Returned to Anacharis after a difficult first attempt

My first attempt at Anacharis failed — frost damage on tender varieties left in shallow water got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again.

The second attempt, with proper attention to dividing overcrowded plants every two or three years in spring, has been completely different. It's now thriving in a half-barrel water garden for a small patio and extraordinary flower forms rising above or floating on the water is on full display. first leaf pads emerging at the water surface in spring this year was a genuine reward for starting again. If you failed first time, the plant isn't the problem — the conditions probably were.