Catherinet, is your Thalia, Thalia delbata?

Yes, I think so.

instead of buying new plants, you could pay a teenager to do the dividing with your supervision

My seven yr old granddaughter helped me with the dividing this spring...I was amazed at how much help she could really be.

Catherine - I absolutely GET what you are saying, girl! As I age, I simply don't have the energy or strength to wrestle large pots, etc. I did find a neighbor kid who will do alot for me. I pay him a bit here and there to lift, tote and dig, BUT I have also really simplified, simplified, simplified my gardening and ponding. Before, my entire yard was full of gardens and ponds and water features. Since the move, and a much smaller yard, I am planning and planting ONCE using shrubs and periennials. Before I used to just buy and plant and then rearrange and replant. Now I am PLANNING, then planting because I'm only doing this one time. I am leaving pockets here and there for annuals and pots which I hope will satisfy my need to dig, but the big planting days are over. I'm doing an above ground pond to fill the watergardening need, but even there I'm pitching at the end of the season and buying new the following year.
I found with the big yard, the last few years, I never got "done." And it worried me all summer. Now, I can get done and actually enjoy the fruits of my labor. Doing more with birdfeeders and squirrel feeders to give me more to watch and do.
I guess "there is a time for every season under Heaven..." At first I was frustrated and unhappy with the changes. Now, it is totally ok. Decided to be fine with "being" instead of "doing." Good luck with your yard!

Yup, there are some brutes which while its very nice to know they are such reliable plants and perty too, after a few years they can be a huge challenge to lift and divide.

If you can get a rope round them, you might try using a riding mower or tow truck to pull them out of a natural pond. Recruiting sturdy assistants for half a day might cost some suitable barbecue!

Placing a sturdy pedestal besides the bulky plant, with a plank going to the pond side allows the brute to lift in one go on to the plank and rest long enough to drain most of the water out, then its going to be a lot less weight and easier to slide the bulk along the plank and out of the pond

$10 a plant? whoa? neat well trimmed starts of those are going to be easier to find at a better price on ebay!

Thanks everyone,

Yes Pat, I'm at that point. What good is having something if its just a huge weight on your shoulders? I end up cursing the things I'm supposed to love! So I'm trying to simplify. I think its just like you said.......before you give up some things you think you'll be so unhappy without them. But if you just give it a try, you find that you are fine..........even better, without all that hassle.

I've even written myself notes warning me to not give in to that spring yearning for more, more, more. Finding those desperate notes I've left myself last Fall help to keep me a bit more balanced in my choices.
I hope you can enjoy your new place!

Well, if you ever want to get rid of any of it, let me know.

I agree with Pat. What with allergies, Fibromyalgia, Lyme Disease and a broken back my metabolism is just not up to it any more. I'm planning to hire some help this season to see if I can satisfy my need to do projects. You would think at the age of 68 I would be looking for an apartment but I look at a DIY program and get the bug again.

Hey Guys - Age has a way of smacking you in the teeth, huh? It's all good tho'. I LOVE DIY things, always have. Now my projects are just a little smaller and less physically demanding. My goal was always to DO something. And it was always ongoing so I never really got done. Now I am planning better, doing it once with the goal to get done and enjoy it. Kinda fun. I can make that big push once and really overextend myself if I know I won't be doing it again next week! So what if I don't have 2 ponds and 3 water features? I have one and it's great. SO what if my yard isn't totally landscaped? I have a few beautiful beds and pots. Up side of all this, I don't worry about what I haven't gotten done and should have, but I'm just too tired! No more stressing. Whew! What a relief!

I have decided after only one year, that I don't want messy plants in my small pond, so am just going with water lilies and an oxygenator or 2. I have 1/2 acre I am trying to landscape so the pond is my biggest source of enjoyment, I don't wanna have to slave over it(I just realized, ponds are a no weeding zone!)I say Don't feel guilty, just do it the way you want, $10 is cheaper than hiring someone!!! And quicker,...more time to relax and enjoy!

It may not help your situation any but I've been toying with the idea of running down to the hardware store and buying some vinyl roping. I figure that I can remove a pot easier from the bottom of my pond if i can get a metal rod with hook and pull on a vinyl rope that's attached to a black pot.

If I can get my pots out, (yes, one more time) and drill a hole in the top edge, one on each side, I don't know why I couldn't back-knot a handle-connection on each side... then I'd just have to carefully pull the heavy pot out. It's still work but I wouldn't have to go underwater to get the at the things.

Just a thought.

Good one, too!

Most pots with a handle I can latch onto with a hook of some sort seem to just float to the top with no effort. It is when it reaches the air that it gets heavy.

Yeah, it's probably a function of buoyancy... but I need all the help I can get because some of my pots are really darn big... and if another helper doesn't have to get in the water with me then I find that those helpers are easier to come by. :))

I have fibromyalgia and a ton of plants in a small garden. I decided a long time ago that I was not going to stress out over my ponds. I don't stress gunk in the water nor overgrown plants. In my biggest pond I planted almost everything right into the rocks and just let it go. It is partially shaded so has not ever gotten completely overgrown. I do "weed" the parrot's feather and water celery every year but there are no pots to lift. Waterlilies never grew well in this pond (too much shade) so I grow them in smaller ponds in the front where I've put dirt over the liner. Again, no pots to lift. Some are five years old this year and still don't need dividing. I don't do half the chores many others do on their ponds and I bet you could not tell if you visited. We built the first one in 1996 and it still has rocks on the bottom and water so clear you can see the neighbor's pine cones down there too. The fish and frogs don't care and neither do I.