The large white Koi with black stripes is Tiger, he (or she?) is the oldest one here, 11 years old. I hope one day one of our fish can get to be that old. The average life of a Koi in Japan can be 70 years, and some have even made it to 100 years old.
Just a few of the "petting fish" looking for a handout.
They were also shown how to get the fish to give them a kiss on the nose. Here Sweet Pea stuck her nose in and got a kiss.
I thought I would share some more of the outdoor ponds and plantings at the Watergardens. It's just beautiful there. Each pond made me want to try something new with ours, or maybe just start over one day and get our waterfall to look like this one.
I could see that everything seemed larger since our last visit a year ago.
The waterfall of a small shallow stream.
The Littlest Gardener liked crossing the stone bridge across the stream. There were lots of Pansies planted for color, but it looked as if they were getting ready to change those out with the many flats of summer annuals they had sitting under cover.
Another shallow stream.
These ponds were very deep, probably in the 8 to 10 foot range. They made me a little nervous, but the deep ones were all fenced off pretty well.
I just loved all of the colors of the leaves here, aside from the Pansies there were no flowers blooming. It really proved just how important foliage is to a garden. As you can see the sign to the left the fish in this holding tank were $500...each!
We were told this Crow likes to bathe in this holding tank. The man helping us said that they are well protected from Herons here, but that several families of raccoons lived nearby.
This is what a $700 fish looks like. I couldn't believe that these were not the most expensive fish there though. We were shown another Koi for sale...$4000. It was beautiful, but I'm not sure that would ever be in our budget.I forgot to take pictures of our fish before they were released into our pond. We chose 3 Shubunkins which are white with spots of orange and black on them and two other Goldfish that are orange and white, I think they are Sarasas.
One last interesting thing I learned there. We were told that Herons actually emit a pheromone which attracts the fish to them. I tried to look up more information about this and was unable to find more, but that would explain one reason why Heron seem to have such an easy time catching fish.
One last interesting thing I learned there. We were told that Herons actually emit a pheromone which attracts the fish to them. I tried to look up more information about this and was unable to find more, but that would explain one reason why Heron seem to have such an easy time catching fish.
What a lovely place to spend the afternoon. I can imagine all the inspiration you could get from displays like these. I am astounded by the prices of some of the koi! Cute pictures of Sweet Pea and the Littlest Gardener enjoying themselves. Hope you had a lovely Mother's Day.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful place to spend some time. Can't believe you didn't go for the $4,000 fish or even the $700 one. Those are some big koi. I've never seen them that big. Gorgeous waterfalls.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place to visit. The girls looked like they were having a good time. My sister's Koi suck on her fingers. I'm with Becca - ya didn't waltz home with a couple of $4,000 ones? ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely place!! Such wonderful Koi and beautiful, colourful gardens. So interesting about the Herons. I look forward to seeing your new additions. :)
ReplyDeleteCatherine that was a lovely place to spend the day - such lushness too with all the lovely foliage plants. I too agree that foliage is so important ..........but it took me years to discover that!
ReplyDeleteI really like the Shubunkins - I think I used to have bristol blue ones aswell as the orange one with white spots. My pond is just a wildlife one these days with no fish. Too many treatments for white spot and I gave up in the end.
If I had a big garden and large pond I would like some koi fish but they need such looking after with filters etc but I would be buying small ones. The koi are really so friendly it must be lovely for them to greet you every morning at the pond waiting to be fed by hand - thats what happens at my neighbours pond. :) Rosie
That is very interesting information. Never knew they were actually attracted to herons. (!) Also didn't know you could pet them. Your photo of the "kiss" is precious, and the garden photos are awesome. You're so lucky to have your own koi pond!
ReplyDeleteWhat a peaceful & lovely place to visit. Love Sweet Pea ...
ReplyDeleteHave a beautiful week.
TTFN~ Hugs, Marydon
I can see how you would be inspired by such a place. I agree, foliage is just as important as flowers...
ReplyDeleteThey do have some lovely ponds. Whoa, who would have thought there were Koi worth that much.Well no wonder the crane caught your fish then.
ReplyDeleteInteresting and something I never knew either.
Stunning photos of the fish. You are so lucky to have a place for a pond. I hope your new fish like their new home.
ReplyDeleteIt would be wonderful to have a garden large enough for a water feature. Our postage stamp garden here in Portland needs the sound of water so badly!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting on the heron, what a little cheater! Poor fish don't stand a chance. I can't believe someone would pay SO much money for a fish but I guess it is all a matter of priorities.
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful place! The falls and streams are just gorgeous and the "petting fish" are a great idea.
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine,
ReplyDeleteWell, I certainly am learning a lot from reading blogs such as yours. Petting fish sounds like something that my kids would love to do. I can just hear the sound of water...
YOU learned a lot - thanks for sharing. I'm not sure I'd get that close to those fish... aren't they related to the carp?? ;-)
ReplyDeleteFish kisses, how cute! Your post reminded me of a lovely indoor koi pond we used to visit at an aquarium store in Sacramento. They had a bubblegum type machine, you'd stick in a quarter, and get a handful of koi food to feed to the fish. Such fun, and beautifully large koi like some you've shown here. I've known of other pond owners that have suffered tremendous koi losses to raccoons, so when we built our first pond, we simply stocked it with pond goldfish. They over-wintered in our mild climate amazingly well, and grew to be quite large. Perhaps not quite as beautiful as a $400-$4000 koi, but any losses were a little easier to cope with!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe people pay that much for fish.
ReplyDeleteI love those ponds too. It would be great to have a little waterfall in the garden.
Marnie
First, those outdoor ponds are so beautiful. I love the serene and tranquil setting. Second, I had no idea about the petting fish. That is so cool :) I really like the crow photo as well. Was that taken with a zoom? I don't think I'd want to be that close to a crow :D
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool place, Catherine! You always take such great photos. Looks like the kids had fun.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow! $500 for a fish. If I paid that much I'd want to be able to eat it!
As a long-time inattentive keeper of aquarium fish, I can't be trusted with a 50 cent fish, let alone one worth hundreds of dollars. I guess for the serious pondkeeper with a fat wallet and fence to keep out raccoons...but how does one keep out the herons, nets?
ReplyDeleteChristine in Alaska
My husband would love any of these ponds. This is his idea of being a gardener. He willingly takes over our little fountain pond, buys the plants and take care of them, cleans the fountain and feeds the plants.
ReplyDeleteNow, if he would only help me in the other garden!
I remembered you visiting there before. I love all the different ideas one can get by viewing the area. I thought there would be big prices on those guys. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful ponds. I didn't know that koi would get that tame. I can't imagine paying $4K for a fish either, imagine how many plants that would buy!
ReplyDeleteThere are some very beautiful ponds and streams there. I would be nervous putting such expense fish is a pond for fear they were eaten. Lovely pictures.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't yet been able to see if any of our fish survived the winter and the heron - soon though. It's exciting to see that first flash of gold in the dark pond - and then count the flashes. One flash=one fish!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your visit. The water features in the garden look amazing and so naturalistic!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful ponds Catherine, I would love one like those, but not that deep! Fancy the fish being attracted to the Herons! My last surviving 8 have just got used to me feeding them again and coming to the surface when I am nearby. The heron lurks, but he cant get through the netting thank goodness! Best wishes Betty from a very sunny southern England this morning-great gardening weather (you know where I will be all day!)
ReplyDeleteThe gardens and ponds are beautiful! We have a large pond and have stocked it yearly with goldfish which the Blue Heron picks off and eats at his / her leisure over the summer. My husband and I joke that we are stocking hors'dourves for them. That is an interesting fact (?) about herons.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun trip with the girls! I cannot believe a fish could cost what a small car could cost. Wild hobby~ I would so love my garden to look like those.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe how expensive they are! And I can't believe how old they can get. Amazing!
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful place. I would love to get lost there.
What a lovely outing it must have been, Catherine. Talk about inspiration. I love that sinuous chunk of drift wood in the sixth photo.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to how you'll be keeping your remaining and newbies from getting eaten by the heron. A pheromone neutralizer, maybe? LOL Lately I've spotted a heron flying over my 'hood. This sounds mean but I hope he'll choose the neighbors' ponds and leave mine alone. I don't have any fish anyway.
Pricey little darlings, aren't they?
omg, I never knew Koi could cost that much! I don't think I could bring myself to spend that much even if I could afford it. It's good to have every price point available for those folks that do choose to buy them tho. :-)
ReplyDeleteAre you going to post the tricks to getting a Koi to kiss you? I need mine to just not be afraid of me! They swim into the center of the cinder block every time I go anywhere near the pond!
What a cool place. I need to do a search and see if we have anything like it near us.
Thanks everyone for visiting! I went looking online and found that people pay $10,000 on up. Some said the most expensive one ever sold was $500,000!!
ReplyDeleteWe buy cheap fish (under $5) so if the Heron does return it's not as painful.
Christine - I think the only reliable way to keep Herons out are nets although there are all sorts of things people try.
Kathleen - I asked Sweet Pea if she would be willing to try getting our fish to kiss her, but she passed on that one :) They said to just put the tip of your nose in the water and the fish would swim up. I guess they think it's food. Once you start feeding your fish on a regular basis they'll start equating you with food and swim right up. Ours always take a few times of feeding them and then they start following us along the side of the pond waiting for food.
I am having sticker shock over the price of some the fish! Wow! Interesting fact about the Herons..no wonder they seem to be well fed :)Hope your new fishy's like their new home!
ReplyDeleteWow they really can be expensive, but they are gorgeous and definitely adds alot!
ReplyDeleteCatherine,
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this post! The photos are very nice and Sweet Pea getting kissed by a fish, oh my! Learned tonight the neighbors down the hill are building a huge Koi pond. I will have to ask their daughter and son in law about it.