water garden

        Some time ago, I wrote asking for suggestions for the small plot
between walkways in front of my condo...Thanks to all who sent
suggestions.  This plot had several challenges, most importantly how
sodden it is during winter rains due to a rain chain directing runoff
there. I ended up going for something completely different, along the
lines of "when the world hands you lemons, make lemonade".  With all
that runoff, I decided to make a water garden!  I put a half-wine barrel
under the rain chain and set in a bunch of water plants, like dwarf
papyrus, Cyperus isocladus; horsetail, Equisetum hyemale; some grasses
and water lettuces.  It's too late to put a fish in there now, but I'll
add one next spring when it warms up again to complete my little
ecosystem.
        Then I did a little excavation, digging a drainage trough and
disguising it with a meandering Japanese rockscape, adding a potted
dwarf sedge, Carex conica, and some potted dwarf ribbon grass, Phalaris
arundinacea.  It really turned out quite wonderful!  There's some
manzanita nearby that the gardener pruned to give it that sort of bonsai
look as you approach my door, and beyond that I'm going to make a small
berm and plant more grasses and a few perennials in a front area, which
will then lead you into my secret garden round the side.  I'm a new
gardener so I'm just very proud and excited about this solution, and
wanted to share it with you all.
        The only problem I've had so far is that the water barrel has
become a mosquito nursery with no fish to eat the larvae.  Any
suggestions?  Or should I just wait for cold nights to kill off the
larvae?  Wendy
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