The same colleague who gifted me the dwarf lilies has also given me some disused floating aquatic planters. These are designed for growing bare-rooted marginal plants; with the theory that the roots will grow down and are suspended in the water column with the foliage spilling over the ring, forming a floating island of vegetation. These planters are ideal for cultivating edible aquatic herbs like mint, English and Lebanese water cress, and reportedly good for removing excess nutrients from the water. English cress is supposed to be the best aquatic for removing nutrients, as it grows actively over winter while most aquatic plants are dormant.
I had previously bought some English water cress from Coles and placed it in the pond, but it was struggling to stay afloat and wasn’t doing great. I got two new bunches of cress and added them all directly to the new baskets after rinsing them in clean water.
They have wilted slightly in the bright winter sunlight, but look to be recovering. I am hoping that the rings and foliage will provide potential nesting sites for the paradise fish, while the roots provide refuge for any fry.
