How to Choose Water Garden Plants
So the water garden bug has bitten. You've dug and leveled and sweated and said words you hope that no one else has heard. Now it's time for the fun part ? picking out your water garden plants! Plant varieties within these four categories are what you need to eyeball: deep-water, marginals, oxygenators, and floaters. (If you think these words are big words, just be happy we're not talking about medicine.) After you've diligently planted your new plants in plastic tubs, pans, or clay pots, packing the fertilizer- and chemical-free soil down tightly, load the container down with pea gravel to keep the soil from floating away. (Don't ask why this works, but it does.) Plunk your plant into the water at the appropriate depth (You'll read about that in just a minute) and you're on ready to go! Plant-dunking should be generally be done during the growing season.
For new ponds, wait four or five weeks for the water plants to do their thing before you add your fish. If you just can't hold your horses, or your fish, for that long, you can jump the gun a couple of weeks, but the idea is to let the plants first get established. When picking your plants, you'll no doubt be wowed by water lilies of the tropical persuasion. These aquatic wonders are popular compared to their hardier cousins with knock-out fragrance, big blooms day or night ? depending on the variety ? and a habit of blooming their little hearts out nearly every day during the growing season. They love their warmth, though, so unless you live in a year-round, warm-weather climate, be prepared to hasten them into a greenhouse or at least muster up some funds to buy them some "grow" lights to tough it out through the winter.
They will definitely bite the dust at freezing temperatures, but give them night-time temps of at least 65F and daytime temps of 75F or warmer, and your love affair with tropicals will only grow that much more torrid. Hardy water lilies, while not the showboaters that tropicals are, are . . . well, hardier.
Their big advantage is that they can stay in the water year ?round unless it freezes so deeply the rootstock is affected. And being the tough guys they are, you can plant these puppies deeper than the tropicals, some living it up in depths of 8 to 10 feet. Both hardy and tropical water lilies are real sun worshippers. At least 5 to 10 hours a day is what it takes, along with regular fertilization, to keep these plant pals happy. Everybody and their brother with a water garden wants a lotus plant.
(Sisters, too, no doubt.) These water-lily relatives come in hardy and not-so-hardy strains, so make sure you know what you're buying. Much bigger than water lilies, lotus have huge, famously splendid blooms that not only will knock your socks off, but make you forget you have feet altogether. Their leaves and seed pods are so breathtaking, they're a favorite in costly cut-flower arrangements. Big, bold, and beautiful, with water-depth needs of 2-3 feet, these shouters are really better off in big ponds that get plenty of sun. Marginals (sometimes called "bog" plants by those less high-falutin') are grass-like plants that strut their stuff in shallow areas no deeper than 6" that border the water garden.
They also do well in mud. Cattail, bamboo, rush, papyrus, and many other plants fall into the family of marginals and grow best with a minimum of at least three hours of sun. Some plants are there but not seen, working stoically under water and without fanfare to fight algae, oxygenate the water, and provide food for fish. (In lieu of these plants, if your pond is small, you can fake it fairly adequately with an aquarium pump.) Easy on the wallet, varieties of these plants can be bought in bunches and like their soil sandy and/or gravelly. Like hardy water lilies, they, too, will warrior it through the winter.
Water hyacinths have become a recent rage, especially for the lazy among us. No soil is required for these beauties. Toss them in the water and they're "planted." A water hyacinth ain't just another pretty face, though; these plants do their part in the war against algae and blanket weeds by keeping sunlight scarce on the water's surface. But one note of caution: This plant may take over the world if allowed. It's invasive as all get out, so keep it under control or you (and your neighbors) may wish you'd never laid eyes on it.
A water garden isn't a garden without plants. Take your time, know your climate, and choose wisely. Your rewards will be great in return. To read the full article, click here: http://www.macarthurwatergardens.com/Newsletters/July2004/pond-plant-selection.shtml.
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several pond-related websites including macarthurwatergardens.com and pond-filters-online.com. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 9,000 pond owners. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive a complimentary 'New Pond Owners Guide' for joining, just visit MacArthur Water Gardens at www.macarthurwatergardens.com.brett@macarthurwatergardens.comFARENHEIT 9/11 and FARENHYPE 9/11 Gives Two Views of America
After watching the mud-slinging commercials about John Kerry or George W. Bush, learning about their military records, watching Michael Moore's movie, "Farenheit 9/11," and Dick Morris' movie "Farenhype 9/11" to prepare for the Presidential Election in November, let's get down to tacks about Identity Theft in America."NO GREATER DECEPTION, A TRUE TEXAS STORY," by Sydney Newman Dotson is the shocking #1 true crime biography that will knock your socks off."My book is definitely an outrageous story, but horribly true," says Sydney. "Identity theft of the dead is a gruesome crime. Deceased victims of identity theft cannot come back from the dead to defend themselves. It leaves the victims' children to seek justice on their deceased relatives' behalf.
My father had his affairs in order before he died. He made a Last Will and Testament, told us about it, and warned us that his wife, our evil stepmother, would try to destroy it and gain the entire estate for herself. We weren't prepared...
FARENHEIT 9/11 and FARENHYPE 9/11 Gives Two Views of America
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What is a Sale
What is a sale? A Sale in reality is selling yourself or your talents. This is great news. Although there are many things that make sales better and make you a better salesperson I find the 4 main ingredients to great sales are as follows:S Smile- no they cant see you but believe me it makes a difference. I spent alot of time in door to door solicitations and telemarketing and I can tell you this , If you are smiling on the outside Yur whole outlook will be better. With a better outlook you will not give up because of the NOs because you know there is a yes around the corner.A Ask- yourself questions pertaining to the product or service for exampleWhat will it do for me? Is the cost reasonable? What would make this product more useful? The more you ask yourself the better you will know your product and how to market it.
It is often smart as well to use a question in the subject as it will get your ads read. Instead of 'The Safelist with the most Freebies' you might use 'How generous...
What is a Sale
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www.Passive-Profits.com investigates... Is this the end for AOL? Switchisp Looms
If you want to take advantage and make a serious passive income from the next major upset in Internet Service Provider business - Read on... Yes, there's a new kid on the block and he's cheap, very fast and can make you extremely rich. I found a recent press release about this company which stated, "With over 10,000,000 hits per month and more than 200 people in the sign-up area each hour, Switchisp.com? is the front-runner in the race to snap up AOL's disenchanted subscribers" In addition, Switchisp.com? say their new technology is offering anyone with a computer unlimited ISP and of 10 X faster surfing speed for as little as $14-90 per month. However what interests us here at www.Passive-Profits.com is it's incredibly lucrative marketing plan. As any regular reader will know and the name suggests, Passive-Profits.com is always on the lookout for the very best in passive income streams.
As with many really good business opportunities, one of the best things a successful...
www.Passive-Profits.com investigates... Is this the end for AOL? Switchisp Looms
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Fathers Day is the 3rd Sunday in June
Great gift ideas for Dad on Father's Day.
- Personalized crockery - plate, mug or bowl.
This is perfect when the children are young - Why not get the kids to put together a time capsule, with some photos of them with their dad, some other personal items and bury it in the garden
- There are gift experience companies, why not treat dad to drive a sports car or perhaps sky diving?
- Why not get some printable iron on transfers which you can print using your computer and home printer.
- How about baking a cake or some of his favorite biscuits?
- What about a photo album of a frame of photos of dad and the kids
- Name a star after the father - there are a number of online websites who offer this service
- Casting kits are great fun, get the kids to mould their feet or hands and paint them afterwards.
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4 Steps to an Enjoyable Hike
Some people have fought many years of their lives to preserve the rich heritage of the outdoors and nature we now enjoy. That dedication and effort has been rewarded by fantastic hiking opportunities in our local, state, and national park systems. In honor of their efforts, let's break out of our winter hibernation and venture into the crisp, clean outdoor air and hit some of those dirt trails. Let's Go Hiking!Here are 4 steps to having an enjoyable hike, no matter where your feet decide to take you.1. Know the area you will be hiking in to.
Although many states, like California, Colorado, or Wyoming have exceptional hiking hot spots, even your local park will have some kind of useful information. Whether it's a website with information and trail details, or a map at the park office, trailhead, or visitor center, always check before you head out on your hike so you know what to expect.2. Know the conditions you will be facing, wherever you go. Nothing is worse than...
4 Steps to an Enjoyable Hike
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Sing Jingles - Your Singing Investment!
Sing Jingles ? Your Singing Investment!
By Tom Gauger
After being in the music business as long as I have, you meet a lot of people ? many of whom are extremely gifted and others, well there are others to.
As a professional jingle singer, former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency and founder of ReelMusician.com, I've heard it all ? The excuses that is.
Many individuals want the glamorous lifestyle of studio singing work, but they don't want to make the investment that is needed to put them on the map singing commercials.
Let's spend a few minutes looking at a typical investment to get you started singing jingles and general session work.
By now, you've seen all kinds of services, prices and wonder what you should do in terms of your singer reel.
Let's spend a few minutes exploring what you shouldn't do.
The biggest mistake new singers make is to assume that their friend's studio...
Sing Jingles - Your Singing Investment!
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Socks suv How to Choose Water Garden Plants
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