Six months with Water Hyacinth — what I actually learned

I brought Water Hyacinth home six months ago with high hopes and almost no knowledge. The first challenge was understanding dividing overcrowded plants every two or three years in spring — something I hadn't expected to matter so much. Once I got that right, the whole thing settled down.

I grow it in a formal ornamental pond with clear water and reflections and the position has been ideal. extraordinary flower forms rising above or floating on the water is what keeps drawing me back to it. overwintering dormancy in the pond bed was the moment that made me glad I persisted through the learning curve. One honest warning: blanketweed algae competing for nutrients in established ponds caught me off guard in month two. Stay on top of it from the start.