Without ceremony, the floating island was launched, today.
November 2019 and the duckweed returned with the advent of summer. And how! 24 November saw the launch of the floating island, the plants of which are intended to be nutrient strippers, to help clear the water, as well as be decorative.
Pond Pickerel (pontederia cordata) should give some lovely spikes of blue flowers, later in the season. Around the edges, the other plant (sweetflag), did not like being out of the water that long. It was two weeks from building the floating island to launching it in the pond.
The framework is a discarded plastic pallet. Floatation courtesy of eight soft drink bottles. Old wire netting, doubled, stops the growing media from falling out. Eventually - I hope - the roots of the plants will bind the bark chips together. The scraps of netting on the top are to stop the ducks digging.
