Happy November! The holiday season is upon us! And we have wonderful gift options and certificates for you to purchase! In this issue, we share with you some divine designs, koi, plants for the late fall and winter season, and of course some of our current items available in the gardens and gift shop! Happy Reading!
Christmas tree sales begin the day before Thanksgiving: Wednesday, November 23rd. We will be closed Thanksgiving Day so that our employees can spend the day with their families. We will change to our Holiday hours on Friday, November 25th, where we will be open seven days a week, from 10 AM until 6 PM through Christmas eve. There is a shortage of tall trees this year so come early if you’re hoping to get a tall tree! Follow us on Facebook for daily posts, Holiday gift ideas, and other fun announcements!
Why buy your Christmas tree from us?
#SupportLocalBusiness
Trees are cut as soon as they arrive and placed upright in fresh water. This ensures that your trees are hydrated and healthy when you take them home.
Gorgeous selection of fresh Nordmann, Noble, & Grand fir trees.
4′ up to 10′ tall!
We have a great product to help preserve your Christmas Tree. Developed by Oregon Forestry Laboratory. The ingredients help the needles stay on longer & the tree stay fresh. The gel in it prevents the water in the tree stand from drying up.
HOURS OF OPERATION NOTICE
We are currently operating on Fall Hours.
Open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday from 10 AM to 5 PM.
Closed Tuesday-Thursday, except by appointment only
We will switch to Holiday hours on Friday, November 25th.
Open seven days a week, from 10 AM until 6 PM through Christmas eve.
Real, Fresh-Cut Christmas Trees
Christmas tree sales begin the day before Thanksgiving: Wednesday, November 23rd. We will change to our Holiday hours on Friday, November 25th, where we will be open seven days a week, from 10 AM until 6 PM through Christmas. Follow us on Facebook for daily posts, Holiday gift ideas, and other fun announcements!
Environmental Benefits
Real Christmas Trees: The Best Choice
Each holiday season, shoppers find themselves confronted with a choice: celebrate with a fresh, real tree, or one that is artificial plastic or aluminum. What most people don’t realize is that the best choice has always been the traditional and natural choice — a Real Christmas Tree.
Real Christmas Trees Benefit the Environment
While they’re growing, Real Christmas Trees support life by absorbing carbon dioxide and other gases and emitting fresh oxygen. The farms that grow Christmas Trees stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife while creating scenic green belts. Often, Christmas Trees are grown on soil that doesn’t support other crops.
Real Christmas Trees Are Renewable
Real Christmas Trees are grown on farms just like any other agricultural crop. To ensure a constant supply, Christmas Tree growers plant one to three new seedlings for every tree they harvest. On the other hand, artificial trees are a petroleum-based product manufactured primarily in Chinese factories. The average family uses an artificial tree for only six to nine years before throwing it away, where it will remain in a landfill for centuries after disposal.
Real Christmas Trees Are Recyclable
Real Christmas Trees are biodegradable, which means they can be easily reused or recycled for mulch and other purposes.
Real Christmas Trees Help Preserve Green Spaces
Real Christmas Trees are often grown on soil that does not support other crops.
Types of Trees Available this Holiday Season at Falling Water Gardens
Nordmann Fir
Nordmann fir trees are the fancier looking trees with branches that grow upward. They have a naturally flocked look, with unique-looking needles that have a glossy dark upper-side and a silvery underside. The needles last longer than the Noble Fir tree. Mild fragrance suited for people with allergies.
Noble Fir
Dense, sturdy, fragrant, and symmetrical. Nobles are one of the most popular varieties. Have a deep bluish-green color. The needles are long and four-sided, twisting upward.
Grand Fir
Very weak limbs that may not be able to hold heavier ornaments. Super fragrant. The needles are a beautiful dark green, flat and glossy.
Care for your tree
We want to make sure you get the most out of your Christmas tree this year. To avoid losing large amounts of needles and ensuring your tree to last you through the holiday season, we recommend you follow these steps:
Essentials:
Water your tree regularly.
Keep your tree away from open flames and heat sources, preferably in a cool room. Under-floor heating will dry out the needles much quicker so try to avoid setting it up in an overly warm space.
Cover the floor or table area where you place your tree to protect against water spills.
Wear garden gloves when handling your Christmas tree as the needles can cause a mild allergic reaction and rash on sensitive skin.
Setting up your tree:
Keep your Christmas tree outside in a sheltered area, preferably standing in water, until you are ready to bring it indoors and set it up. At Falling Water Gardens, we cut the Washington-grown trees upon arrival and place them upright in water.
No need to re-cut trees at Falling Water Gardens because we do it as soon as they arrive at the nursery. If you still feel it is necessary to have a fresh cut, prepare the base of your tree using a handsaw. Cut about a half inch to an inch off the bottom to aid water absorption.
Don’t cut the base at an angle, in a V-shape. None of these methods help water absorption and they may make it more difficult to hold the tree safely in a stand.
Mount your tree as soon as possible.
Allow the branches to settle for a few hours before decorating.
Tree stands come in different shapes and sizes. You never want your tree to dry out, so the stand needs to have water in it at all times. Water regularly.
Make sure your tree is straight before you start decorating it. It’s a good idea for at least two people to put up your tree; one holding it stable while the other fixes the base.
Check the water level in your stand every other day and keep topped up.
Are you tired of buying generic Christmas ornaments each year? Looking to having statement pieces that have more sentimental value? Visit the gift shop for a festive and fun selection of ornaments and other holiday decor that you will enjoy for many years to come.
Pondless Water Feature & Garden Bed – Duvall, WA
We were recommended to these Duvall customers by another customer for whom we’ve twice done work. The customers wanted to redo their front entry garden bed that has a circular driveway going around it. We installed a new water feature with a 25’ long stream, new soil and appropriate drought tolerant, sun loving plants. This project was completed in four days.
Garden Design & Installation – Sultan, WA
These Sultan customers asked for a garden design for the side and back garden. The existing garden was pretty much just orchard grass and rock. Rick created a garden design to add privacy and color. The plant pallet is whites, pinks and purples and will offer four seasons of interest. The plant material is drought tolerant and sun loving. 190 yards of new garden soil and 60 yards of mulch were used in this job. We also installed 2700 square feet of new sod and about 1200 square feet of decorative crushed rock pathways and a fire pit area. This project was completed in less than three weeks.
The garden beds are expansive and the customer had a budget that required us to use a phased approach. We planted the outside perimeter of the beds and we will come back at a later date to plant the interior area of the beds. Falling Water Designs is happy to help a client meet their budget while still getting the garden of their dreams through a phased installation.
Featured Koi of the Month: Showa
The first Showa was born in 1927, after breeding a Ki Utsuri and a Kohaku. This breed was later improved in 1965 by breeding a female Showa with a male Sanke and a male Kohaku. Showa are sometimes confused with a Hi Utsuri. Showa are black fish with red and white markings. There must be red and black markings on the head. Showa are known for their vibrant Hi (red) and the proportionate Sumi (black) and Shiroji (white). The markings on these beautiful fish resemble thoughtful brush strokes. Breeding your Showa with a Kohaku or Sanke will help improve the markings and color.
Lauren says that Showa are a MUST-HAVE.
F.A.Q. – Should I be feeding my fish?
Answer:
Fish are cold blooded animals. This means they do not generate their own body heat and their body temperature is reliant on their environment, the water temperature of your pond.
When the water temperature is cold, below the mid 50’s, your fish conserve energy by hanging out at the bottom of the pond, where the water is warmest. At this temperature your fish cannot generate the enzymes necessary to digest food and they live off the fat they stored on their body all summer.
Between 55 and 65 degrees, it is safe to feed cool season food. Cool season food has less protein and is easier for your fish to digest in cool temperatures.
Above 65 degrees your fish are much more active and you should feed your fish a high protein food.
A warm winter where the water hovers around 50ºF to 55ºF can be a problem for fish owners. Our fish are more active than usual and seem to be asking to be fed. There are two potential problems with feeding your fish at this temperature.
As previously mentioned, if you feed your fish and the temperature drops below the mid 50’s, your fish are most likely unable to create the enzymes necessary to digest the food. The food can putrefy in their intestinal track, creating bacteria that can get in their blood and kill your fish.
A secondary problem is that at low temperatures, your biological filter will not be active and able to cope with increased ammonia levels associated with feeding the fish. You can kill your fish if the ammonia levels rise too high.
Koi and goldfish are omnivores and can usually find enough to eat at the beginning of the season. If they are hungry they can eat the algae growing in the pond that is easier to digest than fish food.
Our suggestion to fish owners is always the same; when the water temperature is hovering in the mid to low 50’s and there is a chance that we can get freezing weather that can drop the water temperature below the mid 50’s, it is best to not feed the fish. Just to be on the safe side!
** We are no longer feeding our fish. **
Plant Material
Remember that lettuce and hyacinth are annuals in the pond and need to be removed before they turn to mush and sink to the bottom. It’s also a good idea to to turn your UV sterilizer off for the winter. You can do this by unplugging it. The light bulbs in the UV are only good for 365 days. If turned off by winter you can get two springs out of one bulb.
Pond Winterization
When the water temperature reaches 45 degrees, most of the bacteria in your bead filter dies back. It’s then safe to drain and clean the filter.
Prepare Your Bead Filter
As leaves and pine needles begin to fall, it’s also a good idea to go into winter with a clean skimmer. Complete cleaning instructions can be found at Cleaning Your Skimmer.
Netting Your Pond
Read how to winterize your pond here.
Paying attention to these important tasks will ensure that your expensive filter equipment continues to work properly!
Finally, if this all seems like too much work, Falling Water Designs offers Fall Prep as part of our Maintenance Plan. Click here to fill out our service request form so we can schedule your fall maintenance.
Here are this month’s featured plants that we recommend adding to your garden this season. To learn more about any of the following plants click their name and it will take you to our plant database!
Terrestrial Plants
Heuchera ‘Forever Purple’
‘Forever Purple’ is a knockout with ultra-purple glossy leaves with fluted edges and great vigor. Very short spikes of purple-pink flowers in summer and four seasons of purple.
Heuchera ‘Marmalade’
Dramatic foliage ranges from deep golden to glowing reddish pink with undulating margins. Golden mature foliage features contrasting hot pink undersides. An outstanding seasonal accent for border or woodland garden.
Nandina domestica ‘Gulf Stream’
Very hardy shrub displays attractive foliage in all seasons. Intense red new growth and fall color is its hallmark. Ideal for use around foundations or in mixed borders. Small white flowers are a bonus. Virtually pest and disease free.
Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Purpureus’
Old leaves are solid shiny green but all the new growth has a dark purple sheen to them. I love this with other purple or black plants in the garden. As the summer progresses the purple leaves turn to green.
Rosmarinus officinalis
Quickly forms an upright hedge of aromatic needle-like foliage. Profuse clear blue flowers add to the effect. Foliage can be used as a flavorful spice in cooking. Takes to pruning well, perfect for screens. Perfect for minimal care, water-wise gardens.
Aquatic Plants
Aponogeton distachyos
Water Hawthorn is known for its strange white flowers, spotted with black pollen and strong vanilla fragrance. Its oblong leaves will rest on the water surface, as this very bizarre plant prefers cooler waters, often blooming in the Spring and Fall, while going dormant in the Summer.
Hippuris vulgaris
Common mare’s-tail looks like a robust green bottlebrush growing in patches primarily in the shallow areas of streams, ponds, and lakes or on wet muddy shores when water levels drop. This plant is characterized by unbranched stems, abundant whorled leaves, and inconspicuous flowers. The leaves and stems vary in form depending on whether they are growing underwater or are emergent. The underwater plant portions are limp, flexible, and have very long leaves. Emergent portions are stiff and erect, with short narrow leaves.
Juncus Effusus ‘Lemon Swirl’
Aptly named, this unique rush with glossy green, pencil-thin stems that spiral outward from the clump in all directions. A great deer-resistant accent plant that collectors dare not do without. This low maintenance plant prefers to be sited in a bog or other very moist environment in partial shade. Evergreen in mild winter areas.
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.
Here’s a sample of items we think you’d enjoy this time of year. Be sure to visit the nursery to see ALL of the latest products and plants! We have a huge selection of décor and gifts to choose from!
Congratulations to all of the newly engaged couples! If you are looking for a magical outdoor venue, schedule a tour of Falling Water Gardens. Your outdoor wedding will be held on groomed lawns with backdrops to the gardens and water features. We have several ceremony locations to choose from, including our Formal Sunken Garden site. We have over an acre of private parking reserved exclusively for your event at the back of your property.
Contact us to schedule your tour today!
