To Do This Week:

• fertilize lilies and lotus (every four weeks)
• continue to remove spent leaves and flowers from water lilies and other aquatics
• clean skimmer net as needed
• add beneficial bacteria
• feed your fish (2-3 times each day is fine, but no more than they eat in about five minutes each time)   

Botanical name: Nelumbo nucifera

Height: to 4' above water surface

Exposure: full sun to partial shade

Soil: prefers heavy clay soil, can be planted in containers or in natural bottom ponds

Flowering: mid-summer (but for some reason ours are blooming AGAIN right now!)

Notes: A super-star in any pond, lotus draws attention not just for it's gorgeous flowers but for the tall stems with round leaves. Try this trick - let a drop of water fall on the leaf and watch it roll around! It's pretty cool... 

 NEWSLETTER ONLY SPECIAL 

HARDY LOTUS 

20% OFF

(limited to stock on hand
  we have just 9 plants left)

Sales ends 8/25/11 

tips & tricks

Deterring Predators

There are many different predators out there waiting to snack on your fish.  The great blue heron, mink, kingfisher, green heron, and turtles to name just a few.  The great blue is by far the most common, but mink attacks are definitely on the rise in our area.

Here are a few things that you can do to protect your finned friends:

• Cover your pond with netting.  Although somewhat unsightly, this method is very effective against heron attacks.  If you have lost fish this can be a good temporary deterrent to prevent a return visit.
• Provide plenty of hiding places for your fish.  Floating plants, rock ledges, or a short length of drainage pipe laid on the bottom will give your fish a safe place to hide.
• Motion activated sprinklers, called 'Scarecrows', have proven to be very effective at scaring off most predators
• Design your pond to be predator-proof.  Ok, it's not really possible to make it totally predator-proof by design, but you can certainly deter most attacks by making access difficult.  Dense landscape plantings along the pond's edge, tall aquatic plants and steep, vertical sides are examples of design features that will help protect your fish.

in the garden

To Do This Week:

• prune back roses - pruning back your roses now will encourage one final bloom before the season is over. I usually cut mine back by removing about 1/3 of the plant, making sure to remove any spent flowers or diseased leaves. Fertilize to encourage quick growth. 
• keep up with weeding - pulling small, baby weeds is much, much easier than pulling big weeds. Pulling them before they set seeds is also a pretty big bonus and will save you lots of time in the future.
• watch for fungus on veggies - powdery mildew can cause a big problem, particularly on big, leafy veggies like squash. Unless it's really bad, just remove the affected leaves as you spot them
• water appropriately - remember that as plants get bigger over the course of the season, they will use more water. Keep this in mind particularly for container plants and veggie gardens.   
• continue deadheading and pruning spent flowers - removing spent flowers from annuals and container plants will encourage new flowering throughout the rest of the season, and pruning back perennials and landscape shrubs after flowering will not only make the plant look tidier but will encourage new, healthy growth 

Botanical name: Rudbeckia lacinata 'Autumn Sun'    

Height: 5' to 6'

Exposure: full sun to partial shade

Soil: tolerant of many soil conditions

Flowering: late summer into fall 

Notes: incredibly easy to grow since it is tolerant of many soil conditions (it just doesn't like soggy soil); extremely cold hardy; easy to divide 

 

NEWSLETTER ONLY SPECIAL

RUDBECKIA 

20% OFF ANY SIZE

(limited to stock on hand)

Sale ends 8/25/11

Looking Great Now:

• potted perennials - still arriving weekly!
• hostas
• spirea
• day lilies  

Fill in the Blanks    

You found the perfect new plant for your garden.  When it fills in, it's going to be gorgeous.  The problem?  It's kinda puny right now.  Don't be tempted to plant things too close together.  Instead, try filling in the empty space around a new planting with some garden art.

Gazing globes, statuary, birdbaths, or even a small bench can be a unique addition to your garden space while preserving the area that your new planting will need as it grows up.

This is also a great trick to use in places where spring blooms have faded and left you with a boring spot in the garden! 

Be creative when selecting garden art - anything goes!  

If you have a neat tip or trick to share, please email me at mastersons@san.rr.com. I'll happily give you credit for it, and you'll surely feel great about sharing your expertise with so many others!