Overwinter Water Plants

One year I left my water hyacinths in our pond over winter and they froze. What should I do to keep them alive? I'm also trying to overwinter water lettuce and duckweed.

—Barbara Ray, Vidalia, Georgia

Melinda: Many common water plants, including water hyacinths, water lettuce and some species of duckweed, are tropical. They can't survive winter outdoors except in regions where the water stays quite warm. In those areas, these plants flourish so well they sometimes become weeds and should be used only in contained ponds. To overwinter these plants in other areas, place them in an indoor aquarium. Make sure the water is warm and filtered, and use artificial lights to supplement or replace natural sunlight. Then move the plants back outside in spring once air and water temperatures are consistently warm.