland, prevent forest regeneration, and create fire hazards. It invades rapidly following logging, land clearing, and burning. It can form pure dense stands for miles along highway and country roads to crowd out native species and destroy wildlife habitat. Toxicity: Mild poisoning can occur from this shrub. Large amounts are required to cause symptoms in animals such as horses. Alkaloids have been identified as being the toxic principle. Cytisin, sparteine and isosparteine are found in the twigs, leaves and seeds in small amounts. The seeds of the plant can stay dormate for 160 years.