One day this will be a pond

[miguynmkoi]

The hallway and pond look fabulous!  The floor pattern is great! 

Orchids and ferns in a large shallow baskets hanging from above over the hallway would look styling.  How's about a wide but narrow half basket on the wall over the pond.

Your pool looks wonderful too!  Nice planning.  Is the pipe sticking out of the wall over the pool for a water spout?  I can see places for all the palms you collect!  You're taking on a resort home feel!

[Jonna]

Mimi's one request for the pool was a rock shelf she could sit on and a waterfall would hit her shoulders.  Supposedly, that is coming and will be where the pvc pipes stick out of the wall.   My one request was for hammock hooks over the deep end between the 2 walls, they are supposedly coming too.  I want to lay in the hammock over the water and roll myself in when it gets too hot.

That's a new idea Annette, you've got me thinking about hanging plants from above.  Those green cross beams in the picture are actually 100+ yo railroad ties that were commonly used in those days to support the roof.  It's not glassed up there, it is open so I could easily hang things from it.  I need to be careful not to block what light there is so that the bog filters can grow and work.   The opening comes up on the patio outside the master bedroom upstairs, there is a concrete shelf about 3' above the opening, thus the filtered light.  Also, that patio has mosquito netting over the top which reduces the light but keeps bugs and bats from coming in the house.  I like bats but apparently their poop is hard to get off and not attractive.  I opted for the smaller netting so I could try and keep mosquitoes out too.

I wonder how it would look to hang a long log from those beams and have orchids on the log.  Thanks for a whole new way to think about this.

[miguynmkoi]

My specialty is spending other people's monies!   And you are very welcomed, Joanna.  Didn't want to make you crazy with ideas but those were the best bet in your design.

The waterfall and hammock in the pool sound like heaven, I'm so jealous.  As for the mosquitoes, I am the great mosquito magnet.  Friends laugh at me when I show up fully clothed on warm evenings for fear of getting eaten alive!  I scratch so much and so hard that I have scars lasting years.    I definitely would go for the smaller netting.

Here are a few photos of orchids planted on rocks which may work on your walls.  You could probably use misters to water the orchids once in a while, this is the method I use on my orchids.

[Jonna]

OMG! Those are gorgeous!     I wonder how they attach the moss stuff.  I was just going to let the roots dangle because I was afraid they would rot if enclosed. Now I don't think so, misters would work and they would drip into the pond, no biggie.  I'm going to have so much fun doing all this, it may be slow as I can't spend a lot on it right away.  A little at a time.  I've bought some furniture because I had zero (been living in an RV and got rid of everything when we left Calif) but the truth is I'd rather buy plants than furniture.  I just know that decision would not go over so well   

I'm saving those pictures for inspiriation.  Thank you.

[marla]

Annette, love the orchid pictures.  I always thought orchids would be hard to care for but bought a few a couple years ago, and absolutely love them, everytime I see them I want more. 
Orchids on your wall Jonna would look lovely and give the wall and give it some simplictic beauty, like art on a wall but with the pond inside the natural look would be spectacular
Jonna, chiclids may be a good choice...I have Yellow Labs an African, which are not as aggressive as some in my community aquarium, they are bright yellow with black dorsal fins. There are many beautifuly colored African Chiclids, Blue Peacock are pretty also and not as aggressive as most chiclids.   Another choice may be Gouramis, like the blues, or even throw in a few of the Red Dwarfs, good schooling fish.  Or how about some Rainbow or Red Tailed sharks also.

[HOWELL]

Hey Joanna your pond  I am sure would look lovely....
If you ever go to mexico city go to xochimilco, there you will find all kinds of plants you are looking for.
P.S. I love the way your house is looking. 

[Jonna]

Thanks Marla and Howell. 

I was in Xochimilco some 30 years ago and I would love to return.  A long visit to the DF is on my list of things to do once this house is done.  It was never easy enough when we lived in the RV.  Visiting a city is usually best done by flying in and out. 

Marla, I wrote those chiclids down.  I'm so happy to get that kind of suggestion.  There are so many to read about I get lost.  I have pretty much decided I should get the African rather than the New World because the ones from here are mainly low PH types that were in jungle rivers.  I did last night discover some that are native to the Yucatan.  They are Jack Dempsey types and really large and very aggressive.    So, I will concentrate on looking for the ones you mentioned. 

[miguynmkoi]

The orchids in the photos were temporary displays at the Bellagio Hotel's atrium in Vegas.  But I watched them screw chicken wire into the (real) stone walls and then use sheets of a variety of moss to hold the plant in place.  They hand misted all the plants!

Here's another photo to wet your design appetite!  Love the colors of the orchids used throughout.

[Jonna]

Yes, the yellow and red really pops on the stone.  Chicken wire, that's a new idea.  I can screw into the wall whether it is rock or concrete, concrete would be easier but either would work.  Perhaps a small, 5" x 5" or 6", piece attached firmly to the wall and then covered with moss, the orchid could be twist tied to the chicken wire.  Easy to switch the orchids. 

[miguynmkoi]

Yeah there you go!    I like the idea of switching out the plants!

[marla]

Jonna, I had Dempsy's once with Convicts..both were aggressive and territorial so neither did much swimming around.  If you want more of a schooling swimming group I'd stay more with the less aggressive/territorial fish

[KatFish]

That's funny, I had lots of convicts and 3 dempsey's in a tank and they were all cool with each other (so long as they stayed in their own 'pits' at breeding time)    Whatever you end up with, it's going to be very cool!!!!

[karen J]

I don't know much about tropical fish, but I do have some Tetras & glass fish, and I adore them.

Jonna, Thanks for posting the pics and the stories. I love the way your house & pond is coming along. If things get stressful, you can go relax in that beautiful pool. 

Annette, Wow! Gorgeous orchids. I was going to ask if that was your backyard.