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Upcoming Events
The Yard, Garden
and
Patio Show
February 27 - March 1, 2009
The Yard, Garden and Patio Show announces the start of the 2009 garden season for Hughes! It has been an annual event for us since the early 1990s. The show is held at the Oregon Convention Center and we will be at booth 1271#.
Stop by - we will have money saving coupons available
for the nursery - good through
April 20, 2009 |
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Tinkerbelle's
Pond Tips
 Tinkerbelle Hughes
Does the Pond Need an Outlet for Overflow?
During the winter, the pond
level will rise from rain and snow accumulation. The excess water is likely to
flow over the edge of the pond and out onto your yard. This is not a problem as
the ground everywhere is wet. However, if you have a very small yard or other
drainage concerns, then having an overflow outlet is recommended.
Locate the outlet along
the edge of the pond at a convenient spot to divert excess water. Make that
part of the pond's edge lower than the rest of the pond so the water will be
channeled in that direction. The level of the outlet will determine the highest
level of the water in the pond.
The overflow could be an
inconspicuous low spot masked by decorative placement of rocks. An overflow
drain box can be added to channel the water away via a drainpipe. Place the drainage box at the desired water
level, then drape the pond liner into the box. A grate cover is then placed
over the liner and the top of the box. This too can be camouflaged with rock.
The overflow should feed into a new or existing drainpipe which carries the
water to an appropriate area for release.
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Hughes Water Gardens
classes
start back up March 07, 2009
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Computing Pond Volumes
It is useful to know the volume of water in your pond for many reasons such as adding algae control, sizing a pump or filter or possibly deciding
on the number of fish to put in your pond.
Rectangular Ponds:
Average Length x Average Width x Average Depth (in feet) x
7.5 = Volume in Gallons.
Circular Ponds:
3.14 x (1/2 diameter x ½ diameter) x Average Depth x 7.5 =
volume in gallons
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Our Mailing Address
25289 SW Stafford Rd, Tualatin, OR 97062
Winter Hours
Monday - Friday
9 to 5
Saturday 10 to 3
Sunday closed
Our Telephone
503-638-1709
Copyright (C) 2008 Hughes Water Gardens. All rights reserved.
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Winterizing Pondless Water Features
Over the last few years pondless features (bubbling urns or bubbling rocks flowing into a reservoir) have become extremely popular. Due to the recent bad weather and numerous phone calls we received here are some winterizing tips.
Common Questions:
Should I turn off the feature in the winter? The Portland area usually has pretty mild weather in the winter and usually it is fine to leave it running. If we have a period of unusually cold weather as we had two weeks ago I would recommend turning the feature off.
Should I empty the urn?
If the water freezes inside it can expand and crack the urn. So either empty the urn or keep it going (moving water is harder to freeze) but please keep an eye on it. If you decide to empty it and the urn has a pipe in the middle which acts as a backflow device, you can usually unscrew it and let the water drain out through the bottom. Another way is to carefully attach a hose to the top of the pipe and redirect the water out of the urn. If you turn the feature off you can also take the urn to a protected area, turn it upside down, or wrap it in bubble wrap.
Should I take the pump out? If you have emptied the urn you should take the pump indoors in case there is any residual water inside the pump that may freeze and crack it. If your pump is in a reservoir below 6" of water it should be fine.
Should I put anti-freeze in the feature? NO!!!
If I have a concrete self contained fountain what should I do? You should drain it. Often times they come with a drain hole in the bottom. Another draining option is to redirect the water as it is flowing. Lastly there is always the old fashioned way, you can bale it out with a small bucket. If the pump is not easy to get out of the fountain you can leave it there and wrap it with bubble wrap.
Hughes will be selling various sizes of fountain covers soon, we expect them to arrive in mid-January. These covers are a convenient option to protect your fountain.
Note: if you do leave the feature running and it does start to form ice be careful that your reservoir does not run dry as your pump will then burn out.
Click below for more information on
winterizing your pond.
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Wildlife in the pond
If you have ever walked along a natural pond or riverbank, you've seen the attraction that water has for wildlife. From the insect families to the mammals and birds, water is essential for life. By creating a pond, stream bed, or pond less water feature, you are inviting and helping sustain a variety of creatures.
Many birds migrate through in the fall and spring. Here at Hughes, we marvel at the flocks of goldfinches, bushtits and cedar waxwings that stop briefly at the bubbling urns and fountains. Resident Anna hummingbirds and migrating Rufous hummingbirds fill up on the last of the summer flowers' nectar. Tiny chickadees perch on the tops and sides of bubbling fountains calling chickadee-dee-dee. We pause for just a moment in a busy day to appreciate this small wonder.
Dragonflies visit the pond to hunt and lay their eggs. Female dragonflies hover above a lily leaf and with a sewing machine like movement, deposit eggs into the leaf surface. When they are done, the leaf appears to have been sewn with dark thread. Later the eggs hatch and the tiny nymphs crawl along the bottom of the pond, hunting and eating until it's time to climb up a stalk of rush or other plant and break out of their shell . The new dragonfly waits for its' wings to unfurl and dry. Then it's off to hunt insects and begin the cycle again. Dragonflies are valuable insect predators and they in turn feed swallows and other birds. In
You may also be visited by mi.grating ducks. These beautiful birds eat vegetative matter and insects nestled in the plant material. Some ducks are quite fond of "duckweed" (Lemna) and "duck potatoes" (Sagittaria graminea). For many years we have had a visiting mallard pair rest in our waterlily display pond adding beauty and life to the pond without any destructive behavior.
There are also visitors that are less welcome but a natural part of a pond ecosystem. Among these visitors is the Blue Heron. This graceful and intelligent bird will visit even the most urban of ponds in the hopes of fishing for koi and goldfish. Deterrents are available in the form of a plastic heron replica, netting and motion sensor activated water spray, however, vigilance in moving the replica around the yard and perhaps a dog are helpful.
Other less than welcome visitors for many pond enthusiasts are raccoons. Raccoons will tear apart plants, eat lily tubers, turn pumps over and eat fish. Plant and fish parts strewn about the pond are convincing evidence of a nocturnal raccoon raid. Ponds created with steep rather than gradual sides deter most raccoons from entering the pond. Raccoons like many of us, prefer to gradually enter the water rather than jumping in.
Scarecrows" (motion activated water spray) can be effective against these nuisances. Electric fences can be used around the pond to discourage them as well. These products are available at Hughes Water Gardens.
As deer habitat is replaced by increasingly dense housing, hungry and thirsty deer are seeking ponds and gardens to meet their survival needs. No one can guarantee that a plant is deer proof, but there are plants that they dislike and will avoid eating unless they are starving. Planting deer resistant plants around the pond may deter them from eating your tastier plants. Some suggestions are, Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum), Hardy Fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica), Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) and Cypress (Cupressus spp.). You can spray your plants with liquid repellants or we have also found the Scarecrow motion activated water sprayer to be very effective in scaring the deer away.
On a serious note, the invasive Bullfrog is a destructive amphibian that consumes other frog species as well as small fish and reputedly anything that it can fit in its capacious mouth. These pests are a serious threat to our native frogs by rapidly taking over their habitat and pursuing them as food. Having been introduced as a food source for people (think frog legs), they have reproduced rapidly filling our native waterways.
Now that you've created your pond, it's time to pause and enjoy the beauty of your creation and the variety of life that it will attract. Whether visited by pests or pleasures, you are helping create a habitat for our fellow creatures on this planet and that's something to feel good about.
Hughes Water Gardens In the Winter
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The pond at Hughes Water Gardens and the above picture of the Guardian are
Photos courtesy of Tom James.
Both were taken at the nursery during the big snow of 2008.
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