Planting The Almighty Falls And Fish

Planting around the Almighty Falls began on Saturday. The mulch alone made a world of difference in defining what was going on.

More planting was done this morning, adding the ferns I did not get to before and transplanting some Darmera from the other pond.

The biggest solid slab of rock with a baby Japanese Maple on Saturday. I removed those two square rocks after deciding I did not like them there.

More mulch, more ferns, before the Darmera and I scraped clean a higher section of the solid slab of rock in the center. It could use a bath for best effect. For now I will wait for rain.

I need a groundcover for below and in front of the Japanese Maple that will grow on top of this wet rock, but what?

Starts of pond plants went in on Saturday after the Almighty flush. This morning a sack of thirty six feeder goldfish were released into the pond. I always expect to lose some. If the bulk of them survive, I can buy more expensive nice fishes.

A life time of maintenance at the Almighty Falls begins.

Now In Bloom

Two thirds of the wild cultivated gardens are ready for company. I spent three hours next door today clearing paths and doing a touch of snap weeding. I slipped in the mowing of the sunny utility meadow one evening last week.

The Tall Flower Meadow is last on the list, but it was the section most recently mowed.

I wandered in there yesterday to cut all the tall stems that had flopped over the paths. It makes mowing so much easier to do when that is done first at this stage of the growing season.

I no longer cringe when I cut quite viable blooming stems off at the ground. In this abundance, they are not missed.

We are on course for a spectacular late summer bloom. There have been no smashing storms or herds of loose cows. Let the good fences, gentle rains and cool winds remain in charge.

Back To The Wild Cultivated Gardens

For these last many weeks I would see my garden in the morning light.

I would see it again in the evening light. I might even go for a stroll. I was far too tired to do anything to it and after these many weeks is was beginning to get shaggy.

The Almighty Falls are done and now I can get back to my regular programming.

Sister #1 is coming for a long Labor Day visit. I need to get this place back in shape before then.

The good news is, it isn't the least bit hard. All I have to do is mow a mile or so of paths and one Great Lawn. I start tomorrow in Bulbarella's garden. It has really gone bad.

I might even get around to scraping a layer of crud from the inside of my house. That is not as important as the garden though.

Everybody has house dirt. Very few have a Tall Flower Meadow and wild cultivated gardens.

A good path mowing does wonders to generate a civilized effect.

The better to enjoy what should be a spectacular September bloom.

Thank God Almighty

It is done. Sort of. The rock hauling is done. That is the most important thing. No more rubber liner is visible unless you get in close and look for it. The pond scum maintenance technician is the only person likely to do that.

The skimmer still needs to disappear. I found out this evening there is a $200 fake rock made to cover it. I will be opting for fake. I won't be lifting heavy rocks off this thing every week to clean the filters. I am so over that.

The filter falls still needs to disappear. There is no fake rock sized to fit this. One is very close. With a real rock assist, that will just have to do. The filters in there will need cleaning once a week as well. The pond scum maintenance technician is getting old and weary.

But the Almighty Falls is done. The rest is details.

Frogs have already moved in and the pond scum has started to grow. I am sure the salamanders and crawdads are quite happy their home is finally back in order.

It is done and I am not injured or incapacitated. Thank God Almighty!

Let's hope the pond scum maintenance technician is just as lucky over the years climbing up and down this thing keeping it free of debris.

Tomorrow there will be another Almighty flush of the pond.

The planting around the falls inside the bowl of the old walls will be done. Two baby Darmera peltata that so kindly self sowed at the Twin Falls Pond will be moving. The pond itself will get some plants. I have three other ponds to weed from.

It will be a start. I expect it to take until the second spring for the greenery around the Almighty Falls to really soften up this monumental pile of rocks.

Almost

The left side of the falls is done and I managed to do it mostly by stacking and with very little glue.

This is what it looked like at the end of Monday.

I was so so close to being building done and ran out of time and interest. There is that little bit left on the far side in the back corner. I did manage to move a pile of rocks below the big boulder to finish it off. The end is near.

A left over pile of river rock was placed at the top of one of my spring catchment systems. That channel drains into the stream. It has a substantial flow. If all goes well the Almighty Falls will operate at constant overflow level. That will make my life so much easier.

The rock man is back. It was time to move some big boulders.

He can only reach so far over the wall. I said put them here.

I wanted a viewing bench. It is almost time to sit.

I asked the rock man how many loads of rock he brought. Ten and a quarter or about forty five tons, he said. Oh God. Add in the excavation and the building of the substructure beneath the rubber liner and I moved near eighty tons of rock.

I can't believe I did it. I most certainly could not have without all the rock fetchers helping.

Time and gravity is now in charge. I sure hope it outlasts me cause I sure don't want to put it back together if it all falls down.

Bloom Day In The Tall Flower Meadow

You deserve a break from the Almighty Falls. We all do. It's Bloom Day in the Tall Flower Meadow, something I wait all year long for.

From August to the first killing frosts, generally in late October, it is the time of the Tall Flower Meadow.

The meadow is host to an abundance of bloom.

There is plenty of Boneset

The White Wood Aster, Eurybia divaricata, plays in the lowest plane.

The regal Joe Pye is one of the main players in the Tall Flower Meadow.

Rattlesnake Master lingers well after the actual bloom time has passed.

Plenty Goldenrod. It is just getting started. This is one of four species that make the meadow home. The most aggressive one needs to be on my hit list.

The paths are getting flopped on. I have not spent much time working in the garden in the last two months. It didn't need me so I just looked.

Not so plenty Black Eyed Susan this year. They are having an off year for some reason. In the wild cultivated gardens that still means plenty.

One fuzzy caterpillar on the Nodding Onion.

This is the native Spikenard, Aralia racemosa.

This is Aralia cordata 'Sun King'.

There are Purple Coneflowers about.

Mixing with the Indian Grass, Sorghastrum nutans. 

The biennial Angelica gigas was introduced into the meadow. Now it needs to self sow.

The color is building on the way to the asters.

That's my Bloom Day in the Tall Flower Meadow. Be sure to visit Miss Carol at headquarters for her August Dreams show.