Filed under: Family time, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Best Local Nursery and Garden Center, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Changing Seasons, Cover Plants, Crazy Weather, Feeding the Soul, Frosty Morning, Gardening, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Life is Good, Love, Love and Meaning, Moment of Zen, Morning Zen, outdoor lifestyles, Outdoor Living, Place of Zen, Predicting Weather, Quality Of Life, Robert Frost, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Water Garden, Spring, Spring Gardening, Tennessee Weather, Weather Signs, Zen, Zen state of mind, Zen Waterfall
If you are like many Gardeners and live by the ”Last Frost Date” given in the Almanac or in your local paper, you may be very disappointed this morning… I’m getting ready to go out and uncover the hundreds of plants that I have under blankets, sheets and in a big cold frame greenhouse.

Why does it ’sneak up’ on us so often?
With me its all about staying in tune with the particular season. Spring here in West TN fluctuates from sweaty 80’s weather to 60 mile an hour winds with frost and snow ❄️ BUT, that relationship you form with the seasons and the changes is where the Zen lies…
But, its tough to wait! As soon as the forsythia and the daffodil 🌼 blooms I’m already setting up my planters and pots 🪴 And, I try to be ready for people coming in to my Nursery early, which means we spend a month or more moving plants in and out of the greenhouse… 😊

Finding balance and Zen within ourselves is found within our own Gardens…
PS: The good news is, I think we are past Frost now for real!
“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.”
~ Henry Van Dyke
Have a great Tuesday!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 50 Degree Rule, 60 degree Rule, Color Enhancing Koi Food, Cool Season Koi Food, Cool Temp Koi Food, Fall Pond Tips, Feed Me, Feeding Koi, Feeding the Soul, Feeding Time, Fish Feeding, Fish Food, Fish Health, Food, Hand Feeding Koi, Healthy Koi, High Protein Koi Food, Koi Feeding, Koi Feeding Schedule, Koi Fix, Koi Food, Koi Health, Koi Health Tip, Koi Health Tips, Koi Pond, Koi Ponds, Koi Shack, Koi Supplies, Koi Whisperer, Maintenance Tips, Maxi Growth Koi Food, Pond Maintenance Tips, Pond Supplies, Pond Tip, Pond Tip Tuesday, Pond Tips, Rule of 60, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Feeding Times, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Koi Feeding Temperatures, Seasonal Koi Feeding Times, Seasonal Water Garden, Spring Feeding, Spring Pond Tips, Summer Pond Tips, The Rule of 50, The Rule of 60, Tips, Water garden supplies, Weekly Pond Tip, Winter Pond Tips
Spring is in full swing! We are approaching our last frost date and the whole world is greening up, I LOVE it! ❤️ So do my Koi! They have been tearing up the Cool Season Koi Food and the veggies I have been feeding them. In fact, many of my customers and fellow Koi enthusiasts have been feeding their Koi Cool Season Food & have started asking me the all important question…
– When can I start feeding regular Koi Food and Color Enhancing Koi Food?
– My Answer- Remember the rule of 60!

We have covered The Rule of 50 in previous Blogs, when coming out of Winter into Spring, you must let the water temp stabilize for at least a week at 50+ degrees Fahrenheit before you start to feed your koi, AND, when you do start back to feeding, you should use a quality, Cool Season Koi Food! And don’t over feed! Gradually reintroduce food to them in small amounts.

Now, at least for me (check your thermometer) it’s time to make the transition to a regular Koi Food. In fact, I will start to feed both high protein and color enhancing feed, alternating weekly between the two.

So, lets wrap it up… check your water temp & when your above 60 degrees for several days in a row and climbing, you can transition to warm season Koi Food. That’s the “Rule of 60”…
Viva La’ Spring!
Happy Pondering!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Family time, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Pondless Waterfalls, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: #waterfallwednesday, Beautiful Waterfall, Carters Nursery, Carters Nursery Pond & Patio, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Frozen, I ❤️ Waterfall Wednesday, Icy Waterfall, Natural Beauty, Naturalistic Waterfall, Pond-Less Waterfall Wednesday, Pondless Waterfall, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Water Garden, Snowy waterfall, Spring is Coming, Water Feature Wednesday, Waterfall, waterfall design, Waterfall Wednesday, Waterfalls, Waterfalls in YOUR Life, Wednesday, Winter Beauty, Winter Pond Tips, Winter Waterfall
Here we are in a whole New Year! 2022 is looking up 🙄! Its “full on winter time” out there and some might wonder what there is to celebrate or feature in the garden…? Well, your Waterfalls for a start! 💥 Your Waterfalls are always beautiful regardless of the season! I can always find beauty and inspiration in my Pond and in my Waterfalls❤️ Here are a few Winter shots to warm your heart!







Do these speak to you? Do they inspire you to put your coat on and walk outside? To feed the birds? To dream about the coming Spring? They sure do for me 😊
Enjoy the Winter, and know that Spring follows Winter and will be here soon to bring you a completely different look and feeling ❤️
Have a Great #Waterfallwednesday!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Appreciation of Nature, Autumn, Autumn Color, Autumn Leaves Falling on Water, Fall Beauty, Moment of Zen, Monday, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Moment of Zen, Morning Zen, Place of Zen, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Water Garden, Take a walk, Thanksgiving is Coming, Water Garden, Water Gardens, Waterfall, Waterfalls, Zen, Zen Feeling, Zen state of mind, Zen Stream, Zen Video, Zen Waterfall
Fall is in full splendor 🍂 We have peaked in our Fall color and soon the wind will sweep it all away 🌬 I wanted to share my little view of Autumn Beauty with you this morning. The colorful foliage with the crashing Waterfalls provides the perfect place of Zen on a crisp Monday morning…
Get out today and take a walk or a ride around the neighborhood and enjoy the Fall color while its still here… It will be gone in the blink of an eye 👁
Have a great day!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 50 Degree Rule, 60 degree Rule, Beneficial Bacteria, Bulk Leaf Netting, Choosing a Skimmer, Cold Water, Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria, Cool Season Koi Food, Cool Season Water Treatments, Cool Temp Koi Food, Cut To Fit Leaf Netting, Debris Net, Fall maintenance, Fall Pond Netting, Fall Pond Tips, Fall Water Garden Maintenance, Feeding Koi, Fish, Fish Feeding, Fish Food, Fish Health, Fish net, Fish Sale, Floating Pond Thermometer, Food, Garden Ponds, Gardening Supplies, I Love Koi, Koi, Koi Fix, Koi Food, Koi Health, Koi Health Tip, Koi Health Tips, Koi Nets, Koi Pond, Koi Ponds, Koi Shack, Koi Supplies, Leaf cleanup, Leaf Control, Leaf Netting, Low Maintenance, Maintenance Tips, Maintenance Workshop, Pond Cleaning Supplies, Pond Fish, Pond Maintenance, Pond Maintenance Tips, Pond Net, Pond Netting, Pond Netting Frame, Pond Skimmer, Pond Supplies, Pond Thermometer, Pond Tip, Pond Tip Tuesday, Pond Tips, Preventative Maintenance, Rule of 60, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Feeding Times, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Koi Feeding Temperatures, Seasonal Koi Feeding Times, Seasonal Water Garden, Signature Series Skimmers, Skimmer Basket, Skimmer Filter, Skimmer Weir, The Rule of 50, The Rule of 60, Tips, Tuesday, Water Garden, Water Garden Maintenance, Water garden supplies, Water Gardens, Waterfall, waterfall design, Waterfalls, Weekly Pond Tip, Winter Pond Tips, Yard Ponds
Fall is in full season! In fact we are only a couple of weeks from Peak Viewing time for Fall foliage in TN! Then you will again realize where ”Fall” gets its name… 🍁 🍁🍁

I always try to post proactive things you can do to keep your Water Garden clean and your Koi healthy over the Fall & Winter. Things like – Cutting your aquatic plants back, using pond netting, watching your skimmer more closely, feeding Cool Temp Koi Food, etc. –

We stock bulk Leaf Netting at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio in Jackson, TN | It will keep debris out of your pond & help protect your fish from predators during the cold, bare months.

Switch to Cold Water Bacteria NOW! –

Our Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria works and keeps on working when the plants and fish aren’t active and really helps the quality of your Pond Water! It is extremely effective at reducing sludge, dead and decaying leaves and plants, built up fish waste & excess nutrients like ammonia, nitrates & phosphates. These things make for poor water quality, reduced water clarity and can have catastrophic effects on your fishes health.
Keep an Eye 👁 on Your Skimmer –

Or, you end up with this 👇🏻

Every Pond should have a floating Pond thermometer! Our finned friends are cold blooded & water temperature is very important when it comes to seasonal feeding times. Pick one up at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio.

My final Pond Tip for today is this – Switch to Cool Season Koi Food NOW…

Switching to a Cool Temperature Koi Food is very important for the health of your Koi!
Well, there you have it, a little reminder to help keep the Maintenance to a minimum and to maximize the enjoyment of our wonderful hobby!
Happy Pondering! 🍁
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Lake and Pond, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Autumn, Autumn Color, Autumn Poem, Changing Seasons, John Keats, Love, Outdoor Living, River, River Life, Rivers, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Interest, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday on the River, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday Sunset, Sunday with Family, Sundays, Tennessee River, The Seasons
Today has been like the rest of this entire week… Long and Beautiful! 🌞 Fall came in with cool temps and blue skies. We got out on the lake today to enjoy a little time off and to officially welcome in Fall.




Although I hate the Summer being behind us, Fall is always a beautiful, welcome season… Here’s to Fall!🍁🔥🏈
“Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, –
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing, and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.”
~ John Keats
Mark C
Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Waterfalls | Tags: #throwbackthursday, #waterfallthursday, Changing Seasons, Fall Gardening, Fall maintenance, Family Fun, Family time, Family Traditions, Jack-o-Lantern, Pumpkin Carving, Pumpkins, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Interest, The Seasons, Throwback Thursday, Waterfall Thursday
Summer is still in glorious season, but when you run a business you have to stay ahead of the changes… Which are coming quickly. In fact, Fall is just around the corner. When I think of Fall, I think of several things, but Pumpkins 🎃 Maybe #1! This throwback pic from several years ago brings back nothing but good memories… And a peak into our not to distant future 😊

This picture of my son and I is repeated every Fall and I’m looking forward to it 😊
Y’all have a great #Throwbackthursday evening!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Hummingbirds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pondless Waterfalls, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: A Day In The Life Of, Changing Seasons, Flowers, Greenhouse, Greenhouse Report, Hanging Baskets, Healthy Lifestyle, I ❤️ Sunsets, Life is Good, Living the Life Abundant, office, Outdoor Living, Planting, Poems, Pottery, Quality Of Life, Seasonal Interest, Spring Cleaning, Spring Gardening, Spring Planting, Stuff of Life, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday on the River, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Songs, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday with Family, Sundays, Sunrises
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 🪴

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 😌


“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 …”
~ Emily Dickinson, Nature : April
Have a happy day!
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Pondless Waterfalls, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Ice, Ice Waterfall, Moment of Zen, Monday Morning Moment of Zen, Morning Zen, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Water Garden, Snow Day, Snowy waterfall, Waterfalls, Winter Beauty, Winter Pond Tips, Winter Waterfall, Zen, Zen Feeling, Zen state of mind, Zen Stream, Zen Video, Zen Waterfall
Having a Waterfall Feature in your backyard truly gives you 4 seasons of interest. Each season brings its own magic 🪄 late yesterday evening this little video was taken of my own personal Waterfall. I LOVE every season, but the ice sculptures of Winter ❄️ are just plain Magical!
I hope this video brought a little Zen to your morning!😊
Have a great day! Stay warm!
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Family time, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Hummingbirds, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Anticipation, Magnolia X soulangeana, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Koi Feeding Temperatures, Spring is Almost Here!, Spring is Coming, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Poem, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday with Family
What a beautiful Sunday morning! Cool and crisp! Warming today, but several days of rain ahead… Ahhh, but it’s March! Springtime is only inches away 😊 I can feel it!
The First Of March
“The sun is brilliant in the sky but its warmth does not reach my face.
The breeze stirs the trees but leaves my hair unmoved.
The cooling rain will feed the grass but will not slake my thirst.
It is all inches away but further from me than my dreams.”
~ M. Romeo LaFlamme
Have a Great Sunday!
Mark C.