Plant question..

[livetogarden]

Since my fish froze because of the extreme winter we had does this mean I lost my plants also? Or maybe dealing with the fish loss is enough info for right now. Maybe I don't want the answer to this plant question. I swear if I lost them too I may just leave it as a fishless, plantless pond from now on. Man....wouldn't that be attractive!? 

[SueSTx]

I doubt that you have lost all your plants.

We were down to -6* with a -30* wind chill.  I have lilies in stocktanks above the ground with only 18" water.  I had ice down to the tops of the tubs my hardy lilies were in.  There is only one I'm not sure about, and I'm not writting it off yet. 

WAIT  ...  time will tell.

I went out and pulled the Perry's Orange Sunset!  There are new little plantlets coming up from the tuber.  It is definately alive.  I bet your plants are too.

[tranquility]

I doubt you've lost many either...you may have lost some that were alittle less cold hardy but, most pond plants are tuff as nails....
Lawanna

[PondmaninAL]

I've had Chromatella freeze in ice in a barrel and come back in Spring.

[livetogarden]

Thanks for giving me hope, you guys. It would be a double whammy to lose plants too....already know I lost the fish.

[Desertponder]

Yeah, last winter my one big stock tank froze nearly solid and I didn't lose anything that was in it and that included lilies, cattails, parrots feather, iris, etc.
I don't think you'll lose all your plants.

[Bearb]

What kind of plants are we talking about? My Iris was growing through the ice this winter, the stonecrop on my waterfall has already begun to spread out. . . I have hosta and horsetail that freeze each year and come back. This year I forgot to sink my pickerell down for the winter. I'm not too concerned because the two I forgot last year came back (albiet slower than the others).

I'm sure any (hardy) lillies will be fine unless they froze solid. I bet if you listed what you have someone here will be able to share an experience with each plant and freezing.

[miguynmkoi]

Now how is it that I can lose plants without your freezing temps?     Waterlilies?  Forget about it!  They go mushy just at the mention of winter here!?!  You all impress the heck out of me!  Must go out and give the remaining waterlilies a pep talk.  Oh how embarrassing! 

[Bearb]

miguynmkoi are you talking about hardy or tropical lilies? What do you mean by mushy? I can't imagine a hardy dying in SoCal from cold weather. Are the rhizomes getting mushy or just the part of the plant that is above the soil?

[tranquility]

If your having that much trouble with a hardy---I'd suspect lily rot...its one of those things you  hear about but, seldom really know anyone who has had it...but, it is a possibility....
 of course if they are trops--well I got rid of all my trops a few years back...they were just too much trouble to winter over....and I got tired of finding mushy lilies in the spring time....
Lawanna

[miguynmkoi]

Sorry, I should have said my trops are going mushy.  The hardies are as the name implies very hardy.

It seems that only a few trops survive but barely.  They do not perform very well and it seems a let down after receiving so many beautiful specimens from Kat (definitely not Kat's fault).  I'm just not doing something right for them. 

I'm thinking that this year I will work with what I have left and hope they will bloom.

[Bearb]

That makes more sense. I don't keep trops. so I can't help you. . .

[tranquility]

you may try making a pvc frame and putting plastic over the pond during the winter...I know you live in CA. but, not sure what zone....I know Gary is able to over winter a few of his by doing that and he lives here in Oklahoma...it would be worth a try....
Lawanna

[SueSTx]

SoOC / SoCAL, Zone 10b

   I would have thought tropicals would have kept in your zone   

[PondmaninAL]

SoOC / SoCAL, Zone 10b

   I would have thought tropicals would have kept in your zone   

Yeah, they should have, Sue. I had tropicals that I kept in the pond during the Winter in Florida and they would come back in Spring and that was zone 9a.