Hi Ronnie
Thank you for the kind words, I've been doing some work around the pond. Here is a picture up to date. I still want to put a stone walkway around the pond and a Japanese garden feel.

Here is a picture of the top pond. You are correct, water lilies and lotus do not like allot of water flow. You can see the currents path to the two falls. Earlier in the year, I had pots towards the front of the top pond. However the water current was just too much for them. Originally I was planning on putting a big fountain in the center of this pond. I'm afraid now that the current would totally disrupt any hope for water lilies. The water plants on the perimeter of the pond are planted directly in. Be careful what you use, for instant that Elephant ear is poisonous to koi. So you have to keep up on it if you wish to use it.
All other plants are planted in large storage totes. There is no gravel in the pond. Check out the videos at Pondmegastore on Youtube. I found them very helpful.

Hope this helps...Craig

Thanks for the reply.