OK, my KOI pond is going on its 7th season and would really like to plant it up nice. So I am asking for advice. All ideas welcome.
This is for Zone 7A Full sun most of the day.
First a little background (photos) to help.
Water is pumped from the pond into the veggie filter.
the water comes up from the bottom
through Bio Media, first the scrubbies
then filter pads
then overflows into the pond through three tubes. The dwell time is sufficient, not too fast not too slow
The upper Veggie Filter has filter pads, lava rock, and pea gravel as biomedia. The water is pumped directly from the main pond and empties into the lower veggie filter.
Here is the pond in 2012, the Chinese Fan Palm died
2013
2014
I switched the veggie filter over from flowering plants to a Aquaponic Veggie garden, peppers do well here I also added a Laurel in the back outside of the pond in 2013 to replace the chinese fan palm. (Will this Laurel get too big, Should I replace it with something else?)
2015
I rebuilt the water planter on the step, I usually grow Gerbera Daisies, Sunpatients and red kale in this planter. I also added a "Wendy Filter" and don't run the plants the whole length of the back of the pond.
I don't have bubblers or anything to disturb the surface of the water with the exception of the Wendy Filter, this way I enjoy the fish
I have water Lilies and other type lilies in cloth type pots that sit in milk crates, these milk crates sit on top of another milk crate that is cut out on all sides to allow hiding spots for the KOI. The crates were heated with a torch to remove sharp edges from the cutting process.
2016
So I am looking for advice... I want to keep the veggie filter for my peppers with the exception of the back pot by the wall, this will either be Calla Lilies or the Canna 'Australia' , I like the Canna the best but $29.00 for one plant is a bit steep. I really like the grown in look, but really want to keep putting my peppers in here.
I also put in water hyacinths in the main pond and water lettuce in the veggie filter.
Looks good. Here we can put in horsetails but they are invasive so you have to keep dividing it and keep it contained, papyrus ( I don't know if it is hardy where you are, water lilies, and taro (elephant ear). Wet land taro is what poi is made from. There are different varieties some are edible some are not depending on how much oxalic acid they have. The taro will need to be caged to keep the fish from eating it. You could grow rice in the pond.