Articles
Landscape Design
- Container Gardens Enhance Even the Smallest of Outdoor Spaces
- Rock Gardens Add Low-Maintenance Beauty to Your Northern Virginia Landscape
- How to Augment Your Centreville, Potomac, or Woodbridge Landscape with Stone Walls
- Create Usable Space with a Multi-Level Landscape
- Ten Mistakes to Avoid in Designing Your Landscape
- Extending Spring Cleanup to Your Northern Virginia Property
- Importance of Erosion Landscaping and Drainage In Residential Northern Virginia
- Retaining Walls Both an Aesthetic and Functional Landscape Feature
- Different Elements in Your Landscape Add Interest
Maintenance
Ponds and Water Features
- What is a Formal Water Feature and How Can One Complement Your Landscape?
- Types of Water Plants for Your Northern Virginia Pond
- Adding a Pond or Water Feature To Your Northern Virginia Property
- Bring Life To Your Northern Virginia Pond or Water Feature
- Issues Surrounding Your Northern Virginia Pond or Water Feature
Lighting, Ornaments and Materials
- Choosing the Right Material for Your Outdoor Planters
- Shedding Some Light on Outdoor Lighting
- Incorporating Garden Ornaments in Your Landscape
- The Benefits of Using River Rock in Your Northern Virginia Landscape
Livestock and Wildlife
All About Plants
- Topiary for Beginners
- Adding Color to Your Landscape
- Choosing the Right Plants for Pool-Side Landscaping
- Starting Your First Northern Virginia Vegetable Garden
- The Benefits of “Greenscaping” Your Northern Virginia or Maryland Yard
- What Are Native Plants and Why Are They Important?
Tips
Decks and Patios
Associations & Directories
DC · MD · VA Chapter Association of Professional Landscape Designers
www.dcmdva-apld.org/
Garden Scout
www.gardenscout.com
Better Business Bureau – Washington, DC Chapter
www.dc.bbb.org/
South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce
www.southfairfaxchamber.org/
Suppliers and Partners
McLean Electric
McLean, VA
www.mcleanelectricco.com/
Halco Fence
Bristow, VA
www.halcofence.com
Fisher Group
Design Build Construction
Annandale, VA
www.designbuildrenovate.com
Absolute Kitchens
Kitchen Remodeling
Tyson’s Corner, VA
www.absolute-kitchens.com/
Commonwealth Home Remodelers
Vienna, VA
www.commonwealthhome.com
Wilcoxin Pool Construction
Rockville, MD
www.wilcoxonconst.com/
Nicolock Patio Pavers
www.nicolock.com/
The Care of Trees
Alexandria, VA
www.thecareoftrees.com/
Outdoor Lighting Solutions
Herndon, VA
www.outdoorlightingsolutions.com
How to Care for Your Koi Fish
Koi fish are known for their beauty, bright colors, and docile, tame nature. But did you know that koi are also a relatively low maintenance addition to your pond or water feature?
As part of the carp family, koi appear in combinations of red, white, orange, yellow, cream, black, brown, and blue. The color of koi will change depending in the food elements they consume. For examples, a koi will become red in color if it is fed food containing carotene. Most koi come from Japan, the leader in breeding and hybridizing these fish, and can grow up to two or three feet long. Koi can even live up to 30 years.
Koi maintenance includes maintaining your pond, regulating the number of fish relative to the pond size, and ensuring koi have adequate, healthy food. Koi need space to live and grow and prefer to be with other small groups of fish. Keeping your pond clean and free of debris and food matter ensures a longer life for your fish. Invest in a good pump and filter system to keep your water clean. Ponds should also be covered with vegetation and have plenty of hiding spaces,
As a member of the carp family, koi fish are natural scavengers and will eat anything. Koi should feed on algae, vegetable matter, and pellets that can be purchased from most pet stores. Make sure to not overfeed your koi and remove any uneaten food from the pond, as excess food can cause algae and water quality problems. Koi can become so tame that they’re known to even out of your hand!
Contact Lost Creek Landscapes for more pond maintenance tips. The award-winning Lost Creek Landscapes has provided full landscape and masonry design services to the Northern Virginia area since 1997. Lost Creek Landscapes specializes in formal water features, among many other landscape and masonry services.