Archive for the 'Ponds' Category
Exciting news for Lotus fans out there. Three new lotus flowers are coming to the United States from China early next year. The lotus selection exploded last spring with over 50 new additions to the typical dozen or so common American varieties. The response was overwhelming, especially with consumers who are from countries where these lotus are so popular, namely Vietnam, China, Thailand, India just to name a few.
The first is Colorful Brodcade, is a beautiful oriental versicolor lotus with dancing petals that swirl around a bright green center. The first day flower has petals that are cream at the base to pink on the outer edge. The flower changes to a rich creamy white and the inner petals are arrayed around the center in a particularly fancy pattern.
This is a small “exquisite bowl / teacup” lotus and should be in a very shallow container in the pond or up on your sun porch or patio. An 8-12″ round shallow container deep enough not to dry out.
Second we have Dasa Jin, A larger variety with massive creamy white flowers with a jagged picotee of purple along the outer edge of the petals. The inner petals are tipped with green. Even the bud carries a splash of purple making this a favorite new Lotus. One of the most striking pond plants held tall in the water garden or patio container, plant in a large shallow container 16″ or more across. Dasa jin (large versicolor)
Third a wonderful heavy bloomer, Li-Ya small Chinese lotus. Enjoy many multiple blooms on this pond plant! Li-Ya Chinese Elegance is a light lotus with floating outer petals that begin to drape after the flower fully opens. Opening very light pink to white, A well named Chinese Lotus! Plant in a shallow container 12″ or more across in water gardens, pond, or patio tub. Lower to a few inches below the water surface and only fertilize after standing leaves. Hardy to zone 3. (Li-Ya Lotus)
All three available at http://www.PondMegastore.com in the Lotus section.
Koi were developed from the common carp in the 1820s by the Japanese and are called the “jewels” of the water garden because of their bright colorings. They are friendly fish that like to enjoy a special hand-fed treat. Traditional koi ponds are usually planned for a depth of 3-6 feet and serious koi enthusiasts favor larger ponds for their fish.
Koi are pets that can live 30-50 years (or as long as 200!) and require special equipment and care. The pond is their home that you will need to vigilantly maintain in order to keep them thriving. Small koi only a few inches long are usually start at $10, but koi that are three feet big and have what is known as a “good lineage” could cost anywhere between $60,000 and $300,000 each!
A koi gardens have different requirements than other water gardens. To build a successful, thriving garden, do these three things:
- Build a koi garden in an area that has plenty of shade. Koi prefer filtered light and will acquire better coloration than if they are subjected to direct sunlight.
- Install an aerator, which is a piece of equipment that is used to add oxygen to water. Koi gardens are often deeper than the average garden pond and require more oxygen and better circulation. Aeration will ensure adequate amounts of oxygen for koi during the warmer months as well as the long winter.
- Invest in a high quality filtration system. Koi prefer muddy, dirty water and they tend to stir up soil at pond bottoms, causing turbid water quality. Good pond filtration will help to keep the pond clear.
Advantages of a Fish Pond
- Fish contribute to your pond’s ecology, and can improve the general health of your pond.
- Fish love mosquitoes, so can solve the problem of those little pests maturing in slower moving parts of your water flow.
- Visual effect of the bright colors of most common pond fish is like adding moving pictures over a pretty print.
- Fish are easy pets – you might have to feed them, but you never have to take them for a walk, and they’ll never, under any circumstances, use your home as their potty!
Disadvantages of a Fish Pond
- Increased expense to install a deeper pond and purchase the fish and supplies.
- Cost of food and time to feed is ongoing.
- Increased maintenance time , such as deicing during winter months so the pond doesn’t freeze over entirely to allow for gas exchange.
Water Gardens: Ponds and water gardens have always been popular in America’s backyards. Those that are seeking to add a pond to their yard are requestiong more areas for aquatic plants in the pond as well as areas deep enough to over-winter koi and goldfish.
Pond-Less Waterfalls: Pond-less waterfalls, or cascading falls, are waterfalls that disappear into a bed of gravel before being re-ciruclated back to the top of the waterfall. We’ve recently noticed trends in slower moving water, streaming down the falls rather than crashing down. The slower moving falls are more peaceful and gradual with shallow areas for wildlife to safely drink from.
Bubbling Fountains: Bubbling fountains are becoming very popular due to their low maintenance and low cost. Bubbling fountains could be a boulder with ahole bored through it in which water is pushed through, or a series of holes wihtin a rock/boulder. Ceramic vases have also been popular designs due to their vibrant colors.
Rock Column Fountains: Rock column fountains are also popular du to their low maintenance, but because of their larger size can be slightly more expensive than a bubbling fountain. Rock columns are typically installed in sets of 3 near each other. The water disappears into a bed of gravel where it is re-circulated back to the columns.
Sheet Waterfalls: without a doubt sheet waterfalls are the most popular water features lately. This is due in part to the popularity of outdoor living spaces incorporating blocks and bricks. The most popular styles is the formal falls. The formal falls waterfall system is installed into a block wall and creates a beautiful, clean waterfall appearance. Formal falls also come with LED lights so viewing at night is exceptional.
I’m sure you will enjoy whichever water feature you choose while you are relaxing with your favorite beverage listening to the beautiful sounds around you.
Do you ever notice that your pond and waterfall rocks are slimy with debris and pond scum? To keep your pond looking beautiful, you may need to spot treat your rocks to remove the organic debris. A pond rock spot cleaner like Aqua Fix Dry has a scrubbing action that releases the rock scum, making it easier to remove.
Here’s how to keep your rocks clean:
1. TURN OFF THE PUMP.
2. Apply a pond rock spot cleaner liberally to coat scum on waterfall rocks.
3. Sprinkle, wait 20 minutes, then scrub or power vac the rocks.
4. Manually remove floating scum using your skimming net.
5. Immediately clean filter pads after treatment.
Clean Rocks!
If you rocks are really dirty, you may have to treat them a few times to get them clean. Once you get the pond scum under control, you can keep it that way by using a broad spectrum pond cleaner once a week.