Mother’s Day is approaching fast! Our May Newsletter features gifts that we think Mom will LOVE, our favorite selection of plants that we have available at the nursery and plants that are looking great in the garden this time of year.
New fish have arrived and are ready for you to take home! Check out the Koi Corner tab to learn more about protecting your Koi and goldfish.Join us at Falling Water Gardens for Mother’s Day Weekend!
Mothers Day Weekend (May 7th & 8th) is the biggest weekend at Falling Water Gardens! We have complimentary plants for mom, refreshments, and a day of activities planned, it’s the perfect time to celebrate moms!
Be sure to come early to purchase our famous hanging flower baskets! They are the perfect gift and a great tradition you can start.
We have gift certificates available for those who would rather have their mom choose what she wants for plants, garden decor, or pond accessories.
We will see you on May 7th & 8th from 10am to 6pm!
Glamping
Have you heard of the term Glamping? Glamping, also known as luxury camping or glamorous camping, is that escape you’ve been meaning to take. It’s that little break from the hustle and bustle. When you’re glamping, there’s no tent to pitch, no sleeping bag to unroll, no fire to build. Glamping is a way to experience the great outdoors without sacrificing luxury!
Set on ten acres in Monroe, Washington, Falling Water Gardens is home to gorgeous display gardens and water features. Feel free to walk through the property and enjoy the heavenly sights. There is also all sorts of farm life to keep you entertained. You can even feed and pet the koi!
There are 2 fully-furnished glamping tents available for rent. One tent sleeps 2 and the other tent can sleep up to 4. They both feature 1 queen bed in each tent with comfy comforters and pillows, they have electricity, coffee makers, water, and a small fridge.
You’ll find a spacious front porch with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. There is a common area with a BBQ and gas fire-pit.
These tents are perfect for couples or even families. Linen and towels are provided. Please bring additional towels if needed. Laundry is available at an extra cost.
Glamping is available June-August
Rate: $125/night
Tent #1 – Sleeps 2
- Queen size bed w/mosquito netting
- Couch
- Table
- Water, Coffee Maker & Small Fridge
Tent #2 – Sleeps 4
- Queen size bed w/mosquito netting
- Daybed with pull out (forms 2 twin sized beds)
- Table
- Water, Coffee Maker & Small Fridge
No pets. No smoking or open flame inside tents.
Things to do in Monroe, WA
- Go Hiking (Links to a few locations 1|2|3)
- Ride your bike (Map of a few routes)
- See a Movie in town
- 5 mins away from the River and Swimming
- 30 mins away from Redmond Town Center
- 40 mins away from Downtown Seattle
- Evergreen State Fair (Aug. 27th – Sept 7th)
- Evergreen Speedway
To book your stay please visit airbnb.com or click here. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact us.
Featured Design
Our customer has a newer construction home that had just a few shrubs and some lawn in it. They have several large dogs that have worn a path from the back door to the back of the garden. Rick created a low maintenance English style garden with white, blue and purple flowers. Three trees were added that flower in white. A chipped path was left through the lawn for the dogs to run to the back. Natural stone risers were used to give access to the lower side yard. A new paver patio with a charcoal border was installed, and lattice was put around the deck to keep the dogs from going under.
Featured
Koi of the Month: Haijro
Kigoi are all yellow Koi that are non-metallic and free of imperfections. The bright yellow color should be consistent from nose to tail. If the Kigoi has sparkling diamond scales, it is called a Gin Rin Kigoi. If it has red or pink eyes it is called Akame Kigoi, which is rare.
Keeping predators from your pond and protecting your fish
Raccoons and herons can be very troublesome to fish and pond owners. There’s nothing worse than looking down at your lovely pond to find that all of your precious fish have suddenly disappeared! We’ve heard too many stories to count… not to mention our own experiences. So what can be done?
Depth/Size
Our biggest recommendation when creating your pond is to have steep sides and at least a depth of 3ft. Having steeps sides on your pond can help with raccoons because they will not enter water that they can’t wade into. If your pond is deeper than 2 feet they will not be able to harm your fish because they typically can’t hold onto a fish while swimming.
The easiest way to prevent herons from cleaning out your fish is to have a pond depth of at least 3 feet. Herons cannot stand in 3 feet of water, and therefore makes it more difficult for them to fish.
Plants
It sounds kind of odd but actually if you have heavily planted bog or marginal plants around your pond can deter animals. Submerged plants can offer some shelter for your fish.
Tunnels/Caves
You can create tunnels or caves easily using milk crates or a piece of drainpipe in the bottom of your pond to give your fish some place to hide and seek shelter from predators.
Netting
Pond netting is a good solution for deterring heron. We recommend putting the net a good 1ft or more above your pond. The reason for this is that the higher the netting the less likely the heron is to get your fish. If you place the net right above the pond the heron will still be able to get your fish but will just not be able to get it out. Pond netting does not work for keeping raccoons out because they are extremely crafty. We recommend something like an motion activated sprinkler or electric fence to keep them out.
Decoys/Scarecrows
Another way to keep heron away is to have a heron decoy or another item they may think is a predator. Typically there are owls, coyotes, snakes, and crocodiles. It is said that herons like to hunt alone so if there is another “heron” they will most likely leave and not bother they pond/fish. Of course if they think a predator is around they’re not going to risk getting eaten. It is recommended if you get a heron decoy that you move the decoy around every few days/weeks so that the real heron cannot tell otherwise.
There is even a decoy called de-koi in which you tether so that it floats closer to the surface. The idea behind these guys is that the heron don’t like to expend extra energy if they don’t have to. So while it thinks it’s getting an easy meal it gives the real koi time to escape and hide.
We have many decoy options available at Falling Water Gardens.
Shadow/Silhouette Cutouts
Going with the idea of the decoys others have had success with shadow/silhouette cutouts of people, dogs and more. They don’t even need to be next to the pond just strategically place around the area. For the DIY/Handyman folks this could be an easy fix for you.
Predator Sounds/Radio
Another way to go to help keep heron and raccoons away is to play predator sounds or even play the radio. For those creative enough you can even create a loop timed to go off every x amount of times. If you’re not the handy type there are premade sound systems you can use.
Flashy/Glittery Objects
Heron do not like reflective, moving objects. We carry many wind spinners that can help deter those pesky birds, as well as the reflective, glittery tape (a method that farmers and agricultural companies have been using for years).
Aerator/Surface Agitators
Aeration not only is important for your fish it can actually help keep them safe. Since the water is moving, the heron and raccoons have a difficult time being able to see exactly where the fish are. It’s not fool proof, but it helps.
Featured Plants
Here are this month’s featured plants. We think this selection would look great in your garden right now. Visit our plant database to learn more about aquatic & terrestrial plants.
Aquatic Plants
Zantedeschia albomaculata
Calla Lilies are one of the most graceful additions that can be made to any garden, so be sure to place them in a spot where they’ll be noticed! These low-growing, trumpet-shaped flowers are popular in spring and early summer bouquets, earning top dollar at the florist. Available in an array of colors and surrounded by complementary speckled leaves, callas perform well in partial shade, garden borders and patio containers.
Scrophularia auriculata ‘Variegata’
Figwort is a bold-leaved foliage perennial, valued for the attractive green and creamy-white variegated leaves. Plants remain evergreen in mild winter regions. This does best in rich, Prefers Wet Soil, particularly well at the edge of a stream or pond. Figwort can be cut back in hard in summer if the foliage becomes tired looking. It’s an excellent focal-point for tubs or mixed containers. Clumps may be divided in early spring.
Darmera peltata
Indian rhubarb has tall pink flower spikes in mid spring followed by 1-2 feet wide leaves atop tall stalks. It provides an almost tropical effect to the other wise woodland setting. Usually grown in the shade, it will nonetheless do well in full sun where the leaves turn a bright red in fall. The large rhizomes cling to rocks and dip their tails into the water, looking like green lobster tails.
Terrestrial Plants
Anemone coronaria
Poppy anemone is one you are likely to see in spring gardens. It has large, velvety petals in a wide range of colors. They bloom in mid-to-late spring. They attract butterflies and make beautiful cut flowers. These flowers are often found in florists’ arrangements, if you plan to cut for yourself, the flowers have a vase life of three to five days on average. Once they are established they will continue to bloom year after year.
Geum ‘Sea Breeze’
Geum ‘Sea Breeze’ produces bright orange blooms with tubular petals on wiry, dark stems and float above dense 10″ foliage. It is a vigorous hybrid that prefers rich, moist soil but will grow in average soil. Blooms between April and June.
Ranunculus Asiaticus ‘Amandine Orange Picotee’
Ranunculus produce lavish blooms in a brilliant array of colors sure to brighten any room. The crepe-like flowers are perfect for adding a casual spring-feeling, but are just as appropriate as centerpieces for a more elegant function or celebration.
House Plants
Codiaeum variegatum
Codiaeum variegatum pictum is a woody-based perennial that typically grows to 6 ft. tall. It requires a minimum of 4 hours of direct sun each day, it is a plant that can be difficult to grow and keep healthy. The soil should be evenly moist and the plant protected from drafts or overly warm temperatures. The leaves will drop if the soil is too dry or too wet. These plants will only survive outdoors where temperatures do not normally drop below 50°F in winter. In colder climates, the plants are grown in greenhouses or as house plants.
Solenostemon scutellariodes ‘Coleosaurus’
Coleus is a brightly colored tropical evergreen that boasts vibrant dark red and lime green leaves. Easy to grow, low maintenance and heat tolerant plant. Can be planted outdoors as an annual or planted in containers where it can be brought indoors for winter beyond hardiness range.
Echeveria ‘Afterglow’
Echeveria ‘Afterglow’ is a stunning accent for low-water landscapes or containers. Big rosettes of powdery lavender-pink tinged leaves nearly glow in the garden. Orange-red flowers can emerge from below lower leaves, or sometimes as a terminal flower stem. Thrives in heat and tolerates drought when established.
Plant Database
Have you checked out our plant database? It contains information about the plants that we sell at the nursery and more!
We have even taken it one step further and have incorporated QR codes into the database to help you save and recall information on the plants you are interested in at home or have bought from our nursery. You can bring us the saved plants from this data base to help us locate the ones you want. As well as when you come to Falling Water Gardens you will be able to scan the plant signs to get further information about the plants and flowers.
What is a QR code? In the simplest terms a QR code is a bar code. Most smart phones come equipped with a bar code/QR code reader that will scan the QR code and bring you to the web page of information about our plants. From there you can bookmark the page. If yours does not contain a QR code reader already, you can download one for free through your phone’s app store.
Gift Shop & Decor
Come imagine what it would be like to have your
wedding in our gardens!
Our Vendors for the Day
- Della Terra Catering
- Party on the Rocks
- Photos by Rachelle
- 413 Events
- Joanna Monger Photography
- Trisha’s Rustic Creations
- Allie Koval Photo Artistry
- Starr Weddings & Events
- Jubilee Weddings & Events
- Dancin’ Boots and Fairytales Event Coordination
- Britta’s Brides-Wedding Planning, Floral Design & Coordination
- Denard Productions
- “Forever Yours” Music
