Most books about water gardening include the bit about pond ‘weed’ in the section about pond plants, along with the rather more decorative flowering plants. In reality, however, there is only one real reason to have pondweeds, or oxygenating plants, in your pond, and that is to provide oxygen, which in turn helps to keep the water stable and in good condition. Of all the plants we can add to our ponds, these are perhaps the least interesting, yet they are almost certainly the most important. Let’s start with the basics.

If there are too many fish, or not enough plants (particularly the oxygenating type) in your pond, the water becomes short of dissolved oxygen. This manifests itself in fish either gasping for air at the surface, or lurking at the bottom, utterly disinterested in their food. If you add outside influences such as lack of water movement, and a spell of still, sultry weather that warms up the water so it can hold even less dissolved oxygen, you can very readily end up with some extremely sick fish.

Increasing the oxygen level in the water is not difficult. You can turn on the fountain or waterfall (if you have one), which will add and mix oxygen into the water as it tumbles and turns. However, if you have a still pond, the simplest thing to do is to make sure you have a plentiful and permanent supply of cheap and easy-to-grow oxygenating plants.

These are usually green, they rarely flower and seem to spend their lives suspended in the water, growing rapidly when your back is turned and never when you want them to. By day they convert dissolved carbon dioxide, given off by the fish, into oxygen. They also consume minerals and nutrients that otherwise would be used by opportunist and troublesome algae. A good selection of oxygenating plants will also provide effective cover for all manner of water creatures; fish will be afforded some protection against marauding herons, and spawning grounds will be provided for fish, amphibious and insectivorous wildlife.

Most garden centres will offer oxygenating plants from outside tanks and they are usually sold as small bunches of stems linked by a heavy metal weight. You just have to drop these bunches into the pond – you don’t need planting baskets or compost. The weights will take the bases of the bunches down, and they will find their own level, depending on the amount of leaves, and start to grow.

Most oxygenators will grow rapidly, especially during warm summers, and can cause the pond to become congested. You should, therefore, hook out a few bucketsful of excess weed, perhaps two or three times during the summer period. This will, curiously, make the weed grow faster, and in turn make it more efficient at filtering and conditioning the water. Carefully check through the foliage as you’re removing it, spread it out by the side of the pond and leave it for a day so that any creatures caught up in it, and which can crawl back into the water, are given the best chance.

Add the semi-dried weed to the compost heap. On no account be inclined to take it to your local pond or stream to keep it alive. Many misguided aquarists and pond owners have done this in the past, thus introducing plants that have quickly crowded out our native pond plant species and upsetting the whole ecology of our natural waterways.

It’s a good idea to select several species of oxygenator so that a variety of wildlife will be attracted. All wild pond-inhabiting creatures have their particular likes and dislikes, and a variety of foliage shapes and growth habits will offer the most habitats. Some of the best oxygenators include:

Autumn starwort (Callitrkhe hermaphroditica)

A delicate plant, with vivid green foliage and fragile stems, that grows all year. It is prone to damage by heavy-finned fish.

Canadian pondweed [Elodea canadensis)

Probably the most commonly seen oxygenator, it is hardy, vigorous and ideal for new ponds.

Curled pondweed [Potamogeton erispus)

The long, crinkled leaves can be slow to establish, but are very sturdy, making the plant particularly good for ponds with waterfalls or fountains.

Hornwort [Ceratophyllum demersum)

This free-floating plant has dark green, feathery foliage, and may need securing by tying to a stone or weight.

Water milfoil (Myriophyllum aquaticum)

There are about 40 different water milfoils worldwide, all making superb perennial oxygenating plants with attractive blue-green or brown fern-like leaves in artistic whorls. But there are only a small handful that are regularly found in our domestic outdoor ponds.

Myriophyllum aquaticum is the most commonly seen, with very dense ferny foliage that emerges stiffly from the water. It is a tropical species and tends to die back in winter to dormant crowns that rest well beneath the surface of the water. These crowns then re-emerge in spring.

Herbs could be beneficial for you and you can also learn how to design a formal herb garden and also how to build a beach in your garden. Enjoy beaching within your house.

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Most people are not familiar with the different kinds of herbs. Some thought that herb plants are only used for cooking. Some are not aware that they can also be used for medical and for spiritual purposes. With this piece of writing, you will broaden your knowledge about the various types of herbs, their uses and the benefits we can get from them.

Like any other kinds of plants herbs go through the life cycle of plants. They are also categorized as annuals, biennials and perennials. This classification system lets you know how a specific plant goes throughout the cycle. If you are curious and want to find out more about herb plants it is a must that you study or do your research, since each herb is unique from one another.

Do not expect to do the same treatment or care for each herb, since each has different cycles to follow. Like annuals, they cannot live in a cold place. They are also the types of plants that grow from seed to seed. Cilantro and basil are just some common examples of annual herbs. Unlike annuals, perennials can grow and survive in frosty places. They keep on seeding and blooming for a couple of years. Winter savory and sage are considered as perennials herbs. Biennial herbs take two years to complete a life cycle. Favorite biennial herbs are caraway and parsley.

Most common uses of herbs are for culinary, medicinal, religious or spiritual and as pesticides. Culinary herbs are the most popular among all others. Some of the most wanted culinary herbs are thyme, sage, basil, chives and savory. Due to their flavorful taste, you only need a small amount of these herbs to add zest to different kinds of cuisine. For garnishing parsley won the title for the most used decoration for dish styling.

Herbs are also known for their wonderful smell, that is why they are commonly used for aromatic oils, potpourri and perfumes. Some of the aromatic herbs to use in potpourri are lavender and lemon verbena. Through the years, herbs had been known to be beneficial when it comes to healing or medicinal needs. Even in the past, Chinese herbal medicine has been greatly used to cure some sickness and has been proven to be effective. Herbs are also known to be a great help to some gardeners. Because some herbs like spearmint, penny royal and peppermint are well known to keep pests like ants, flees, mice and moth away. They are usually planted surrounding the house. Another kind of herbs is the ornamentals that are distinguished by their vibrant colors.

Although most herbs are useful to our everyday lives, not all of them are safe for human consumption. That is why it is very important to carefully choose the herbs you are about to use, may it be for culinary, medicinal and ornamental. By learning the different uses of each herb, you will be sure to enjoy the many wonderful things this plants can offer, just always be vigilant with those that has toxins in it.

Fodhil is a herb gardening enthusiast and experimental, and love to share idea in herb gardening topics.

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Every type of plant needs a basic amount of nutritious ingredients, much like the human body, in order to function and grow. It doesn’t matter if you plant in the spring, summer or fall; plants need a continuous flow of nutrients to keep them healthy and strong.

Some of the most vital elements to healthy plants of all types are nitrogen, which helps stimulate growth, and phosphorus, which helps plants to form healthy, strong roots and potassium to help develop bloom and foliage. In addition to these basic necessities, plants also need a wide range of micro nutrients, or trace elements, that may be lacking in many garden soils and fertilizers, as well as potting mixes. The most common of these trace elements are copper, magnesium, boron, and iron. These trace elements serve plants in the same way they serve humans. Such invisible yet vital elements help to fight against disease.

Seasons have a lot to do with the need for extra nutrients as well. For example, the rising temperatures of late spring and early summer helps buds grow. Still, those buds will need extra nutrients to form properly. In addition, the root of the plant will grow longer as well, seeking out those extra nutrients so that it can send them to the buds. In a container, there’s nowhere to go – so you need to supply those extra nutrients to the soil for that wonderful growth spurt.

If the soil in your container pot is well drained and rich in nutrients as well as moisture, those buds and roots will develop into healthy, beautiful plants.

Because container plants have even more specialized needs and because they are only able to utilize the soils and mixes that are available in its container, it is up to the gardener to know how and when to provide those extra nutrients. Because of this, and the fact that even the best potting soil may be lacking in some of the basic essentials for optimal growth and health, and those nutrients tend to leak out as you water, a container plant needs special attention and care.

Using a specially formulated and high-quality potting mix will give your plants a good head start, because they contain continuous release ingredients that will feed your plants slowly and steadily over a period of time.

However, feeding your container plants, vegetables and herbs doesn’t stop there. You may need to water certain types of plants on a weekly basis to ensure a constant flow of nutrition into your container. There are many different types and forms of plant food, from slow release to liquid and dry forms. We’ll introduce those in a moment.

However, no matter which form of plant food you end up choosing, it’s important to know how often to add these nutritious elements to your plant. For example, vegetables and annuals and perennials often need to be fed weekly, while herbs can be fed around every other week according to need. Trees and shrubs can get by with an extra feeding once a month. Before you start feeding everything in your container garden, make sure that you are neither under nor over feeding specific plants.

While plant food adds nutrients and enzymes to your container plants, which is a good thing, as with anything, too much of a good thing can be bad. The same goes for plant food. Too much plant food can kill your plants. It may cause the edges of leaves to yellow and curl, and even stunt the growth of certain species. It’s always a good idea to follow package directions of any type of plant food or fertilizer and if you’re still not sure, ask an expert.

Copyright © Larry Gildea, All Rights Reserved.

Dr.Larry Gildea has authored several articles on gardening. Dr. Gildea has created these gardening websites, [http://www.gardeningbonanza.com]

Gardening Bonanza.com covers many types of gardening, including, bonsai design and cultivation, container gardening, flower gardening, rose gardening, hydroponics gardening and several others – [http://www.organicgardensystems.com]

Organic Garden Systems.com is dedicated exclusively to organic gardening. And in his blog, [http://larryseasygardening.com]

Dr. Gildea discusses all types of gardening.

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