Can you believe it?!
We’ve been busy at the nursery getting ready for our biggest few months of the year, and we have plenty of new things to see! There is an excellent selection of new garden art, as well as fresh new plants to add some color to your spring garden.
In this month’s newsletter, we give a few tips on how to get your koi pond spring-ready: what to feed the fish, how to check the water and how to clean the pond.
We are also planning our annual Mother’s Day Weekend event – May 11-12, as well as our Wedding Open House on May 11th.
Is your koi pond spring-ready?
1. Here’s the number to remember when it comes to your Koi pond in spring: 50.
Koi don’t mind the cold water – in fact, they thrive in temperatures between 59-77 degrees. But their metabolism reacts to the temperature of the water they live in, and because they don’t have stomach acids they use enzymes to digest food. Koi don’t create those enzymes in water temperatures below 50 degrees.
At 50 degrees, you’ll want to start feeding your fish their cold-water foods. We have an excellent selection of quality fish foods at our gift shop at the nursery.
2. pH Balance & Your Pond
You will want to check the pond’s pH level as part of your pond maintenance. Koi love pH balances between 7 and 8.6.
To test the chemistry of your pond you will want to test for 1. ammonia, 2. pH, 3. eater hardness.
Stop by our Nursery and gift shop to purchase your Wide Range pH Test Kit.
3. Healthy bacteria
Around this time of year, we also see an increase of green algae forming in our ponds. This is a normal occurrence, however, we do want to focus on healthy pond environments, and you will want to promote healthy bacteria in your pond.
Read more about spring pond maintenance!
This month we’re featuring one of our newest installations – and it’s not a pond or water feature!
Take a look at our stunning sunken garden, location for many of the weddings that take place here at Falling Water Gardens (check out our wedding website!).
With the flower farm in the background, the garden begins with a sloped walkway to the east before dropping down to the concrete dance floor where the large tent sits in the summertime. There’s a circular dance floor in the center of the lawn.
The garden has benches and tables dotted around the edges, decorated with stylish lamp posts and a chessboard in the northwestern corner. The garden has steps to the north, where many couples hold their ceremony under the white archway!
The garden is a seasonal marvel – designed to be constantly in bloom from mid-May through September. Lush lavender is a mainstay here, popular with honeybees and guests alike for the soft purple blooms and unmistakable scent.
You can see the garden in rare form during our Mother’s Day event next month! Check out our event page on Facebook for more details.
Utsuri Koi
The name Utsuri is short for Utsurimono. An Utsuri is a black koi with red, yellow, or white markings. The Utsuri koi will have evenly balanced markings. Check out a video of Utsuri koi on our Youtube page!
Shiro (white) Utsuri are two-colored koi and are the most commonly seen. The white should be pure with a subtle sheen and the sumi (black markings) should be jet black and glossy. Dorsal and caudal fins have partial sumi.
The Hi Utsurui is red to orange & black, and the Ki Utsuri is yellow & black.
The sumi should begin at the mouth or nose and spaced in a pattern-like manner all the way to the base of the tail.
Since it’s springtime, we’re featuring a few plants we have in stock and in bloom RIGHT NOW. These tend to go quick, so come visit us soon!
Looking for more information? Check out our extensive plant database, or visit us in person!
Bleeding 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.
Anemone
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.
Grace Ward
This is one of the finest rock garden plants. It prefers a sunny location. Deep blue, small, funnel-shaped flowers renew themselves all summer long. Evergreen leaves are narrow, up to an inch long. Both stems and foliage are hairy. Performs best in loose, well-drained, acidic soil with ample summer water.
‘Odessa’ Calla Lily
These are a delicate perennial, provided you protect them in colder weather. They can bloom in late spring through the summer depending on their location and prefer full sun to partial shade. Calla lilies work well in beds and borders, and can be grown as both indoor and outdoor plants!
As these are native to South Africa, they likely need to be in a pot or container so they can be brought in during freezing weather. The plants feature dark green leaves with small white spots, and trumpet shaped flowers in deep nearly-black purple.
Weddings and Events
Our Open House is on May 11th from 10 am to 3 pm! Come enjoy the gardens and see the gorgeous blooms, wander our mock wedding setup and imagine all the possibilities of your own special day, and meet loads of vendors that just might be the right one for you! Bring mom or some friends and make it a day out! Stay tuned for more info, and put it in your calendar – you won’t want to miss it!
Also, don’t forget to check us out on Instagram for updates on vendors and other important info. It’s our biggest bash of the year!
