Water plants are easy and there’s little to do once they are potted and placed in the pond. They can, by summer’s end, become a bit scraggly and overgrown and a little manicuring is in order. All you need is a pair of scissors and scotch tape. Snip off any browned out leaves and stems. The tips of umbrella palms can be easily trimmed by gathering the “umbrella” together with one hand and snipping browned ends with the scissors in the other hand. Save thick stems that have bent but not broken through and are still green by taping the bend so that it stands up straight. It can keep growing and last the whole season. Snip off spent blooms from water lilies so the plant won’t concentrate on going to seed and instead direct its energies to producing blooms. Lily pads constantly die back and new ones take their places throughout the growing season. Snip off any yellowed or dead pads and throw them away. Give your star grass another round of blooms by cutting the grass down to about 3 inches after the initial blooms fade. Adjust heights on plants that aren’t doing well. Sometimes that’s all it takes to make the plant happy.

From the Summer 2003 Edition of What's Up, Doc? / © 2003 www.PondDoc.com / All rights Reserved. Reproduction of this article prohibited without prior consent of The Pond Doc.