This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Purple pond plants - help needed!
Henatron
Posts: 37
Pond plant experts! I have a small pond of around 8' x 4' and 2'6" deep in the widest part (for wildlife, not fish), built in 2020 (lockdown project!) but am struggling with the leaves of plants turning purple, so I think there might be a deficiency of some type in the water. I planted 2 water lilies in 2020 and last year their leaves came up purple, but I just thought I must have bought purple-leaved ones in the first place. I bought a new, bright green one as a nice contrast and added that, and it looked great to start with but by the end of the summer all it's leaves - both old and new - had turned purple too. Photo below from summer last year, showing the two original lilies at the front and the new one at the back (before it turned purple).
This spring all three water lilies (whose first leaves have recently reached the surface) are very purple, as was the marsh marigold (photo below) when it started growing (although that has now greened up a bit). Both my water forget-me-not and water mint also have purple-tinged leaves too. All have much smaller leaves than they should and just don't look healthy.
I live near Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland so in pretty much the coldest part of the UK (UK H6 hardiness), so my other suspicion is the very cold water temperature? In February 2021 the ice on the pond was 7" thick! Nothing like that this past winter, but it will still be far colder over winter than most gardeners' ponds on average, and liable to get a thin layer of ice overnight anytime right through May (hasn't done this May though). But the water does get quite warm in the summer too so I suspect a deficiency in something in the water is much more likely.
The pH of the water is around 6.5 and our tap water comes straight off the hill so isn't treated in any way - but I only have to top up the pond very occasionally anyway so it is primarily rain water. I use a solar powered mini pump thing through the summer to keep a bit of water movement, so algae has not been a problem so far - the water is pretty clear.
Help! Any suggestions? Would be nice to have green waterlilies rather than purple ones - and for everything to look like it's thriving rather than just struggling on.
This spring all three water lilies (whose first leaves have recently reached the surface) are very purple, as was the marsh marigold (photo below) when it started growing (although that has now greened up a bit). Both my water forget-me-not and water mint also have purple-tinged leaves too. All have much smaller leaves than they should and just don't look healthy.
I live near Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland so in pretty much the coldest part of the UK (UK H6 hardiness), so my other suspicion is the very cold water temperature? In February 2021 the ice on the pond was 7" thick! Nothing like that this past winter, but it will still be far colder over winter than most gardeners' ponds on average, and liable to get a thin layer of ice overnight anytime right through May (hasn't done this May though). But the water does get quite warm in the summer too so I suspect a deficiency in something in the water is much more likely.
The pH of the water is around 6.5 and our tap water comes straight off the hill so isn't treated in any way - but I only have to top up the pond very occasionally anyway so it is primarily rain water. I use a solar powered mini pump thing through the summer to keep a bit of water movement, so algae has not been a problem so far - the water is pretty clear.
Help! Any suggestions? Would be nice to have green waterlilies rather than purple ones - and for everything to look like it's thriving rather than just struggling on.
0
Posts
Mine look exactly the same. That previous winter was colder than usual, although not totally out of the ordinary. It shouldn't affect them long term though.
How is Aviemore looking today ?
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The original two lilies have remained purple the entire time (this is their 3rd year now), even when the water was fairly warm, so I don't think it's to do with the cold, although that's presumably not helping. The green one in the pic was planted mid-summer when the water wasn't cold, but had gone purple-ish by a few months later and this year is way worse, with pathetic tiny leaves (as is the mint, marigold etc). If it was a 'normal' plant I'd say a phosphorus deficiency, but I don't know too much about pond plants!
Some varieties start purple and turn green as they mature, but as yours was already green I’m guessing that doesn’t apply
You can buy water lily fertilisers in tablet form that you just push into the compost in their pot.
I'd agree that the lilies might need feeding, and maybe aren't deep enough.
Certainly, where you are, the season is much shorter again, and much colder, so it might be difficult for some plants to grow as readily and as healthily than most other parts. It might be that everything just won't thrive as well as it might. Is the pond in the sunniest site you can have it? Those areas of the NE are the coldest anywhere in the UK, which makes it much harder for many plants in general.
I was just saying to someone else yesterday who was commenting about the wind, that it's been much windier than usual for May. A bit like last year - April and May seem to have swapped their weather again. Hopefully it'll settle down a bit.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...