Nursery News

Time to brush away the winter debris and rise and shine! We are busy preparing the nursery for the 2023 season. Spring plants and new garden art are being delivered daily! Our landscape crew is keeping busy with pond cleanings, and new installations. We are hiring full-time and part-time for our Nursery Sales Positions, Gardener Positions, a Lead Gardener and a Wedding Coordinator. Check out the last tab of the newsletter to learn more!

The Importance of Mason Bees 

Let us introduce to you, the Mason Bee!

Mason Bees help get gardens, and especially fruit trees, pollinated early in the season. Mason Bees are significantly more effective at pollinating a garden than Bumble or Honeybees.  Unlike the Honey or the Bumble bee, Mason Bees do not have a hive, so the pollen they collect stays in their possession. They are less tidy transporting the pollen they collect so more pollen gets spread across many more flowers. Mason Bees are so docile it is nearly impossible to get one to sting so you don’t need to fear them.

When do the Mason Bees get to work? 

Mason Bees start to emerge in early spring when temperatures are a still a bit cool for other bees. When fruit trees begin to bloom, you will usually see Mason Bees getting to work, so If you want increased fruit production you should definitely have Mason Bees in your garden. When it is about 50°F outside in your local area, you put the cocoons outside.  Until then you store the Mason Bee cocoons in the fridge to keep them cold.

Your Bee Houses 

Mason Bees lay their eggs in small hollow holes or tubes.  Mason Bee houses are a collection of perfectly sized tubes to ensure you get a large colony of Mason Bees next year.

Place Mason Bee houses in an area near the spaces you want pollinated.  Mason Bees need to be located close to the area you want them to pollinate because they fly far shorter distances than honey bees.  Mason Bees love morning sunshine, so you should look for an east or south facing spot.. A fence or wall or side of a building is good. Avoid a spot under a swaying branch since the bees don’t like dappled shade. Your spot should be about four feet above ground.  

Getting Started in your Mason Bees 

We have everything you need to be successful with Mason Bees.  We always sell out of Mason Bees so visit the gift shop now!

Ceramic Pot Water Features

Many homeowners spend very little time in the front garden so when installing a water feature in the front garden it is often “for the neighbors” or your guests on their way to your front door.  When asked for ideas for a front water feature we often suggest basalt columns or ceramic pots because they are less costly than a fish pond or waterfall.  Ceramic water features are a great way to get sound and visual interest in a small space and ceramic pot water features can offer a pop of color when needed in a garden. 

Ceramic pots can be either self-contained or overflow.  Self-contained pots have a pump inside that gurgles the water inside the pot.  They make a beautiful sound, are very affordable and need very little space.  Overflowing ceramic pot water features are more visually stunning because you see the water flowing over the sides of the pot, but they require more room in the garden and are more costly than self-contained pots.

Overflowing pots can be either smooth sided or rough sided pots.  Smooth sided pots allow the water to gently run down the side of the pot and there will be very little splash so the reservoir underneath the pot can be quite small, but the sound will also be quieter.  Rough sided pots will have the water falling at the first ridge so the water will be falling much higher up, which looks stunning and is louder, but causes more splash.  The reservoir under a rough-sided pot must be larger to catch the splash from the falling water.

Ceramic pot water features do not need to be only a single ceramic pot.  We have installed many ceramic pot water features that are groups of pots.

If you need a pop of color in your garden or want a more affordable water feature consider one of the many ceramic pot water features at Falling Water Gardens.

Featured Koi of the Month

Hirenaga

Also known as Butterfly Koi, Hirenanga have long fins, the tail and fins should be solid without tears and ideally should be symmetrical. They can have longer more slender bodies as it adds to their elegance. Hirenaga koi are the butterflies of the water, and are known for their graceful, flowing fins. The style of these butterfly type koi are very popular!

Common Questions: When To Feed Your Koi

Water Temperature & Fish Hibernation:

Fish are cold-blooded animals:

Fish do not generate their own body heat, and their body temperature is reliant on both water temperature and their environment.

When do I feed?

For recommended foods, please read all about feeding your aquatic friends here

Garden Tasks for March

It is now time to break out your gardening gloves and get your garden prepared for planting and blooming!

Task 1: Clearing

After the last frost is a great time to move away debris, and clear dead stems, because this is our last opportunity to do so before new growth starts.

Task 2: Dividing

Take a look around your garden and see what you can possibly divide and plant. If you see areas of congested plants like iris’ or geraniums, actually anything with lots of stems, you can divide.  Dividing and replanting allows you to decrease overall garden congestion, see what areas need to be filled in with complimentary plants or areas that need complete replacement and support. 

Task 3: Early Planting

If you have areas within your garden for edible plants/crops now a good time to plant permanent crops like asparagus and strawberries, and also early plantings of crops of shallots, potatoes and onions. 

Task 4: Pond Cleaning & Scheduling Maintenance

If you do not have fish in your pond, you may clean your pond this month. If you do have fish in your pond wait until the water temperature is at a consistent 50° degrees as your fish are immune suppressed below 50.  In our area fish ponds reach 50 closer to April. 

If you are a DYI person, you may visit our nursery to purchase your pond supplies. We have a great article on Spring Pond Maintenance and check out this great video on how to clean your pond. 

If you want to schedule a professional pond cleaning by our crew, email us to get your pond cleaning scheduled. Info@FallingWaterDesigns.com

Task 5: Stop by the Falling Water Gardens Nursery

Now that you have taken an inventory of plants, garden décor, and garden and pond supplies, stop by our nursery and giftshop to pick up what you need. 

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. Click on the name of the plants below to learn more about each plant. 

Bulbs

Unlike Tulips that rarely come back next year, Daffodils and Hyacinth will rebloom each year, slowly building a colony of beautiful early spring color.  Daffodils and Hyacinth are usually planted as bulbs in the Fall, but if you didn’t get around to that we have many varieties and colors in 4” pots already blooming and ready to be taken home for planters or the garden.

Narcissus ‘Tete-a-Tete’ 

The happiest little spring blooming bulb! Bright yellow flowers in early spring are easy to grow in full sun to part shade in average soil. Lovely cut flowers are long lasting. Strappy green reflexed foliage.

Hyacinth

Hyacinths are spring-blooming bulbs with richly colored flowers and an incredible fragrance that can perfume your entire garden. They bloom in mid-spring at the same time as daffodils and early tulips, and come in a rainbow of colors including white, cream, pink, rose, apricot, lavender, cobalt blue, deep purple and wine red. Like other spring-flowering bulbs, hyacinths are easy to grow. Just plant the bulbs in fall to enjoy beautiful flowers the following spring.

Winter/Early Spring Winners

Daphne Odora ‘Zuiko Nishiki’ 

Japanese selection with dark green, glossy leaves and extremely fragrant pink and white flower clusters in late winter. Seems more vigorous growing and hardier than ‘Marginata’. Deer Resistant.

Helleborus ‘Ice ‘N Roses Red’

Outward-facing deep-red flowers reign supreme! Stunning when backlit with the sunshine. These sparkling ruby-red gems are a treasure in the late winter/early spring garden. The deer resistant evergreen foliage is dark glossy green.

Sarcococca hookeriana humilis

Great groundcover for the shade garden! The polished appearance of the dark green leaves create a clean-looking uniform appearance. Fragrant white flowers are followed by blue-black fruit. Tolerant of dry shade and urban conditions, thriving with little care.

Dianthus

A welcome sight in the garden come spring, dianthus are admired for their spicy clove-scented flowers and cottage-style appeal. This low-maintenance plant blooms in nearly every color, from white to almost black. Plants come in a range of shapes and sizes, from low, mat-forming groundcovers to upright varieties 3 feet tall. Their uses in the garden are nearly endless, from border displays and rockeries, to containers and cutting gardens. Dianthus plants attract butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as pollinating insects.

Corydalis ‘Blue Heron’

A very dark blooming Corydalis featuring the largest flowers of any Corydalis! Dark blue flowers rest atop red stems that pop near the blue green foliage. This form blooms from spring through summer in cooler regions.

Perennials

Dicentra ‘Gold Heart’

The old-fashioned Bleeding Heart has been a garden favorite for years. It’s a substantial plant that bears long, arching racemes of pink flowers. ‘Gold Heart’ is a classic beauty with one marvelous variation: It has metallic gold leaves and peach-colored stems instead of the usual green. Bloom starts here in early May and lasts several weeks, subsiding with the arrival of summer heat. Plants often go dormant in midsummer (interplant with Ferns and Hostas to fill the breach). Long-lived, reliable, and will self sow.

Heuchera ‘Spell Bound’

Marvelous ruffled foliage of dazzling silvers with tints of rose purple will leave you spellbound. The purple tones are more prominent in the spring and fall. Silver tones are more prevalent in shade. It forms a big plant with a dense, multi-crown habit. Great in containers or in the landscape.

Heuchera ‘Marmalade’

Dramatic foliage ranges from deep golden to glowing reddish-pink with undulating margins. Golden mature foliage features contrasting hot pink undersides. A vigorous grower of heavy substance that is showy in many seasons.

Aquatic Plants

Marsh Marigold

Marsh marigold is perfect for water gardens, pond edges, rain gardens, and wet, boggy areas in the landscape because it requires constant moisture and tolerates wet soil. It is an early bloomer in the spring with striking yellow flowers on tall, 12 to 18 inch, hollow, branching stems. For best flowering, you should site the plant in full sun, however, full sun in the summer may force the plant to go dormant. 

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.

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

Birds

Mason Bees

& Everything in Between

Wedding & Events Venue

Falling Water Gardens is Hiring!

We are currently hiring a Wedding Coordinator and for Nursery Sales and Gardener positions! Review the positions listed below and apply to come work with us!

Event Venue Coordinator

We are an event venue with an immediate opening for a part-time Event Coordinator (7-32 hrs/week) to work at our Monroe Washington venue. Looking for more hours? Consider combining other part time positions currently available at our company.

Our venue is seasonal and the hours required for this position fluctuate with more hours available during our season and less hours off season. Our busy season is Spring and Summer. This position requires the Event Coordinator to be present during the beginning of each event to answer questions and help get our guests situated for their event. Events are usually scheduled on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am until 11pm.

General Job Description: The Event Venue Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day
management of our event venue.

Tasks Include:

• Replying to leads generated through our marketing efforts.
• Creating and suggesting marketing programs to generate leads.
• Scheduling and leading tours of our venue.
• Negotiating contracts for the rental of our venue.
• Managing the timely collection of amounts due per our contracts.
• Being present during the early part of each daily rental to answer questions and help our
clients resolve any issues before their event begins.
• Coordinate vendors making deliveries prior to events.
• Coordinate and assist with the creation of public-facing content promoting our venue.
• Engage and build social audiences across multiple channels.
• Monitoring and measuring the success of social media strategy (increased engagement,
customer acquisition, website traffic, etc.)
• Identifying, analyzing, and reporting on social media trends to the venue owner.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Able to multi-task yet maintain close attention to detail and timeliness of work.
• Able to manage multiple projects.
• Strong customer service skills.
• Photography skills
• Creative and constructive problem-solving skills.
• The ideal candidate has proven experience creating and curating quality content for all
major social channels. 

Interested applicants should email resume and must answer the questions at the end of this
ad. Please mention the “Venue Coordinator” position in the subject. Please, no phone inquiries.

Compensation: $21 to $25 plus bonus DOE and abilities.
Job Type: Part-time
Benefits: goal-based bonus program.

Applications without the following questions answered will not be considered.

Question #1: What previous experience do you possess creating marketing content through social media channels?

Question #2: What previous experience do you have managing and tracking due dates for
multiple projects and what software or systems do you use to track those due dates?

Please answer the questions above and send your resume to info@fallingwaterdesigns.com.

Nursery Sales Position

We are an established destination garden center located in Monroe Washington. We sell fish,
aquatic plants, and other pond supplies as well as annuals, perennials, shrubs, specimen plants
for collectors and garden art. Our company has an immediate need for PART-TIME or FULL-
TIME SEASONAL nursery workers.

Enjoy working outside while developing your nursery skills and growing with a great, well-
known company in Monroe Washington.

This job is perfect for:
• Developing a career in horticulture.
• Retirees looking for something to do with their time and make some additional income.
• Gardeners who love fish or plants.
• High School or College students looking for Spring and Summer employment.

Applicants who can demonstrate either previous retail experience and/or plant knowledge are
preferred.

This Position assists the Nursery Manager maintaining the plant material, surrounding gardens and fish tanks. This is a physical job requiring frequent lifting of 40 lbs, bending and squatting.
You must be able to work outside in rain or shine, cold or hot.

Tasks include:

• Assisting customers with purchases
• Stocking the benches and gift shop
• Digging, Edging, Mowing, Pruning, Planting, and Watering the nursery.

Our garden center is open 7 days a week from 10am till 6pm. You will be required to work AT
LEAST ONE WEEKEND DAY per week.

Interested applicants should respond to this email with a resume and must answer the questions
at the end of this ad. Please mention the Nursery Crew Position in your email. Please, no phone
inquiries.

Position pays DOE. Nursery Staff $17-$20 per hour, plus 30% discount on purchases.

Applications who do not answer the following questions will not be considered.

Question #1: What applicable experience have you gained at previous jobs that you think will be
helpful to our company?

Question #2: What traits or qualities do you possess that you are most proud of and feel make
you the right person for this position?

Question #3: What has been your most physical job to date, or why do you think you will be able
to handle a job as physical as this one?

Please answer the questions above and send your resume to info@fallingwaterdesigns.com.

Gardener Position

We are a destination nursery located in Monroe, Washington with many established garden beds and turf. Our company has an immediate need for PART-TIME or FULL-TIME SEASONAL gardeners.

Enjoy working outside while developing your nursery skills and growing with a great, well-known company in Monroe, Washington.

This position assists the Nursery Manager maintaining the surrounding gardens, turf and fish tanks. This is a very physical job requiring frequent lifting of 50 lbs. You must be able to work outside in rain or shine, cold or hot.

This position is primarily responsible for weeding, pruning, and planting new and established garden display beds throughout our nursery as well as maintaining the turf. This position requires frequent stooping, squatting, kneeling, bending and twisting. This position requires an individual who can work without direct supervision and who can take initiative and keep busy.

Tasks include:

Digging, Weeding, Edging, Mowing, Pruning, Planting, Watering, Occasionally assisting customers with loading.

Our nursery is open 7 days a week, from 10am till 6pm. You will be required to work AT LEAST ONE WEEKEND DAY per week.

Interested applicants should respond to this email with a resume and must answer the questions at the end of this ad. Please mention the “Gardening Crew” position in your email. Please, no phone inquiries.

The position pays DOE. Gardening Crew $14-$16 per hour.

Applications without the following questions answered will not be considered.

Question #1: What applicable experience have you gained at previous jobs that you think will be helpful to our company?

Question #2: What has been your most physical job to date, or why do you think you will be able to handle a job as physical as this one?

Please answer the questions above and send your resume to info@fallingwaterdesigns.com.

Lead Gardener

We are a destination nursery located in Monroe, Washington with many established garden beds and turf. Our company has an immediate need for a PART-TIME or FULL-TIME LEAD GARDENER.

This job requires previous maintenance gardening experience to be considered for the position. Applicants must be able to demonstrate several year’s professional experience working on a maintenance landscaping crew through their employment history.

**This is not an entry-level gardener position.

Have you worked on a landscape maintenance crew in the past and would enjoy working at the same garden every day? Tired of starting work at 7am? Our nursery opens at 10am! You can work full or part-time, your choice.

This position assists the Nursery Manager in maintaining the surrounding gardens, turf, and fish ponds. This is a very physical job requiring frequent lifting of 50 lbs. You must be able to work outside in rain or shine, cold or hot.

This position is primarily responsible for weeding, pruning, and planting new and established garden display beds throughout our nursery as well as maintaining the turf. This position requires frequent stooping, squatting, kneeling, bending, and twisting.

This position requires an individual who can work without direct supervision and who can take initiative and keep busy.

Tasks include:

Digging, Weeding, Edging, Mowing, Pruning, Planting, Watering, Occasionally assisting customers with loading.

Our nursery is open 7 days a week from 10am until 6pm. You will be required to work AT LEAST ONE WEEKEND DAY per week.

Interested applicants should respond with a resume. Please mention the “Lead Gardener” position in your email. Please, no phone inquiries.

The position pays DOE. Gardening Crew $20-$25 per hour.

Applications without the following questions answered will not be considered.

Question #1: What applicable experience have you gained at previous jobs that you think will be helpful to our company?

Question #2: What has been your most physical job to date, or why do you think you will be able to handle a job as physical as this one?

Please answer the questions above and send your resume to info@fallingwaterdesigns.com.