Finding more time now to do other things since the pond season is starting to slow down.  There is little time during March, April, May and June, but then July things start to slow some.  I notice the waterlilies seem to have to slowed down but when they do bloom are still wonderful.

Enjoy why we can……the tropicals are the first to go.

The tropical waterlilies sure are blooming up a storm in my pond.

The Albert Greenberg’s colors are outstanding this year as are the other waterlilies. I’m not certain if its the hot summer days or just that all the pond plants are happy this year. These were all new plants this year since we just redid our pond so other than the initial fertilizing when I planted them, the first part of June, they haven’t been fertilized since. I best get to that so I get as many flowers as possible before summer is over. I know tropical waterlilies last only during the summer but I seem to enjoy them more than the hardy waterlilies because of their colors.

We decided to redo our pond this year, again, as my husband would say.   It was a long weekend project but its complete now and with a few minor changes here and there will be so much better than the old one.  Mostly the problem I had with the other one was all the rocks in the pond which made it hard getting in and out.  Pretty slippery….so we decided to remove all the rocks and make the shelf larger and the bottom flat instead of sloped around the edges.  Much easier for getting in and out for the tasks of trimming plants and fertilizing them.  We changed our waterfall to enter from a different angle with a long stream bed flowing into the pond.  Much more tranquil and natural.  This will still give me a nice bog area to plant bog plants in.   Its been a couple weeks and the plants are finally starting to adjust.  Now just need to get the bacteria going to clear it up more. What a difference one month makes!

I started this blog a couple weeks ago and then things got busy so now I have updated pictures of the pond and wow did it perform.  Everything is growing well and I must say the plants and fish are happy. The water is crystal clear and the plants are looking so healthy.  I already see a lotus bud on the Mrs. Perry Slocum in just 4 weeks time. Check out my Albert Greenberg.

But even though we’re all anxious for the weather to turn nice so we can begin planting our flowers, vegetables gardens and clean our ponds, we have begun sending allot of nice plants to those who have the warm weather.  Lucky them! 

Dragonfly Aquatics has a couple new hardy water lilies to introduce.  Hidden Violet which is a very unusual waterlily.  Large red-violet flowers with pointed petals that catch the eye.  The leaves are a darker green which gives a nice contrast to the flowers.  It requires full sun as most of the red hardy waterlilies do and performs well. 

The other new water lily is Walter Pagels, a very creamy white hardy water lily with with a hint of pale pink.  This water lily is considered a medium hardy water lily and is an excellent choice for small to medium size ponds.  Unlike the red water lilies it will perform well in sun to part shade.  It also is one of the water lilies that will stay open later in the day for more enjoyment.

Let’s face it….there isn’t much to do with the pond now that summer is ending and things are put to bed.  I pulled all the water hyacinths out last week.  Trimmed up the lilies and took all the tropical waterlilies and put them to bed in the greenhouse for the winter.  I still have to drop the hardy waterlilies but some are still blooming so I’ll wait awhile yet.  My cardinal flower is still standing tall and I must say this has been its best year yet! I had at least 7 flowers on it and the hummingbirds sure were happy!!

Resting on the pond waterlily

Its such a great life for the frogs….sitting on the lily pads basking in the sun. Could life be any better????  These pictures were shared by one of our customers who received these tadpoles in the spring and now they are frogs enjoying the life in their new home.  Thank you again for sharing your pictures.

Just another benefit that a pond can provide for our enjoyment and relaxation.  Plants, boulders or fallen logs provide good sunny resting areas for frogs, dragonflies or turtles to take a breather. 

 Now that winter is approaching another good idea for those having frogs in their ponds is to provide a hiding place for the winter.  If you need you can create an area for them by placing a container in your pond filled with sand.  This will give the frogs a place to bury themselves for the winter.  Make sure its deep enough so that if your pond freezes over it will be beneath the ice.  Always leave an open space in your pond to provide oxygen for your friends.

I spent hours weeding our vegetable garden yesterday as I had neglected it for a couple weeks.   I can’t understand why the weeds seem to grow overnight.  Other than throwing them in the compost what other need do we have for them? 

But I did pick a nice batch of tomatoes.  Now its time to start working putting them away for the winter.  I enjoy canning almost as much as I enjoy my pond.  And there are so many ways to can tomatoes that can be enjoyed all winter long, that is if you don’t eat most of them while your picking…..

Then as I was wondering about in the garden I got caught up in the wonders of nature.  I like nothing better than watching the dragonflies, butterflies and yes the bees frolic around the garden.  Its my favorite time of the year.  I tried to get a picture of a hummingbird but they are so quick he didn’t give me time to click….