Pondless Waterfall

If you missed our Pondless Waterfall display this weekend at the MassWest Home Show in Amherst, make a point of visiting Picture Perfect Ponds at the Original Western Massachusetts Home & Garden Show March 22-25 on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA.  Look for us in Booth 301 in the Better Living Center…we’ll be the ones with the soothing waterfalls!

We will be featuring a Pondless Waterfall and a small low-maintenance eco-sytem pond with waterfall!  

Picture Perfect Ponds – CJ Grounds Maintenance designs and builds ponds, waterfalls and “fountainscapes” in Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut.  We also provide pond and waterfall maintenance and can help you with pond “upgrades” and enhancements.  Stop by and chat with us…we can “Build you the Pond of your Dreams“.

We will be offering great early spring specials and will have knowledgeable staff on hand to answer your pond related questions. 

Pondless Waterfall

Visit Picture Perfect Ponds at the MassWest Home Show 2012  and get a little taste of Spring!  Stop by booth 148 in the Mullins Center March 17 -18 and check out our “Pondless Waterfall” display.  Learn how you too can enjoy the sounds of a soothing cascading waterfall or thrill to the graceful beauty of koi and other ornamental fish in your one-of-a-kind low-maintenance pond!

We will be offering great early spring specials and will have knowledgeable staff on hand to answer your pond related questions.

Picture Pefect Ponds by CJ Grounds Maintenance designs and builds ponds, waterfalls and “fountainscapes” to enhance any size landscape

Happy pondering!

Stop by next weekend (June 18-19) for our Water Feature Open House and Aquatic Plant Sale

1911 East Mountain Road, Westfield, MA 

10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

We will have a large variety of tropical liles (day & night blooming), marginals, lotus, as well as some of our favorite hardy aquatic plants at special prices!  You can also stock up on premium fish food, Aqua 1 and other water treatments at big discounts.  Check out our new Giant Mushroom Fountain and relax by the ponds.   

Available Pond Plants include:

Tropical Lilies – Madame ganna Walska, Green Smoke, Leopardess, King of Siam, Woods Blue Godess, Surf Rider, Lindsey Woods, Albert Greenberg, Red Flare, Rose de Noche and Texas Pink

Assorted Lotus

Black Magic and Black Beauty Taro

Umbrella Palm

Cannas- African Sunset, Bengal Tiger, Pink Sunburst and Hallucination

Hibiscus- Fireball, Lord Baltimore and Pink Swirl

Some varieties are in very limited supply.  Of course, you can call ahead (by 6/15) for special requests and to order!

See you next weekend!

Give Your Pond a Spring Cleaning

Spring is simply the most exciting time of year. As things slowly awaken from their winter hibernation, there are some things that you can do to make sure your water feature gets off to a good start this spring.

Does your water feature need a full clean-out this season or does it just need to be tidied up a little? There are a couple of things that you can look for to help you decide. First, if there is a layer of “crud” at the bottom of the pond and the water is dark in color, it would be a good idea to do a full clean-out.

On the other hand, if there is just a small amount of debris that you can stir up and capture with a net and the water looks clear, a little tidying up is all that’s in order. Plan on spending a half to a full day to complete a pond clean-out. A Pondless® Waterfall will take considerably less time.

The best time to perform a pond clean-out is the early spring, before your water garden completely awakens from its winter dormancy – ideally before the water temperature in the pond creeps above 55º F. If a clean-out is performed when the water is warmer, after bacteria colonies form, the balance of the ecosystem will again be thrown off and your pond will go through another “green phase” before the bacteria colonies re-establish themselves again.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• A cleanout pump with approximately 25 ft. of discharge hose
• A high-pressure nozzle for your garden hose, or a power washer
• Garden shears for trimming plants
• A child’s swimming pool or a similar sized container to hold fish and any other critters you find during the clean-out
• A net or something similar to place over the fish container to keep them from jumping out
• Two five-gallon buckets to collect leaves and debris
• A fish net
• Pond Detoxifier to remove chorine and chloramines prior to putting fish back
• Beneficial Bacteria

Drain the Pond / Pondless® Waterfall

• Place the clean-out pump in the deepest point of the pond (or in the Pondless® Waterfalls Snorkel™) in order to remove the water.
• Drain the water into the surrounding landscape. Be sure to relocate the pipe two or three times to allow the water to seep into the ground and not flood the yard.
• If you have fish, use some of this pond water to fill up the holding pool. The fish can be removed from the pond using a net once the water is low enough so you can easily catch them.
• Don’t keep the fish in the holding pool for more than several hours. Keep them in a shady spot with a net over the top of the pool to prevent them from jumping out.

Don’t Overdo the Cleaning

• Rinse the inside of the pond. You can also use a pressure washer to help remove debris from the rocks and gravel.
• Don’t try to scrub all of the algae away. Some algae on the rocks will prove beneficial in developing your ecosystem. For an average size pond (11′ x 16′) this should take around 15 minutes.
• Use the gentle stream from a garden hose to rinse the rocks and gravel. Start at the top and work your way down to the bottom. Periodically turn the clean-out pump on to remove the dirty water. You can discontinue the periodic pumping once the water rinsing down to the bottom begins to look clear. Remove the pump and begin filling the pond.

Cleaning the Filters

• Remove any debris from the bottom of the skimmer and Snorkel™ Vault. This can be done by hand or by using the cleanout pump.
• Remove the media nets and filter pads from the BioFalls® Filter. (Not included with the Pondless® Waterfall). If you have the optional drain kit attached to your Signature Series™ BioFalls® Filter, you can open up the valve and rinse the media and filters. Once the filters have been removed rinse them free of accumulated debris.
• The filter media and mats can be put back into place and the waterfalls pump can be reattached in the skimmer or Snorkel™ Vault.

Putting Your Fish Back into their Clean Home

• If you’re on city water, it’s imperative that you add a de-chlorinator to the water so it is safe for fish.
• Dip a five-gallon bucket, or similar sized container, in the holding tank and fill it with water.
• After you’ve caught a fish, place it in the bucket and set the buckets in the clean water.
• After about 15 minutes, periodically begin splashing some pond water into the bucket.
• By now, the temperature of the pond and the bucket water should be close to the same. You are ready to spill the fish into their spring-cleaned home.

Contact us for answers to your pond cleanout questions, or to schedule a pond cleanout in the Pioneer Valley.

Picture Perfect Ponds was proud to work with a talented group of fellow Certified Aquascape Contractors (CAC) to create a backyard paradise at the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show 2011. 

Escape the winter blues and visit this creation at Aquascape of Connecticut’s award winning display.  The 2010 “Best in Show” winner- Rob Townsend-  designed a spectacular outdoor living space complete with pond, waterfalls, fountainscapes, gazebo and a custom built cedar pergola. 

The Show runs Thursday Feb. 24 to Sunday, Feb.27.   Go to www.ctflowershow.com for show hours and more information.

Also, save the dates – Mar. 24-27 – and visit Picture Perfect Ponds displays at the Original Western Mass Home Show at the Eastern States Exposition (Home of the Big E), West Springfield.

Our First Blog! 

We at Picture Perfect Ponds have spent a good bit of the off season (when not shoveling off our roofs, trucks and equipment!) upgrading our website.  With a lot more relevent information and updated pictures, our new site should help you move towards achieving the “pond of your dreams”.   

There are many ways to enjoy the “aqua life-style” from ecosystem ponds to pondless® waterfalls to small fountainscapes.  Learn more about these water features by checking out “What is a water feature” on  our site.

Also, check out our sections on “debunking common pond myths” and why you should choose a Certified Aquascape Contractor (CAC) when you are  ready for your dream pond.

Only 25 days to the 1st day of Spring!  So begin your pond planning today!