Lucky you!

Can't wait to see your photos. I'm a novice gardner compared to alot of folks here, and I do dwarfs of almost everything because my pond is small, but some of my favorites are:

Dwarf Sioux water lily (planted properly the koi won't have lily for lunch I hear)
Perry's Baby Red water lily
Water clover
Water forget-me-not for the stream
Watercress - ditto
Dwarf Umbrella Palm
Mexican Blue Bells
Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine
Dwarf Water Canna Lily
Dwarf Pickeral Rush (or weed) Purple
Varigated Sweet Grass
Water Iris - yellow
water hyacinth

Around the pond - hosta, sedum (Autumn Joy), dwarf Japanese maple....endless lists!

Things that haven't impressed me (mostly due to cold spring weather and slow starts): Corkscrew Rush, water lettuce, and some floater with heart in it's name - heart-shaped leaves, got very leggy, lots of roots, not much else.

Have fun, S

Everyone is going to have their own favorites and the combinations are endless no matter where the pond is located so long as there is some sun. I'm in zone 5 too, and the sides of my pond are fairly vertical with shelves so I depend on potted plants. My favorites are the taros because there is such a great variety. Lately I have been choosing the deeper colors such as the cranberry and rhubarb colors as well as the black magic to form the basic mass and then contrasting them with chartruse colors and hot pink flowers. By the end of the season I wind up with a fairly wide variety but they all go together somehow. The top of the skippy is a perfect place to put things that are harder to place in the pond like Mandevilla, Impatiens, Rain lily, Iris, etc.. The cannas do well as a marginal especially the ones with the striped leaves and the flower colors available should suit you. I also like the intense leaf colors available now in H/H Hibiscus. Sandy

thanks sandy!

Thanks Sandy and "S" for your input. Where would I find pictures and more information on these plants on the web? Do either of you buy your plants online or do you go to local aquatic stores?
Thanks!
Linda

Hey, Sarah. ????. What did I say?
Hey, Linda. When I am plant dreaming I look at On-line sites like Plant Delights and Stokes Tropicals. Then I look to see who else sells that plant I just have to get and see what else they carry. I have been getting most of my plants locally but two of the major sources went out of business. The annual sale at the Parks Dept. greenhouse was shut out by the fire department and while the sponsor has temporarily found another location, it is in trouble. Those set the standard that the other sources tried to meet. A couple of others seem to be teetering on some financial edge. Unless someone else can bring in some of the unusual plants at reasonable prices I guess I will have to increase my On-line shopping. Local greenhouses seem to be trying to establish reputations for certain catagories but their success is still in the balance. Big Box stores are hit and miss.
Due to my back surgery, I lost a lot of plants last year that should have easily survived in storage and I think I am losing more than I hoped for this year. That is my problem to deal with and others who have the ability to bring in their plants in the winter should not have a problem.
Try doing a search for plant types such as alocasia, colocasia, hibiscus or butterfly orchids and you will likely come up with some good sources. Be sure you check the companies reputations. There are a couple out there that have some really bad marks against them. Sandy

I just meant thanks for more ideas for new plants to try!

You can look at this link for some pics. Google pond plants and your state or city and you should get hits for water garden suppliers near you. Most have good pics.

Here is a link that might be useful: pond plant pics

Waterlilies, Attraction and Sulphurea. Common and easy to find at walmart or home depot...

The victoria adventure has a huge picture database of waterlilies if you'd rather hunt for that perfect one.

Here is a link that might be useful: victoria adventure

Being in a similar cold zone, you need hardy ones that will survive your winter or it will be a very costly experience. I've had mixed results with overwintering tropicals indoors. I would suggest the standard "tried and proven" hardy water plants such as: marsh marigold, variegated parsley plant (can't think of it's real name), iris, flag, creeping jenny, corkscrew rush, hardy water lilies, some shorter grasses, etc. I still enjoy the tropicals though like Hibiscus "Moy Grande", Canna, Thalia, Umbrella Palm, Dwarf Papyrus, Bog Lily, Arrowhead and Purple Taro. You need a good mix of both. I love the water plant Lemon Bacopa (not to be confused with the typical annual you see in nurseries). The fish loved playing in it. And don't forget submerged plants. You need lots of water lilies as a protection from predators and sun. You need submerged plants also. They also provide a place for the fish to hide. The first year we put in hornswort we got lots of baby fish.

Parrot's Feather is great, too. It's a submerged tender plant, but you can bring divide it easily throughout the season for more plants. The fish like to eat it. The hornswort will overwinter in the pond as will the hardy water lilies. I recommend the book "Encyclopedia of Water Garden Plants" by Greg Speichert (for when you get home). It has lots of pictures and good info on plants - for both in and outside your pond. There are too many too mention here. Enjoy your vacation!

Go to www.pondkoi.com/pondplants.htm and they will give you so much info.have scads about plants..also have a forum with great info & feedback...

Don't forget Blood Grass aka Red Baron Grass (Imperata cylindrica 'Rubra') which would love the wet edges of your stream. It gets blood red leaves, very pretty.
Here is a photo where you can see a few blades of my Blood Grass, which can also be grown in your average perennial garden with constant moisture.
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Also, Dwarf acorus in its variegated form has yellow stripes on it's leaves. (Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' )
Also, there is the groundcover called Golden Jenny aka Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'.
Here it is growing on the wet edges in bloom, along with Labrador Violet
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Also, a small weeping grass called Japanese Forest Grass (Hackonechloa macra 'Aurea'), which likes moist to wet soils...
here I have it planted next to the falls of my 'Pondsai' where the moss wicks a constant supply of water to the roots
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You can also see a dwarf acorus to the right of my mischievous kitten. ;)
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A very deep red water lily, very dramatic, is Almost Red.
Here is mine, blooming in my hand while I was dividing a clump
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Joyce your plants are amazing....they are all so healthy...how long did it take to get to that size? Did you plant them all at the same time or do your just keep adding?Beautiful lily does it get alot of sun?