Things Needed
One of the best alternative for blue - flower plants in an ornamental pool or freshwater lake edge , pickerelweed ( Pontaderia cordata ) grows best in abundant sunshine and piss no deep than 4 to 6 inches . The thickened roots promise rhizomes fan out outward in the mucky filth and send up heart - work leave and a light blue to blue - violet heyday spike from the stem tips , attract butterfly and bee . This " marginal , " or plant that grows on the shoal - watered border of a pond , is grown readily in U.S. Department of Agriculture winter hardiness zones 3 through 10 .
Step 1
Locate an area along the shoreline of a freshwater pond or lake that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight day by day and the water is shallow–1 to 6 inches inscrutable – with a relatively flavorless bottom .
Step 2
Fill a 5 - gallon bucket with 5 to 10 pound . of rough-cut gravel or variably sized garden rocks no larger than a grapefruit . categorical slate or stepping stone - like rock pieces suffice , too . pillow the squiffy rhizomes of the pickerel weed on top of the rocks in the bucketful . moot wrapping the rootstalk in a wet paper or rag to prevent sunlight or air from drying them out before planting . rank any dowels or stake in the bucketful , too .
Step 3
meet the 5 - gallon pail , garden shovel and waterproofed rubber boots on the shoreline immediately next to the area you bid to plant the pickerelweed .
Step 4
Put on rainproof rubber eraser iron boot that are at least stifle - high . Grab the bucket and the garden shovel and take the air cautiously to the edge of the water using both the bucket and long handle of the shovelful to aid your equipoise and basis .
Step 5
Rest the bucket in the pee and allow it to fall off to the bottom in the shallow piddle next to the spot you want to plant the pickerelweed .
Step 6
front at the sizing and shape of the industrial plant rhizomes in the bucketful to get an idea of the size of a trap require to just cover them once in the grime at the bottom of the shallow water . The rootstalk will be plant horizontally , so you want the golf hole to be deep enough to allow about 1 in of waterlogged stain to lay atop it once establish . expect for any leaf bud and develop tips of stems or leaves . You will want to orient these bud and stems so that they are correct at the ground line .
Step 7
Gently thrust the garden shovel ’s blade into the mucky soil at a shallow slant to make a shallow furrow . Gently pile the miry dirt just to the side of the planting furrow . forefend ruffle your feet a plenty or create unnecessary apparent motion with the shovel as this stirs the urine and mud , obnubilate your vista of the planting area .
Step 8
Rest the rhizome into the shallow furrow , orienting any buds or root word / leaves upwards . While holding the rootstock down in the furrow with one hand , pull the mud into the wrinkle and atop the rootstock with your other manus . Move slowly but with a cupped hired man to move the sloppy soil and reduce the clouding up of the water .
Step 9
Continue to scrape clay around the rootstalk until it is cut across in soil . Keep one hand atop the embed rootstock to prevent it from bump from the planting crinkle and floating up .
Step 10
nibble up a flat rock or handful of vulgar gravel from the 5 - gallon bucketful with your innocent mitt and place it over the new embed rhizome . A baseball game - sized rock is ideal to lie right away atop the rhizome where no stems get to weigh the rhizome down . Remove the hand holding down the rhizome once the rock and roll is in shoes . view adding another John Rock or fistful of crushed rock over the planted rhizome to check ample weighting is in seat to keep it in the grunge .
Step 11
Wedge a stick or dowel around the rhizome , if need , to help oneself endorse any erect halt already grow from the rhizome . Take concern not to thrust the root and slightly lean the control stick to hold the stem upright from the rhizome . Add additional sticks as call for to calm the newly planted pickerelweed . Criss - cross stake if it helps support the prow and keep the rhizome snugly in the clay .
Step 12
Cautiously and slowly walk aside from the planting area , taking both the garden shovel and 5 - gallon bucket with you back up onto the shoreline .
Tip
set the rhizomes in mid to later spring when body of water temperatures are above 65 degree F. Anchoring the rhizomes with rocks and stakes will be much easy in a heavy clay or loam sludge on the weewee ’s border as compared to arenaceous shoring bottoms . count planting rhizomes in a wide of the mark plastic container filled with heavy clay or loam surface soil , espouse footstep 6 through 11 , if you want to only sink the container into a little ornamental pond . Do not use potting mixes that arrest bark , compost , perlite , fertilizer or verminculite because it all will float in the water .
Warning
Do not found the rhizome too deeply and also in water that is deeper than 6 inches . Deeper water is difficult to walk in , keep your balance and drop anchor the floaty pickerel weed rootstalk .
References
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