Winterizing a Pond

Annual plants such as water lettuce and water hyacinth will not make it through the winter season, so pull them out and throw them in the compost heap. As for lilies, you've spent enough money on those, and you'll want to do what you can to save them. Happily, it's very easy to overwinter them. First, pull them out of the pond. The next part is the hardest: cut down all the foliage including the buds, but don't throw the buds out. Put them in a dish of water, and if you're lucky, they might bloom. Once you've cut off all the stems, place the water lilies in a tub with just enough water to cover the crown of the plant. Store them in the basement or a cool location and keep the plants moist throughout the winter.

If you want to try to winterize your bog plants, bring most of them indoors and treat as houseplants. They need to stay moist in a well-lit room. Papyrus does great indoors. As for iris, you have a couple of options: you can just leave it in the pond to freeze, or you can take the pot out and plant in your garden.

If your pond doesn't totally freeze in the winter, you can leave the fish, and they'll do just fine. Otherwise, use a net to catch them and put them in a tub of water immediately. It's best if the water is from your pond; that way the water temperature will be the same, and you will avoid shocking the fish. It's best to store the tub in the basement with water temperature of 55 degrees or lower. Add a small pump for the fish.

As you're draining your pond, pay attention: you may find some fish that you didn't know were there.

Now that we've removed the plants and fish, it's time to drain the pond. Just take the hose from the pump, put it over the side and let the water drain out. Once the pond is drained and all the fish are out, use a hose to spray off algae and any other debris. Remove the pump and put it in a bucket of water in garage. Every couple of weeks, plug it in and allow the water to circulate; this will keep the gaskets nice and hydrated.

Once you get the pond cleaned, you can leave it as is, or fill it back up with water and let it freeze, or you can lay plywood over the top. Either way, you'll want to clean the pond one more time in the spring so you can enjoy it again when warm weather arrives.