by John Mark Courtney & Victoria Holderer, Kind Earth Growers Nothing quite compares to the tranquility of sitting next to a pond with a hot cup of coffee at sunrise. Listening, you can hear some groggy frogs croaking their last calls of a long night and a cheery good-morning whistle from a male cardinal perched […]
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Water in the landscape creates many opportunities for habitat creation and enhancement. After all, the enjoyment that open-water habitats, backyard ponds and water features provide for amphibians, fish, birds and humans alike is well known and at the core of mainstream gardening. A large and often overlooked opportunity can be found in gardening the wet, […]
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What is there not to love about Sagittaria latifolia? For starters, there’s its beauty. Sagittaria is known for its verdant green, sagittate (or arrowlike) leaves coming off a central stem that is held aloft over shallow waters. White-petaled flowers bloom from June to mid-August. These plants are often at their best in the withering heat […]
Read MoreA well-designed water garden looks natural and organic, as though Mother Nature had lovingly placed each plant. But when you’re building your water garden from scratch, the selection and placement of plants falls to you! John Mark Courtney outlines the characteristics to consider when choosing which plants to use in your naturalistic (and healthy) backyard oasis.
Read MoreNo matter how big or small the body of water, plants play an essential role in maintaining good water quality and a healthy, balanced habitat. In this ode to flora that will educate the most seasoned botanist, John Mark Courtney demonstrates how plants are the key element of a balanced pond ecosystem.
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