August Activity

Our August activity will be held on MONDAY, August 22, at 7 pm.

at the home of

Jack and Micki Uhrig,

731 S. Lake Drive in Marshall.

(From Hwy 65, go east on College to Benton

Turn south on Benton to S. Lake Drive)

The program will be presented by Steve Stocksdale from Natures Beauty Landscaping.  Steve is known for his beautiful water gardens and pondless waterfalls.  We will learn some of his techniques for building with water gardens. 

He built the water garden at this location and will tell how it was made.  He will also show us the new Aquascapes skimmers and filters. 

NOTE THE CHANGE IN MEETING NIGHT TO MONDAY FOR THIS MEETING. 

BRING LAWN CHAIRS

September Activity

Our September 22 activity will be a night Tiki tour of a few water gardens in Marshall.  Watch for details in the next Fins and Friends.

Jim Garden Maintenance Schedule

August 29-Sept 11 - - - Carl Hufford

September 12-25 - - - Connie and Bill Rieth

September 26-Oct 9 - - - Larry and LaDonna

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Dear Polly,

 I am having trouble getting my water hyacinth to bloom.  I have plenty of sunlight and the temperature has been wonderful, humid and warm (85+ degree temperature).  I live in Michigan and it hasn't been better.  The water hyacinth is in a pond and gets plenty of sunshine late morning to dark.  What do I need to do to get it blooming.  It is the end of July already and the plant has been growing, but no blooms.  I do cut the new growth so that they don't over-take the pond.  The plant(s) look very healthy and green as with the forget-me-nots, water lillies and fish.  I thought that sunshine, humidity and warmth was a prime factor in the blooming process.  Any additional help would be great.

                                                Nadine

Dear Nadine,

You are describing the "great hyacinth mystery".  My experience with hyacinths is that you never know for sure what they will do.  Some years they will do great and you end up throwing buckets of them in the compost to thin out the pond.  Other years they turn yellow and either don't grow or die.  I can give you some ideas that may help but are not a sure thing. 

Hyacinths like running water and do best when water flows through their roots.  If you have a stream or waterfall try placing them where the water is moving.  Hyacinths that flow freely around the pond will have more little hyacinths.  The ones that are crowded up get taller and have more blooms.  Try containing some of them in a corner of the pond using clear nylon line around the bunch to hold them in place.  Also avoid any chemicals to kill the algae. 

There are also two types of hyacinths--a miniature and a larger one.  I think the larger one blooms best.  I hope this will help you get a better bloom.  The hyacinth bloom is beautiful and is worth the effort. 

                                                Polly

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Report of July Activity

 About 30 club members braved the heat to attend our members only tour in Macon in July.  We saw 6 water gardens and enjoyed a great BBQ meal hosted by Richard Fuller.  The door prize drawing of a free subscription to Water Gardening Magazine was won by Frances Williams.

Here are a couple of pictures from the event:

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