May 18 , 2017
Pleasing, Pleasurable Ponds
On the home front : a few years ago , I pump up our scene from driveway to front threshold with plants for pollinators . Instead of sparse grass in this part shade arena , now I ’ve get plant that energize us and wildlife every season . blossom this hebdomad : native rock rose ( Pavonia lasiopetala ) silver ponyfoot , Salvia reglaand eyelash sage ( Salvia blepharophylla ) . downy asters need cut back a few inches!Our wildlife value water as much as we do ! Any metre of the yr — but peculiarly in spicy times — a birdbath or fountain helps athirst critter make it . SO , save the date for the Austin Pond Society ’s 23rd Annual Pond and Garden Tour on June 3 & 4.As always , meet the owner for hands - on crest on how they did it . This year ’s “ Backyard Bliss ” pool and garden include all styles and size of it to match your dream!Get all the inside information right here . I well remember when building a pond or watercourse or even adding a fountain was quite adventurous!Before the Austin Pond Society , many nurseryman deliberate them a wondrous feature at botanical or estate garden , instead of DIY projects likeBruce McDonald ’s pool garden . Now , even belittled blank pump up wildlife visitation and soothe our littered days . This week , Steve Kainer fromHill Country Water Gardens & Nurseryjoins Tom to show off the latest pool plants , fertilizer tips , and alga control . pioneer from the offset , Hill Country Water Gardens & Nursery continue to daze us with ideas , answer , and beauty . Check out this bountiful Bourgogne ‘ Yucatan Princess ’ ( Alocasia sarawakensis).Water lilies are gorgeous , of class , but I get it on this structural , gentle Arrowhead ( Sagittaria montevidensis).This blue rush connects nicely , I guess , to those structural succulents that may be in your garden , too . And nanus Egyptian paper reed explodes in spikey yellow . Watch now for all of Steve ’s tips!On tour in Wimberley , Irene Anderson and John McMillan designed a realistic pond beneath heirloom live oak trees . What ’s so different about that ? Well , until recently , this pool was a swimming pool . seldom used , the pool was a alimony headache . Irene ’s Logos , Chris Smartt , suggested turn it into a self - sustainable pool . “ The philosophic part of it was to create something that was as natural as possible to promote life , not pour down life , ” he said . It became a menage project , let in John ’s daughter Sarah McMillan and hubby Clinton Robertson , biologists for the Texas Parks and Wildlife River Studies plan . At the mystifying end , they built an island to retroflex a pool camber , supported by clinker block and metallic element framework . Underneath , the heart sits at the very bottom of the puddle . Tubing runs up through a rock for a natural looking waterfall . They designed shallow point for some plants and lots of concealing place for fish under cinder auction block . away from dividing plants now and then , they do n’t have to manage the piddle clarity at all . “ I do n’t put anything in it — nothing — we have put absolutely nothing into this water , ” Irene say . On the perimeter , Irene arranged plant for aroma and pollinator . “ We used the rock to create above ground beds that look instinctive all along the sharpness of the pond and then intersperse other native rocks to soften the edge , ” Chris pronounce . John tells us , “ Every clock time I ’m down here I opine there ’s not really anywhere else in the human beings I ’d rather be right now . ”Irene and Chris collaborate in their mammy - and - sonSol’stice Garden Expressionsin Dripping Springs . Along with locally grown , drought tough plants , pick up garden art and article of furniture style by artisan designers and unparalleled creative activity by Chris . Watch the whole story now !
And thanks for stopping by ! See you next week for sizzling summer combos , Linda
tags :
