July 29, 2009 |
725 Olean Rd. Summer Hours |
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I just spent a week in Asheville, NC visiting my brother. (Some of you may know Mick - he's doing great!) What a beautiful part of the country that is. Mountains, lakes, rivers, and so many trees! On my return to California, I was struck, as I always am, by the difference in the kinds of plants that make each region so unique. This afternoon, I was sitting in my own yard, looking at palm trees and lemon trees, watching the clouds go by with my little boy, and I realized something. While my landscape looks entirely different than Asheville, entirely different than Buffalo, there is one thing I've found to be universal - sitting outside under a tree, near running water, inevitably produces a calm, peaceful, connected feeling. |
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In the Garden
Butterfly Bush
(Buddleia davidii) Butterfly bush does best and flowers most profusely in a sunny, well-drained location in the garden. Each variety has a slightly different growing habit, but most mature to about 3' tall and 2 1/2' wide. they take heavy pruning well, and actually benefit from a severe pruning in either late fall or early spring. Butterfly bush traditionally comes in shades of purple and white, but has become available in a wider range of colors in the last several years. Look for deep indigo, fuschia and even some pale yellow varieties. We have several varieties in stock and blooming right now. Look around your garden and decide where you can sneak in a little bit of late summer color! |
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Trick of the Trade Take Note
Now is a great time to grab your garden journal and head out into the yard. Pay particular attention to annuals and veggies and how they have performed for you this season. Make a note of the names and varieties that have been all-stars in the garden. This will be particularly helpful next spring when you want to try to find "that one really pretty purpley-flower-thingy I planted last year." Also, make a note of those plants that were not such great performers. Sometimes they will just need to be placed in a different location in the garden, so also make a note of the type of light they receive, the amount of watering, etc. These notes will help you next spring when it's time to plan! Here's a great online article with tips for creating your garden journal, as well as links to some online journal sources! Check it out! |
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| In the Pond Plant of the Week
By far, my most favorite aquatic plant!
The lotus is probably the most spectacular plant that you can grow in your garden pond. When the lotus is in bloom virtually no one can walk past with stopping and admiring its size and beauty. Despite its tropical look, the lotus is extremely hardy and can take anything our Buffalo winters can throw at it! Lotus plants typically grow 4-5' tall, individual leaves can be as large as 18-24" across, and the showy flowers can be over 6" in diameter. Spectacular.
The lotus in our pond is budded and ready to bloom. We expect to see flowers over the next couple of weeks.....worth the drive out to see!
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Trick of the Trade
A small concentration of Pond Salt is arguably the single best preventative maintenance step you can take to help keep your fish healthy. A salt concentration of between .1% and .15% (.001 - .0015) will kills many fish parasites and add electrolytes to the water, which will help to keep the gills functioning efficiently. Salt also aids in keeping a healthy slime coat and helps to prevent a variety of health issues. Pure sea salt is the best, avoid using iodized table salt or water softener salt, many of the added anti-caking ingredients can be harmful or deadly to fish. Add Pond Salt at the rate of approximately 1lb per 100 gallons of water. We will gladly test the salt concentration of your water for you any time, just bring us a small sample in a sealed container. Be sure the container is clean and don't touch the water or the inside of the container with your hands. |
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In the News Yes, California is a looong way from the Buffalo area and it's not likely that these guys will be making a cross-country trip anytime soon, but I just thought it would be interesting to point out that while snakes in the pond are creepy, these guys are downright mean. |
Adding salt to the pond is an old 'trick' that has been used for many years, but I am always surprised at how many people have never heard of this. Not paying attention to my preaching, perhaps?
"Mating between the rare California tiger salamander and the introduced barred tiger salamander has created a monster-at least for animals that dwell in the ponds of California's Salinas River Valley.
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