The New Pond Gardens

Koi! Love these colorful fish!

There are several areas of the new property I am trying to landscape. The koi pond is one of them and is in a very important spot visible from the house so its landscaping is vital to our enjoyment. It has been a slow and painful process but it is coming along.





I choose predominantly pink plants for this garden. The Pink Drift roses that circle the far edge of the pond carry the theme the best but we also have: Joe Pye weed, Pink Gaura, Pink Maltese Cross, Surprise lilies, old fashioned bleeding hearts, and Queen of the Prairie. I also added in texture plants to include amsonia and a weeping Japanese maple.  For accent we have white lilies, Japanese roof irises, penstemon, and bergenias. Now that this area is mulched and weeded the plants are beginning to take hold and show off a bit.

Inside of the pond itself I have dark purple water irises, white hardy water lilies, and pickerel weed.

The fish are quite happy and of the original nine I moved from my old pond I was gifted with eight beautiful baby koi who are growing large quickly.

I mulched this large bed with cardboard and straw. The ragweed was taller than me in this bed and something had to be done. While the mulch won't last forever it is a start, and as time goes by weeds will become less of a problem. Especially once the shade trees begin growing. The yellow one pictured is 'Sango Kaku'. I have two in the backyard and think they are one of the prettiest Japanese maples around. Their fall color is a clear yellow that glows. Right now the trees are under stress since they are fairly newly planted and since it has been hot and dry lately. 

The irises under the tree in the foreground are Japanese roof irises. These are by far my favorite irises because they look great all season long, can be grown in the shade or sun (they would appreciate a little shade so don't plant them in a western or southern exposure, here they are planted on the east side of my home), and happily multiply into larger clumps (they will self seed too).


The back side of the pond slopes down with some of the famous rolling hill topography Tennessee is known for. Landscaping that side is a challenge because you don't want to block the lower plants yet you must have them tiered so they all layer well together. For instance; the Pink Drift roses are a bit shorter than the pink gaura which is just behind the roses. As we go down the slope the plants will have to get taller. There are three mophead type hydrangeas planted just below the gaura along with some amsonias and a Japanese style boxwood. Joe Pye weed also helps with the tiered effect. Hopefully when it is all grown in the appearance should be pleasant from both sides of the garden but honestly, the side I look at the most is across the pond to the roses so it is my main concern.


 One last photo of the back side of the garden. For me color is secondary to texture and heights when I plan out a garden. I want the plants to complement each other and set off one another whether they are blooming or not. Here the gaura and roses work out so well. The little shrub in the foreground is a 'Lady in Red' hydrangea my friend Angie gave me this spring. It is doing awesomely and I hope it, along with the other two hydrangeas in the bed, will fill in nicely as time goes on....


in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Chorus Frogs in the Koi Pond

An unintended consequence of having the koi pond so close to the house is the noise. Noise you say? Koi don't make noise. True, but the frogs-OMG!

We had frogs in our old koi pond and really enjoyed listening to them and even seeing them. (For more on them check this post found here). And I really don't mind the frogs in the new koi pond; tho it has taken some adjusting on my part.

These babies are chorus frogs. They are in the same family as spring peepers; hence the puffed out chin. And while we do have some spring peepers in the koi pond, it is the chorus frogs that are most active right now. I would hear them each evening but could never ever find them during the day. One night as I prepared for bed I looked out at the pond and saw all these white dots swimming around the surface of the pond. I knew it was not koi so I took my flashlight and camera out and got quite the show.

Chorus frogs were swimming and walking all over the place. They were really quite the wonder.

 I was even able to touch one of them. They serenade each other day and night. Even as I type I can hear their song. You too have heard them sing and may even be listening to them now, but in case you are not sure what these frogs sound like check this link here....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden 
 

The Dog Ramp, Koi Pond, and Patio Area (to be)

Good morning! Deacon (the naughty black lab in Tiger Way Gardens) says hello! He is standing on his now completed dog ramp, that could someday double as a wheelchair ramp. This ramp has been a lifesaver for Deacon's buddy AJ. AJ has hip problems and cannot climb steps all that well. The dog ramp also doubles as a runway for the dogs to come straight out of their room into their dog pen; which, true to form; has nothing in it for the dogs to destroy like they did in my other garden. It is a simple 50' x 50 dog pen. Although, the naughty lab has managed to pull his wool blanket out into the dog pen so he can tear it apart. Let me tell you, labs can be very destructive and I had no clue when I first got mine!

This is another view of the dog ramp looking toward the house. The dog ramp wound up being 30 feet long, 4 feet wide and the slope rises about 30". It is a pretty easy ramp to traverse and Mr. Fix-it and I built it well and to last. The ramp forms the northern boundary of our soon to be patio area. I have a lot of old bricks that I have salvaged. They will be laid down on the gravel area as soon as I am able to. To the left of the patio area is the new koi pond-now nearly complete. I just need to finish the landscaping and camouflaging the waterfall area.

Here is a big picture of the pond looking toward the dog pen. You can see Deacon and AJ sorrowfully looking at me because they no longer have free run of the yard. I was using the wireless collars to keep them contained around the house and I strongly recommend these collars. My labs were kept inbounds and even when I try to get Deacon to go out of bounds when we go for walks he refuses to budge from his imaginary boundary. Those collars work great! The bad thing about the dogs free roaming was they had access to the pond, the house, and patio furniture and all sorts of things they could get into. Deacon decided to shred one of my patio chair cushions one day when he felt he was not getting enough attention. I feel much better with the dogs in the pen now. They can safely bark at all the wildlife that surrounds our home. And those dogs can pick up scents really well! Of course, when the coyotes start howling just after dusk there is no scent needed. The dogs return the howls.

Along one side of the pond I planted a bunch of mondo grass as a groundcover under some azaleas and next to the pond. I am hoping the mondo grass will fill in and make a nice groundcover that is easy to care for. The mondo grass also compliments the pond. I had purchased three pots of mondo grass when I visited the McCorkles Giant Plant Sale with my friend Skeeter this past fall. The results above are from dividing just two pots. What a buy!

I hope to begin moving the koi from my other pond soon. I have read where dormancy is a pretty good time to move koi. In fact, I was able to catch one quite easily without even really trying. If I had a bucket it would've made the journey. The pond is 40" deep and there are three plant shelves in it. The plant shelves are fairly deep too. I am hoping that the depth of the pond and the fact the pond is quite close to the house will help to keep the koi safe from night time marauders. I also plan to use some fishing line to dissuade the blue herons from feasting here during the day. Hopefully it all works out. 

I hope everyone's year is off to a great start! I am still moving gardens and household items and all sorts of things. I am sad I am running out of time and I have to make a choice between garden plants and household items because I can't do both. I still need to move some rather large doublefile viburnums, edgeworthia, hellebores, daffodils, and maybe a few other shrubs. This task is best done during the winter and as we all know spring will be here soon. Now back to patio building....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

A Pond Tour in Ray's Garden

As you all know I am now the proud owner of a pond with two koi. The ponds in this post are certainly not mine but Ray, the owner of the ponds, has had a big influence on my pond which I will tell you about as we browse some pictures of his wonderful shady 'mountain retreat' in Clarksville Tennessee.

We start in the front yard where Ray has a 4000 gallon pond. This is about five times larger than my pond! The koi are quite happy here and I don't blame them. Unlike the water in my pond Ray's ponds were crystal clear. He said the trick was to keep the filter pad rinsed out every few days. That is my new tact in my pond since I had to drain it last weekend and start over due to the great deal of mud in my pond. Whoever said ponds were easy must not have a pond! Back to Ray's ponds and streams. The streams were so splendid to listen to and I really think they must make the water more oxygenated when the water falls so far.

Here is a shot of the whole koi pond. I think this pond is about the size of my pond but Ray's ponds don't have shelves in them. They do have a step down ledge but no shelves like my pond. The shelves certainly lessen the number of gallons in a pond. Ray's ponds are consistently 3-3.5' deep. His ponds are truly what you'd call koi ponds as there are no plants in the ponds and the ponds are designed to suit koi. My pond is what you would call a water garden. I am more of hobbyist and like the new area for ambiance and interest and not so much for koi. But don't get me wrong-I love koi too and I have some huge new ones I'll show at a later date!

Now we move to the backyard and wow what a backyard! The yard is dominated by a long stream with a bridge crossing over it at the top of a hill. The stream cascades down to a 7000 gallon pond!

Ray's sweet granddaughter was playing with one of two of Ray's beautiful collies. As you can see the dogs liked the water and especially this spot. Ray says sometimes the dogs knock the rocks down into the pond so they can be a bother in a pond but isn't it cute the dogs have a great spot to cool off in our hot and humid weather here in Tennessee?

Here is a long shot of the big pond. Doesn't that bench look inviting? In addition to Ray having these wonderful ponds he is also a gardener and I could see the bones of the gardens even though not everything had leafed out yet. I so enjoyed talking to him that I swear I could've visited all day. In fact, Ray had extra rocks from his pond and allowed me to buy them for a very minimal price I might add. Those rocks enabled me to finally finish my pond. Without his help I don't think my pond would be done even now. When Mr. Fix-it, the Jimster, and I went back to get the rocks on the weekend we invited Ray over to our place for a visit. I was hoping for some pond tips and he didn't disappoint. Ray is the one who told me I have a mud problem. Of course this is what Mr. Fix-it said all along but don't tell him he was right-okay?

Do any of you play chess? I learned to play chess in elementary school when I joined the chess club. Chess is a thinking man's game and one I think everyone should learn to play by the time they are in the second or third grade. What do you all think? All of my children know how to play chess and can most likely kick my butt in it but it is still a fun game. Can you guess why I am bringing up chess? Ray actually made above beautiful chess board. It is made from leather that he pressed and carved. Can you believe it? I never even knew you could do this. Ray's work is very special.

You all get to meet Ray himself-here he is in Tiger Gardens! Can you guess what another of Ray's hobbies might be? Think beautiful cars!! This is a Karmann Ghia, a German car made by Volkswagon. Do you all know these cars? I bet if you do then you have a memory or a story about them. It seems many people know them but I foolishly did not. Jaguars are what gets my heart beating fast-very fast. They are my favorite car but I tell you this one was a real beauty with its nice restoration job....


in the garden....

Tomorrow is the hugest perennial plant sale in Middle Tennessee! It is put on by the Perennial Plant Society and is located at the Nashville Fairgrounds starting at 9 am. There are tons of cultivars and types of plants including many native plants. You don't want to miss it! Check out the plant list here: It is so big it was just shown on Channel 5 news! Go early to get your picks! Prices are all reasonable!


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Some Pretties and Happy New Year

We have had such a mild winter this year in Tennessee that you'd hardly know it was wintertime! Blooms in the garden in the winter is a very delightful thing for me because 2011 has not been a very good year yet the garden always makes me happy. I thought I'd share a few pretties with you all today and also wish you a very safe and wonderful welcome to the new year. First up is the first hellebore of the season. I love love love hellebores mainly because they do well in the shade here at Tiger Gardens and because they bloom in the wintertime. I was a bit stunned to find a bloom so early-27 December 2011!

I added several flats of violas to my gardens this year. They are sweet little flowers that bloom and bloom and bloom. Our local market here in the Clarksville area did not carry violas in great quantities but when I traveled to Alabama to welcome my newest grandchild into the world I stopped in Chattanooga and found several flats of marked down violas. Viola!

Walking in the garden I noticed a heavenly gentle scent that I knew had to be the vernal witch hazel. This witch hazel does the best of the three that grow in my garden and begins blooming in January each year (it's a bit early this year). It has been in my garden for five years and is finally growing into a lovely form. I may even cut some branches to bring into the house. These are perfect shrubs for that kind of thing.

The greenhouse is a delightful place to be on a sunny day-any day really. The blooms are amazing.

I've been busy working in the garden too-when I am able to-which is not often. I have started digging a 1600 gallon watergarden pond. The hole is almost there now too! I have to dig the deep part about another foot but the rain came and stopped progress for a bit. All of the dirt removed found a home elsewhere in the garden via wheelbarrows. Lots of good work! Now if I can teach myself the mechanics of the pump and so on I might actually get this thing done in another month or so. If you have a pond and can share your successes and what you may have done differently-let me know.



Of course no self respecting pond would be complete without a nearby patio. A store about two miles from our home is under renovation. A big pile of HUGE concrete chunks materialized out back of it. Opportunity! I asked if I could gather the chunks and was told yes, of course since the contractor has to pay to dispose of them. Mr. Fix-it, Jimmy and I made two very rough trips to get these chunks of concrete. I have finally buried them level with the ground and they make a perfect informal patio for my salvaged table and chairs.




And finally, a shot of my beautiful oldest twin daughter, her husband and brand new baby girl named Adella. Adella is one of the few bright spots of this past year and is sure to warm our hearts for many years to come. Here's to 2012 and good things to come....


in the garden.....
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden