We finally had some much needed rain! My lawn and gardens certainly appreciated it… Looking at the weeks forecast, there is a chance of rain almost daily, but temps are gonna settle into the 80’s for what appears to be a mostly normal August! It’s a very pleasant morning 🌞 Locust in the background, partly sunny and mild. The birds are singing, my oven is preheating, & I’m drinking coffee ☕️ trying to capture a thought 💭
I’m a coffee ☕️ cup collector of sorts… This morning I’m drinking from the Sunliner Diner endless cup… That’s right 😊 If you take this cup back to the Diner with you, FREE COFFEE ☕️…💥 Needless to say, pretty good morning 😃
Last night I started getting serious with my Moonlight Pond Tour preparation… Checking lights, adjusting things, trying a few new things out… Please let me know what you think so far 😊
This nighttime tour, is my favorite event of the year! 🌝 I’m double excited because this year, it’s on the actual Full Harvest Moon night! 🌕
It was HOT last night though! 92 degrees and super humid at 11pm 😯 When we got through Jo and I were both soaked and exhausted 🥱 It’s a good feeling to me 😊
Great end to a great week! It’s been hot, but it’s about to change…
“Seen from above, the canopy of oak and make and pine is pierced by the pond, which looks back at you like some green eye, knowing and ancient. The air above the pond dives into clefts of coolness, then rises up at the warmth of the margins. Down the path, filigrees of blackflies and mosquitos dance in the heat waves given off by men and women and their domestic fires. Joyous bats dart about.”
Early morning, before daybreak… The Pond Lights are still on. No other sounds exist but the Flowing Waterfall, and the waking birds… All is Zen…
Are you ready for the week ahead?
Enjoy your morning! And have a great week!
“When once thy day shall burst to flower, When once the sun shall climb the sky, And busy hour by busy hour, The urgent noontide draws anigh; When the long shadows creep abreast, To dim the happy task half done, Thou wilt recall this pause of rest, This morning hush before the sun.”
Have a wonderful day, and don’t forget to tell the one you Love how you feel! I try to do this every day, not just on Valentines Day 😊 But today, its a must…
Guys, my advice – keep it simple… Take her out to lunch or dinner. Get her flowers 💐 or even a simple card. The biggest thing in my book is just let her know shes your special Valentine 💘
“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you… I could walk through my garden forever.
Does the changing of the seasons change your entire world? If it does, you may be in a seasonal business… Or, you may just be a gardener 🪴
Between watering plants, designing water features and landscapes and running a business, it’s sometimes hard to find the time to attend to your own garden. Sunday’s in the garden are my therapy…
What a beautiful Sunday morning! A dense fog burned off into a gorgeous Sunny day! I for one won’t be wasting time inside watching TV 📺
My “Seasonal Sunday Office” is feeling pretty good 😌
If your wondering what my beautiful photographer is looking at…. 👇🏻One of our greenhouse frogs 🐸 send me an idea for a great greenhouse frog name 💥 I’ll post it in your honor 😉
“An altered look about the hills; A Tyrian light the village fills; A wider sunrise in the dawn; A deeper twilight on the lawn; A print of a vermilion foot; A purple finger on the slope; A flippant fly upon the pane; A spider at his trade again; An added strut in chanticleer; A flower expected everywhere …”
I’ve been up since early, but never found time for my BLOG today… I normally try to share a Waterfall on Mondays, so instead, how about one of my favorite poems about a special waterfall 😊
“Whenever I plunge my arm, like this, In a basin of water, I never miss The sweet sharp sense of a fugitive day Fetched back from the thickening shroud of grey. Hence the only prime And real love-rhyme That I know by heart And that leaves no smart, Is the purl of a little valley fall About three spans wide and two spans tall Over a table of solid rock And into a scoop of the self-same block; The purl of a runlet that never ceases In stir of kingdoms, in wars, in peaces; With a hollow, boiling voice it speaks And has spoken since hills were turfless peaks.”
“And why gives this the only prime Idea to you of a real love-rhyme? And why does plunging your arm in a bowl Full of spring water, bring throbs to your soul?” “Well, under the fall, in a crease of the stone, Though where precisely none ever has known, Jammed darkly, nothing to show how prized, And by now with its smoothness opalised, Is a drinking-glass: For, down that pass, My love and I Walked under a sky Of blue with a leaf-wove awning of green, In the burn of August, to paint the scene, And we placed our basket of fruit and wine By the runlet’s rim, where we sat to dine; And when we had drunk from the glass together, Arched by the oak-copse from the weather, I held the vessel to rinse in the fall, Where it slipped, and sank, and was past recall, Though we stooped and plumbed the little abyss With long bared arms. There the glass still is. And, as said, if I thrust my arm below Cold water in basin or bowl, a throe From the past awakens a sense of that time, And the glass we used, and the cascade’s rhyme. The basin seems the pool, and its edge The hard smooth face of the brook-side ledge, And the leafy pattern of china-ware The hanging plants that were bathing there.
“By night, by day, when it shines or lours, There lies intact that chalice of ours, And its presence adds to the rhyme of love Persistently sung by the fall above. No lip has touched it since his and mine In turn therefrom sipped lovers’ wine.”
Our Spring Newsletter, “The Aquagardener” has been being published now for 25 years! Please excuse the jumbled layout in places, this is from a quick copy/paste… A quickie for the Blog. If your not already on our email list, send me your email request and I will put you on our mail out. You will receive it quarterly. Thanks
We are hosting something for the whole family! We will hold Educational Workshops about pond & fish care for hobbyists and hard core pond lovers. Also we will have a Petting Zoo for the kids + GREAT FOOD for all! Come out and help us kick off SPRING!
Remember those tomatoes your Grandparents grew, or the ones that the farmer down the road used to sell at his roadside stand?
With the advent of hybrid seeds, the older open-pollinated varieties are getting harder to find. While the hybrids have many advantages (disease resistance, greater productivity, more uniform fruit, etc.) they just can’t match the heirlooms for taste, and isn’t that why you grow your own vegetables? With a little extra care and planning, the heirloom varieties can do just as well as the hybrids in your backyard garden.
This year, why not try some of the simple old fashioned varieties in your garden? We think you will be pleasantly surprised! Don’t forget to plant a few herbs, as well. They’ll complement your fresh produce nicely on the dinner table.
After tasting your own freshly picked herbs, you’ll readily agree to their superior taste! Once you try them, you’ll always insist on growing your own!!
SEED SAVERS SEED IS AVAILABLE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE AT CARTER’S NURSERY. CALL FOR INFO ON VARIETIES OR STOP BY AND CHECK EM OUT! IF WE DON’T HAVE THE VARIETY YOUR LOOKING FOR WE CAN ORDER THEM FOR YOU!
“I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”
~ William Wordsworth, Daffodils
IMPORTANT MARCH DATES & GREAT TIPS
FOR ALL THE GARDENERS OUT THERE
MARCH 8TH: DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
MARCH 9TH:
Full Worm Moon:March’s Full Moon goes by “Worm Moon” because earthworm castings appear on top of the thawing ground, heralding the return of the Robins. Northern Tribes knew it as the Full Crow Moon; to the settlers; it was the Lenten Moon or the Full Sap Moon.
Peas are a time-honored crop, great for early planting because of their love of cool weather and resistance to frost. But how early is early? Folklore may hold the answer. For a hearty growing season, tradition tells us that peas should be planted on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day.
( THAT’S WHEN MY GRAND PARENTS ALWAYS PLANTED THEIRS). “To double up on good luck,” also sow during the waxing Moon. Suspicious of sparrows? Hold a couple of pea seeds in your mouth while you plant without speaking- the birds will leave your crop alone. I thought my grandparents just liked peas so much; that they enjoyed sucking on them while they planted them. 🙂
Greetings from the garden…
Spring is upon us! Daylight Savings time goes into effect THIS WEEKEND! The water temp is right to start feeding our Koi! And the whole world is coming ALIVE! I just LOVE this time of the year!
We are about to kick off the season with our Annual Spring Fest & Customer Appreciation Day on Saturday, March 21st! YOU are invited to come out and enjoy the day with us 🙂 Pond Maintenance class, plant sales, a petting zoo for the kids, grilled food & beautiful gardens… I cant’ wait! Y’all Come!
~ Mark Carter
It’s Pond Clean-Out Season Again!
Carter’s Nursery offers seasonal Pond Cleaning service for our customers. We will perform a full clean out of your Pond, Water Garden and/or Pondless Waterfall or Fountain. If you would like to get on the Pond Service Schedule please call the office at 731-424-2206 and speak to Jo or Sandra to schedule it. Time is running out to schedule before it gets HOT, so call us right away to get on the schedule.
Don’t Let Algae Cramp Your Style!
Electronic Solution to String Algae
Beat string algae with an IonGen!
The IonGen™ System G2 Electronic Algae Controller allows you to spend your time relaxing next to your water feature instead of trying to maintain it!
Drastically reduces pond Mainteneance caused by algae
Helps reduce unsightly string algae
Can be installed on existing Aquascape System
Compatible with water containing fish and plants
Energy efficient (less than $1.00 per month in electricity)
Unit weight: 3.3 lbs.
MSRP $450.00
Call to get your IonGen today!
(Installation services available) GET YOUR ION-GEN INSTALLED DURING YOUR POND CLEAN OUT AND YOU WILL SAVE MONEY ON INSTALLATION SERVICE.
“It was a weekly chore trying to remove the algae that grew on the rocks in our stream and waterfall. We installed an IonGen™ System and the algae simply went away and it hasn’t come back since.” – IonGen™ System User
“SPRING IS NATURE’S WAY OF SAYING, “LET’S PARTY!”
– Robin Williams
WOULD YOU LIKE
“A FACE LIFT “
FOR YOUR POND?
Think of what women have gone through for years to look beautiful and fresh.
We’ve used all kinds of contraptions. From creams to actual contraptions!
Contraptions are not needed to update your pond and make it look beautiful and fresh again. It just needs a little TLC. Some of our customers have had their ponds for 15-20 years. They want something newer or just different. It doesn’t take much to give it a “New” look either. We can add some bigger rocks or change out plants, widen a stream, or deepen a stream. Did you know we can even add another waterfall without having to rip anything out! If you have been thinking you wish your pond had a newer look then give us a call at the office to schedule a face lift appointment. 731-424-2206
HELPFUL TIP : IF YOU HAVE YOUR FACE LIFT DONE DURING A POND CLEAN OUT, IT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY TO DO THEM AT THE SAME TIME.
“Each leaf,
each blade of grass
Vies for attention.
Even weeds
carry tiny blossoms
to astonish us.”
– Marianne Poloskey
For you DIY-ers out there, we also sell any supplies pond owners will need; to do their clean-outs their selves. Below you will find a Pond Clean-out Check List to help you along. If you’re not sure what size filters you need, we can help you. Just come by or call! Also like us on Facebook & follow Mark’s page for great details and tips.
‘SPRING’ POND CLEAN-OUT CHECK LIST
1. Fish Net – Before you drain your pond for the spring clean-out, you’ll need to catch and relocate your fish into a holding tank with a bubbler. Preferably in the shade. Buying a good quality fish net will help you do this without injuring your fish during the catch and release.
2. Planting Pots – Spring clean-out is a great time to thin and divide plants that have grown out of bounds or crowded a pot. Make sure you have some aquatic plant pots handy so you can re-pot and share your new plants with other water gardeners or expand them to other areas of your pond.
3.Extra Gravel – After the freeze and thaw of winter, you’ll inevitably find rocks and gravel that have shifted, exposing bare liner. With an extra bag or two of gravel, you can cover exposed liner in a jiffy.
4. Lily Tabs – Take advantage of the water-free accessibility of water lilies, lotus, and other plants that may need to be fertilized, by having a container of lily tabs on hand when you’re doing your pond clean-out.
5. Container for Plant Debris – Grab an old plastic plant pot or bucket so you can easily dispose of any debris that you gather from the pond bottom or from dead plant matter.
6. Rubber Gloves and Boots – Spring clean-outs can be cold, wet, and messy. Arming yourself with boots and gloves will go a long way toward making this chore much less unpleasant.
7. Fish Container and Bubbler Pump – A large tub will be needed so you can have a roomy place to keep your fish during the clean-out. A Bubbler Pump will help keep oxygen levels up for your fish and reduce stress.
8. Net to Cover the Fish Container – Fish, especially large Koi, jump, and they may very well jump right out of the container that you have set up for them. Be sure to cover it with a net that is pulled tight across the container to prevent them from jumping.
9. Pump and Discharge Pipe – To drain the water out of the pond, you will need a pump and some discharge pipe. It’s OK to use your pond pump, but even better if you have an extra pump to lessen the wear and tare on your pond pump. About 2,000 GPH, depending on the size of your pond, will do the trick.
10. High Pressure Nozzle – Use a pressure nozzle on your garden hose to dislodge debris and algae from the rocks.
11. De-Toxifier – you should always use De-Toxifier to Filter and Purify the water going into the newly filled pond before you put the fish back in.
12. Expanding Foam – Expanding foam may need a bit of a touch up in some areas. Be prepared with a can of it just in case.
13. New Filter Mats – Filter mats should be replaced approximately every 3 years. If you think it might be time, be prepared by purchasing replacements prior to your clean-out.
14. Pruners – Part of a spring clean-out is pruning back dead plant material from the previous season. Make sure you have a good pair of pruners or scissors to get the job done.
15. Plastic Rake – You can rake the leaves right out of your pond with a small plastic (child’s) rake. The plastic lessens the chance of damaging the liner and the small size makes it easier to maneuver in tight spots better than an adult size rake.
16. Beneficial Bacteria – Always follow up your pond clean-out with Beneficial Bacteria.
MARCH 21st – Carter’s Nursery Spring Festival & Customer Appreciation Day! Something for the whole family! Workshops & classes, a Petting Zoo for the kids + GREAT FOOD for all! Come out and help us kick off SPRING! (Saturday 9am till 2pm) This is a FREE event!
MARCH 27TH & 28TH (Friday & Saturday)- The Spring Fling with the Memphis Master Gardeners located in the Red Barn at the Agri-Center in Memphis.
Come by to see our beautiful water features and talk to the areas best “Water Feature Experts”; the Carter’s Nursery crew!
April 4th (Saturday) We will be setting up at the Tipton County Master Gardeners Annual Lawn & Garden Expo. in Brighton, TN Come by and see our display, and of course visit with our water gardening experts!
We host 2 Pond Tours a year. A Summer Pond Tour (June 27th), & a Fall ‘Moonlight’ Pond Tour (October 3rd). Both are fund raisers for our local. Unique Water Gardens, Pondless Waterfalls and Fountains will be showcased on the Pond Tours.
Evenings By The Pond!
Come out and enjoy a laid back evening by the pond. We always enjoy some good food, visit/meet friends & we try to always have an educational program on Water Gardens, Aquatic Plants, Fish OR some cool subject for all that come. These little get together’s are held through the warm season and are in different people’s homes & backyards. If you would like to come & enjoy the evening please let us know and you will be put on the e-mail invitation list. Call Jo at 731-424-2206. – The 1st “Evening by the Pond” of the 2020 season will be hosted by Mark Carter & family at the Nursery Home on Thursday, May 21st at 6:30 pm. Address – 2846 Old Medina Rd. Jackson, Tn. 38305.
June 21st- Father’s Day! Let’s remember Dad!
June 27th– The 22nd Annual Summer POP Tour – Our ‘Summer’ Pond Tour (Always the Saturday after Father’s Day) is A FUN and Beautiful Day! This is a Self -Guided Tour and a Fundraiser. Tickets are $20 ea. (kids under 12 are FREE!). Carters Nursery is “Pond Central” for the Pond Tour and we invite you to come by throughout the day to sit a spell, have a drink & something to eat and look at the BEAUTIFUL Gardens and Water Features.
~ This is also the night of the “Moonlight Luau!” Live music! + We cook a whole hog in the ground “Kalua Style” and have a party beneath the stars! This is a DON’T MISS event! More info to come!
October 3rd – 16th annual Moonlight Pond Tour. This is our Annual Night Time Pond Tour! The tour always falls on a Saturday Night closest to the Full Moon!! Don’t miss this Unique Garden Tour Experience! Tickets are $20 each (kids under 12 are FREE!). Carters Nursery is “Pond Central” for the Pond Tour and we invite you to come by throughout the evening to sit a spell, have a drink & something to eat. Enjoy the Fire Pit and look at the BEAUTIFUL Garden and Water Feature Lighting. The nighttime garden is a magical world. The Moonlight Pond Tour is AWESOME!
October 17th – Fall Festival/Customer Appreciation Day- Come take part in our Workshops & Classes! FREE LUNCH for ALL that come! Petting Zoo & Pumpkin Carving Classes for the kids! BIG SALES for the Fall Season for all that come!
Thanks, and I hope to see you all here! Call me with any questions at #731-424-2206. Here’s to a GREAT 2020!
I have had a great birthday weekend! I got up early this morning, had coffee & started breakfast so everyone would wake to a great smell. Payback of sorts 😊 Jo & Jacob both went above & beyond what I expected for my birthday the last couple of days. Lots of friends & family went out of their way to let me know they cared! From Facebook, emails, texts, cards, pies, cakes & calls, I was blown away by the Love and Well Wishes from friends and family. I’m Blessed!
Sunday breakfast with family & friends is one of the high points of the week to me 😊
“We all have a cherished garden we tend –
It is planted with love of family and friends.
The memories and dreams we treasure and share
Are like beautiful roses found blooming there.
The comfort and care on which we depend
Is given with love between family and friends.
The sunshine of laughter and rain of a tear
Only make our love grow with each passing year.
We may all be ourselves with no need to pretend
Because of the love of family and friends;
They notice the rainbows and weather the showers.
They overlook weeds and praise all our flowers.
The most valuable thing is the time that we spend
Tending this garden with family and friends.
When counting our blessings, we know from the start
That family and friends come first in our heart.”
Carter's Water Garden 