Another question from my daughter - Page 2

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

@JustJazzmom wrote:
I just saw this plant at a MD rest stop on I-95 near the building. I thought they were daylilies that didn't open properly. Now will have to google water iris.

If you do a Google image search for "water iris seed pods" you'll find that the seed pods shown are a nearly perfect match also. They're a very reliable water garden plant. Technically they're a bog plant but will also survive pretty well in a normal garden as long as it doesn't get too dry. When I pulled mine from my pond my compost bin was full so I plopped them on the ground alongside of the bin until the bin had settled and one took root there and lives there to this day. In fact, the compost bin has moved, but the plant is still there growing away.

It's not nearly as rampant a grower outside of the pond, but that's good as it would take over a pond and I don't want it taking over the garden. The one that took root in my garden is a yellow one that flowers every spring for me. They're a pretty neat, tough little water garden plant that can grow rampantly given a chance. Water garden plants in generally tend to be a bit aggressive as growers, and the water iris are also.

When you've grown a few water garden plants and see how rapidly they grow and spread you start to question why retailers charge so much for them. Plants like cattails, water iris, water hyacincths, water lettuce, etc. grow so rapidly and spread so rapidly that your biggest issue is keeping them under control. Some local garden centers charge $5 for one water hyacincth which is kind of pricey for a plant that grows so rapidly you're literally filling a compost bin with them by the end of the summer and still not keeping up with them. I carry a few over the winter indoors in one of my aquariums and also under my plant lights and I have to thin them out pretty much nonstop all winter long.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!