Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - Iris vs Pickerel

Have a 1/2 acre (.41) pond that has a retaining wall and river rock border. More of a formal/manicured look. Been trying to build & increase structure/habitat and increase the overall "ecosystem". (Have done several homemade artificial structure, just feel there's a lack of habitat for fry.) There is no vegetation due to too many Amur from previous owner(s). Under the wall is rip-rap. Appropriately steep edges all the way around down to a consistently flat 7.5-8' depth.

Have tried water lilies without success. Assumed due to the Amur, but caged them in chicken wire, no luck, and then tried another time with snow fence securing a corner with no chance of Amur getting to them. Still no luck. They grow but then something starts cutting the pads off. No turtles. Only thing I can think of is I did have a few Muscovy Ducks. I don't have them anymore so going to try one more time this year in the fenced area and see how it goes with larger plants to start. But just in case and as a backup..

Brings me to my question... I'd like to get some sort of bog or submerged plant going in the back left and right corner of the picture. Something that will be more likely to establish and less likely to be effected by Amur. However, it needs to have a bit of a "clean" appearance to fit in opposed to some some of the other "weedy" looking options. I THINK I've narrowed it down to Iris Versicolor (likely the new "Purple Flame" variety introduced in 2020) or Pickerel Weed/Rush.

Thoughts? Opinions? Differences? Pros? Cons? Etc...

NE Ohio

Both Iris versicolor and pickerel are about as good as it gets when establishing pond plants.

Triumphing through adversity, the aquatic iris have no problem coping with whatever the worst weather can do. Extreme heat, cold, Days of storms, torrential rain, hail, no problem... They reach for the sky!


The iris has a deer resistant sap, while the pickerel is very popular with pollinators

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Andrew, it's good to see you back here!!

Also consider variegated sweet flag. I have quite bit available for you to try and get it started. It will grow hydroponically in the rock/stones around in the stone ledge. Iris and pickerel weed are good.

Comment about a comment.
"For plants that spread by root or rhizome, planting in pots or planting rings can work to prevent spreading." IMO this should read:
For plants that spread ONLY by root or rhizome, planting in pots or planting rings can work to prevent AND REDUCE spreading.

Plants that produce fertile seeds will spread despite growing in pots or rings. One very good example is the yellow water iris (Iris pseudacorus). They are very good at spreading by their seeds and actually by many considered as a rampant and invasive species. Numerous other species are in the fertile seed category. Another example is the native white water lily that spreads by both fragmented rhizome (buds) and fertile seeds. Note IMO hybrid water lilies very rarely have fertile seeds that easily sprout new plants. Hybridized lilies could have infertile seeds?
How to hybridize water lilies - search
Water Lily Hybridization Kirk Strawn, PhD

Personally a fan of the Pickerelweed. It seems to have done well so far. Looking forward to see how it comes back next spring but at this point it's three gold stars from me.

We had some success with the plants we put in this year but the pickerel weed looks to be in the best shape by far right now.

Pickerel Weed Growing Zones

Pickerel rush (Pontederia cordata) is a native North American plant with a wide zone range in USDA plant hardiness zones 3 to 10.

USDA Growing Zones

Basically the entire US. I'm guessing there might be some instances where elevation may play into it way up there in the mountains or out there in the desert. Looks to have the ability to grow damn near anywhere though.

4CP,

If you ever find yourself around Leadville/Buena Vista area try fishing the Arkansas for browns and keep a look out for wild iris blooming in the May through June time frame. IIRC there are meadows north of Twin Lakes between Buena Vista and Leadville that periodically flood and support the wild iris. They don't grow tall but have a bright blue to blueish purple flower. IIRC there is a county road that veers left from the hiway that leads to the old Leadville fish hatchery. The iris are in meadows on the East side of that road. Being mountain acclimated, they may also do well for you.

Thanks for your comments guys.

FishinRod,

Our frost line appears to be very shallow. I've never found frozen soil deeper than 6". Authorities consider it to be a couple of feet however. We have few days in winter that stay below freezing all day. We don't have continuous snow cover, but when the air temps are below 32 for a period, there is generally a blanket of snow.
Our horticultural irises do very well.

I did plant the yellow water irises on the north bank of the pond. Almost all of our shoreline drops straight down about a foot at the full pool point. The bank seems to be stabilized by the intertwined roots of a thick growing fine stemmed rush, or cattails and bulrushes. I've tried to get three cornered bulrush established without success. Rather than plant on that vertical bank, perhaps I need to try planting on the pond bottom itself? That would be in about 1 foot of water at full pool. As our climate is very nearly desert, I may have to water plantings in the late winter and early spring when the exposed pond bottom is at its driest?

We do have two Mancos shale outcroppings. Fossils we've found include only shells, no shark teeth yet. A neighbor several hundred yards away has big ammonites on his place, 20" in diameter or greater.

jpsdad, we see extensive patches of those lovely wild irises in some large meadows at somewhat higher elevation, and the plants are abundant up in our Ponderosa pine woods in many swales. I've transplanted some which have dwindled and disappeared over the years. I'll have to try again, placing them in spots I can water in winter and spring.