Showing posts tagged water lilies
For Nancy J. Ondra, one of my favourite garden writers. View high resolution

For Nancy J. Ondra, one of my favourite garden writers.

Water You might like the look and sound of it, but I can guarantee you Little Miss Sunshine down there hates all of the splashing around. Waterlilies like still water and full sun. This is yet another thing to keep in mind when you’re planning an aquatic garden area. You don’t only have the animals and humans to please, but also the plants, and many of them won’t be delighted to be splashed in the face all day. Would you? View high resolution

Water

You might like the look and sound of it, but I can guarantee you Little Miss Sunshine down there hates all of the splashing around. Waterlilies like still water and full sun.

This is yet another thing to keep in mind when you’re planning an aquatic garden area. You don’t only have the animals and humans to please, but also the plants, and many of them won’t be delighted to be splashed in the face all day. Would you?

Hello Sunshine! You are my sunshine, my only sunshine! You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away. …………….. Are you going to bloom all summer long, sweetheart? Aren’t you tired yet?! View high resolution

Hello Sunshine!

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine!

You make me happy when skies are grey.

You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you.

Please don’t take my sunshine away.

……………..

Are you going to bloom all summer long, sweetheart? Aren’t you tired yet?!

Nymphaea ‘Chromatella’ I promised you I’d post a photo of this flower days ago, but have finally got around to it. Sorry for the delay. View high resolution

Nymphaea ‘Chromatella’

I promised you I’d post a photo of this flower days ago, but have finally got around to it. Sorry for the delay.

Nymphaea ‘Escarboucle’ Our pink water lily… and tomorrow yet another… a yellow-flowered waterlily called Nymphaea ‘Chromatella’ View high resolution

Nymphaea ‘Escarboucle’

Our pink water lily… and tomorrow yet another… a yellow-flowered waterlily called Nymphaea ‘Chromatella’

Nymphaea alba - White water lily View high resolution

Nymphaea alba - White water lily

A New Bridge and Pond We made this pond and bridge two days ago.  I’m not a good designer or garden planner, but I’m a talented junk collector and recycler. The 30-foot beams for this bridge are two poplars that I had to cut down to save the trees around them. In the late 1980s they were planted only 3 feet apart, and weren’t going to survive much longer.  Now the others have some space to grow stronger. All of the wood is scrap lumber that a nearby factory throws out if I don’t go over and take it from them. So total cost for the bridge: about 20 euro - 15 for wood stain and 5 for 220 big nails. The JCB guy is a friend who patiently dug the pond about three feet deep, spread out a nylon tarp, dumped about 16 inches of soil inside it, and used all of the excess soil to make a gentle hill shape that I’m going to cover with grass. I was inspired by the simple low bridges I’ve seen in Japan, and the soft, totally artificial but somehow “natural” landscaping (echoing nature) which is often part of Japanese stroll gardens. I began filling the pond with our well water on Friday evening, and while I’m sure it has a few small leaks, it seems to be holding. At the moment it looks a bit like a, well, like a sewage-filled  swamp, but not for long… add fish and water lilies and bog/border plants and it will be beautiful. Maybe. View high resolution

A New Bridge and Pond

We made this pond and bridge two days ago.  I’m not a good designer or garden planner, but I’m a talented junk collector and recycler. The 30-foot beams for this bridge are two poplars that I had to cut down to save the trees around them. In the late 1980s they were planted only 3 feet apart, and weren’t going to survive much longer.  Now the others have some space to grow stronger. All of the wood is scrap lumber that a nearby factory throws out if I don’t go over and take it from them. So total cost for the bridge: about 20 euro - 15 for wood stain and 5 for 220 big nails.

The JCB guy is a friend who patiently dug the pond about three feet deep, spread out a nylon tarp, dumped about 16 inches of soil inside it, and used all of the excess soil to make a gentle hill shape that I’m going to cover with grass. I was inspired by the simple low bridges I’ve seen in Japan, and the soft, totally artificial but somehow “natural” landscaping (echoing nature) which is often part of Japanese stroll gardens. I began filling the pond with our well water on Friday evening, and while I’m sure it has a few small leaks, it seems to be holding. At the moment it looks a bit like a, well, like a sewage-filled  swamp, but not for long… add fish and water lilies and bog/border plants and it will be beautiful. Maybe.