I am quite pleased with the way the hydrangeas are filling in the bank above the pond and below the hwy. They are much better suited for that extreme environment compared to Rhododendron. That said, there are numerous rhodos that appear to really thrive. Road salt and full sun make it better suited for hydrangeas.
The entire pond on the other hand is a bit disappointing. I have several ideas to prevent this in the future. Step one is me taking aquatics pesticide training and certification on September 10th. After that, I am going to personally take over the treatment of the lake. Next week, we may use rakes and a boat to see if we can skim some of that material off the surface. The weed we are dealing with is known as Bladderwort. What you are looking at is actually dead. The lack of rain isn't allowing the lake to be flushed out as frequently as it normally does during typical Highlands summers of 100" of rain. It is my hope the lake will really improve in the next few weeks.