Allowing a layer of leaves to accumulate can deprive grass of sunlight, which is very harmful to root growth. Without proper sunlight, your grass can’t complete photosynthesis and is unable to absorb nutrients needed to survive and support root growth. While seemingly harmless, your grass growth will be affected the following spring due to decreased root strength and limited nutrient uptake capabilities.

Accumulated leaves tend to retain moisture which is the perfect environment for diseases, fungi, and mold to grow. Mold is harmful to your lawn, landscape, and especially human health. Removing leaf clutter prevents moisture from getting trapped and eliminates the potential for fungi and mold growth.

Pests, including insects, rodents, and snakes burrow underneath accumulated leaves in preparation for colder months. From a landscaping perspective, aphids are a highly destructive insect pest that can wreak havoc on your garden in the spring. During the fall, aphids begin the next stage of their lifecycle, overwintering by hiding on the underside of leaves and laying eggs. Leaving aphid infested leaves will result in your garden producing fewer tomatoes the following spring.

Rodents are attracted to the accumulated leaves in search of food. Beetles, larvae, grubs, etc. are all great sources of protein, and ideal pray for mice and rats. During the fall and winter, rodents will hunt insects inside of leaf piles. Unfortunately, once winter begins to set in, the rodents will also begin looking for warm places to nest. More than likely, they will be attracted to your home if they are already feasting in your yard.

To prevent spring landscaping problems, don’t “fall” back on your responsibilities when the days become short, and air becomes crisp.

Ryan Farnol

Our founder, Ryan Farnol, is a Master Certified Aquascape Contractor® (CAC). Born and raised in West Michigan, Ryan attended Cornerstone University where he earned a degree in Business Administration.
In 2006, Ryan began his landscaping career in the High Rockies of Colorado, honing his skills with natural stone and water features. He is an expert landscape designer and builder, and meticulously oversees each project from design to installation.

Hard work, communication, and innovation are the hallmarks of his business.

miponds.com

The post The Importance of Leaf Cleanup appeared first on Platinum Ponds & Landscaping.

When designing around water, it’s important to consider more than just appearance. You’ll want plants that thrive in slightly moist conditions, complement the scale of your feature, and provide interest throughout multiple seasons. Height variation, texture contrast, and foliage color all play a role in creating a balanced, visually appealing setting you can enjoy from every angle.

Whether you’re looking to add bold pops of color, elegant structure, or low-maintenance greenery, the following plant selections are excellent choices for enhancing the beauty of your water feature and creating a landscape that feels both cohesive and inviting.

Coral Bell

Graceful, bell-shaped flower clusters open in late spring through summer; the pink, red or white flowers are actually inflorescences, or tiny clusters of blooms. These flowers are great for adding a “pop” of color around your water feature with their signature purple foliage.

Lavender

Lavender plants are small, branching and spreading shrubs with gray-green leaves and long flowering shoots. Lavender is great for the backside of your feature as it grows tall and its aroma can travel across the water.

Japanese Maple

Japanese maple is a small deciduous tree or large shrub with a broadly spreading crown. The plant can be grown as a small single-stemmed tree or large multiple stemmed shrub. Commonly found near water features, the Japanese maple is great for balancing the height of a water feature across your landscape while still looking great.

Dianthus

Dianthus plants range from tiny creeping groundcovers to 30-inch-tall cut flowers with mainly pink buds. Around water Dianthus looks great in any size and can be a great low maintenance plant.

Elijah Blue Fescue Grass

Blue fescue grass is a colorful ornamental grass with icy blue foliage and pale yellow flowers. Perfect to plant near water as it is an interestingly shaped plant that draws the eye towards wherever it is planted.

Birds Nest Spruce

The branches are spreading, horizontal to slightly ascending, making its form a dense, broad-rounded, shrubby, flattened globe. Perfect for the front side of a pond Birds nest spruce grow to be less than a foot tall and provide the classic green color of a larger evergreen plant.

Where To Start

The right plant selections can elevate your pond or water feature from beautiful to breathtaking. By thoughtfully layering color, texture, height, and seasonal interest, your landscape will feel cohesive and natural from every viewing angle. Whether you’re adding vibrant perennials, ornamental grasses, or architectural trees, plant placement around water requires both design vision and horticultural expertise. At Platinum Ponds & Landscaping, we specialize in creating balanced, eye-catching landscapes that enhance your pond and thrive in Michigan’s climate. Ready to transform your water feature with expert planting design? Contact us today to start planning a landscape that complements your pond and brings your entire yard together beautifully.

Ryan Farnol

Our founder, Ryan Farnol, is a Master Certified Aquascape Contractor® (CAC). Born and raised in West Michigan, Ryan attended Cornerstone University where he earned a degree in Business Administration.
In 2006, Ryan began his landscaping career in the High Rockies of Colorado, honing his skills with natural stone and water features. He is an expert landscape designer and builder, and meticulously oversees each project from design to installation.

Hard work, communication, and innovation are the hallmarks of his business.

miponds.com

The post 6 Plants That Looks Great Around a Pond appeared first on Platinum Ponds & Landscaping.

Any contractor or landscaper can install a pond

Not true. Just like a roofer should not do your floors, a landscaper should not build your pond. Building a pond, and building it right are often two very different things. This is an expensive thing to find out too late—that your landscaper does not understand water features. A good landscaper might be talented with hardscapes and softscapes, but that doesn’t mean he or she is knowledgeable in the concept, design, or construction that makes a naturally balanced pond function properly. Be sure to hire a trained, certified installer like a Certified Aquascape Contractor, as we are proud to be. Hiring the landscaper with the cheapest bid often becomes the most expensive option when you realize you need the pond completely renovated when it doesn’t work right.

Maintaining a pond is constant work

To be honest, a properly designed ecosystem pond is less work than the grass it replaces! If you have a properly designed pond, you should be in great shape. A balance of five key factors creates the basis for a truly low maintenance pond, including filtration, circulation, plants, fish, and rocks and gravel. Will you need to perform a bit of maintenance from time to time? Of course, but you’ll spend less time maintaining a healthy pond than you will a mowing, fertilizing, and watering the lawn.

Predators will eat all the fish

While it’s true there are predators that would like to snack on your fish, you can do things to deter them from visiting your pond. A built-in fish cave or a Faux Log Fish Cave are two options to create a safe retreat for fish to hide from herons. Decoys such as a floating alligator or blue heron can also deter predators from your pond. Some pond owners choose to put netting over their pond to keep predators out. Fishing line can also be crisscrossed over the pond to keep herons from wading in the waters.

Ponds are breeding grounds for mosquitoes

Mosquitoes breed in still, standing water. A well-designed pond has lots of water movement. In fact, we recommend turning the water over once every hour. Also, ponds support fish, frogs, toads, and other wildlife that are natural predators of mosquitoes.

Ponds need daily water testing and corrective treatment

If your pond isn’t chemically dependent, there’s nothing to test. Rivers, lakes, and oceans aren’t tested and plenty of wildlife thrive in their waters. Stick to a philosophy of a balanced pond with minimal maintenance and your water should remain healthy throughout the year. Granted, there might be outside forces (such as lawn chemicals seeping into your pond after a heavy rain) that can alter water chemistry. But as a rule, you won’t need to test your pond water.

To keep fish, ponds need to be deep

Pond fish, including koi, go dormant in ponds just two-feet-deep through winters as cold as Minnesota’s bone chilling temperatures. A small circulating in-pond pump and pond de-Icer are all you need to keep a hole in the ice for the exchange of gases.

So now hopefully you have some answers to your pond concerns. If there are any other questions or concerns, you can always contact us for more information.

Ryan Farnol

Our founder, Ryan Farnol, is a Master Certified Aquascape Contractor® (CAC). Born and raised in West Michigan, Ryan attended Cornerstone University where he earned a degree in Business Administration.
In 2006, Ryan began his landscaping career in the High Rockies of Colorado, honing his skills with natural stone and water features. He is an expert landscape designer and builder, and meticulously oversees each project from design to installation.

Hard work, communication, and innovation are the hallmarks of his business.

miponds.com

The post Some Common Pond Myths—Exposed! appeared first on Platinum Ponds & Landscaping.

Platinum Ponds & Landscaping seeks to understand our clients vision by listening to our clients and really getting to know their personal sense of style. We ask questions such as:
1) How many people will be using the space?
2) Are there going to be young children using the space?
3) What is your comfort level with maintenance?
4) What time of day will you most likely be using the space?
5) Have you considered landscape lighting or outdoor audio?
6) What are your thoughts about a Water Feature or the sound of running water?
7) What is a budget range that you feel comfortable investing in your outdoor living space?
8) Do you have a preference on color patterns or paver laying patterns?
9) Do you have a current irrigation system for plants, trees, sod?

We will continue to ask more and more questions to build upon these examples of question about your lifestyle, instead of bore you with technical information and industry specific terms that may confuse you.

Platinum Ponds & Landscaping offers 3-D Landscape Renderings that offers over 5500 plant and tree options as well as specific paver options and colors from the leading manufactures. These designs are done in-house and show vivid and specific detail so you can truly see what your project will look like before construction takes place. We would love an opportunity to sit down with you and discuss your dream Outdoor Living Space. Contact Platinum Ponds & Landscaping today to schedule your consultation.

Ryan Farnol

Our founder, Ryan Farnol, is a Master Certified Aquascape Contractor® (CAC). Born and raised in West Michigan, Ryan attended Cornerstone University where he earned a degree in Business Administration.
In 2006, Ryan began his landscaping career in the High Rockies of Colorado, honing his skills with natural stone and water features. He is an expert landscape designer and builder, and meticulously oversees each project from design to installation.

Hard work, communication, and innovation are the hallmarks of his business.

miponds.com

The post Designing Outdoor Living Spaces appeared first on Platinum Ponds & Landscaping.