Four Water Hyacinths In Bloom

A friend last year talked us into accepting her gifts of water hyacinths and guppies after I had admired them at her home, and that's how we began with this (and another) container. Now we feed the guppies every day and marvel at the beautiful flowers which bloom almost daily. Yesterday my partner insisted I photograph the most blooms we've ever had in one day: Four! He's in love with these blooms.

A note about yesterday's photo: this photo was from my archives as well, and the model had a good laugh upon seeing it on my blog, saying, "It was so 80's!" True...so true! I'll post more current ones of her and more Maui beauties once I get back into my photography.

Lately I've been extremely busy with many projects, and my photography and blogging have been taking a back seat to these other pursuits. About the only thing I have had much time for is microblogging: Twitter and Plurk.

If you'd like to friend me & join on Twitter and Plurk, click on the links.

Now I'm off to the beach as I'm desperately in need of some Down-Time! I might bring my camera...

Our New Family Member, the Water Hyacinth

We admired the beautiful water hyacinths growing in great big containers at a friend's home, and our lovely friend offered to give us some cuttings along with the guppies who live in this eco-system. This past Saturday we took her up on her offer and collected the cuttings and guppies. Bringing them home and installing them in our own container, the VERY next day the flower bloomed....and it only lasted one day!

Here is the description from the Water Garden Shop:

"Delicate flowers that usually last only a day, grace this plant with bluish to lilac blooms marked with yellow peacock center eyes on 6 in. spikes at the center of a rosette of glossy green, bulbous leaves. Air pockets in the bulbous areas keep the plant afloat. Long thick black roots trail to provide spawning and hiding places for fish. Another benefit is the nutrient absorbing qualities of the plant. Good for placement in the pond early as possible to get ahead of the algae. Typical to tropicals it requires heat and sunlight to flourish and bloom. A vigorous reproducer, you will need to thin out older plants. Will not winter over in most climates unless brought indoors to ample light and warm water above 70 degrees."