Fall landscaping advantages include air and soil temperatures, rainfall rates, plant physiology, and availability of landscaping products and services.

1. Warm days and cool Autumn nights are favorable for landscaping compared to the extremes associated with Summer and Winter. Likewise, Springs’ volatile temperatures commonly result in many plantings’ tender new growth’s demise. Moderate Fall temperatures also contribute to an enjoyable landscaping experience.

2. Warm Fall soil supports microbial activity and vigorous root development that strengthen plants ahead of Winter and prepare them to push out a healthy flush of Spring foliage. The frigid soil temperatures are typically associated with Winter shutdown microbial activity and plant growth, encourage dormancy, and prevent seed germination. Root zone temperatures are a vital component of the scientific study of plants. Still, it’s often a neglected consideration of the inexperienced gardener. “Fall planting means strong roots. 80% of a plant’s root growth occurs in the late summer and fall months,” according to High Country Gardens. “While you won’t see as much stem and leaf growth in the fall, the plants are busy growing new roots.”

3. Adequate amounts of rainfall for plant health without the harm associated with the rainy season is a crucial Fall landscaping advantage. The torrential downpours, thunderstorms, and landscape-damaging winds of the July through September rainy season pass with the onset of Fall. Rainy season’s high winds snap limbs and topple trees while flooding rains deprive the soil of oxygen and offer an invitation to root fungus and soil pathogens. And less heat equates to lower watering requirements to maintain your landscape plantings.

4. The plants we associate with landscaping, including trees, shrubs, annuals, and perennials, develop in association with environmental conditions that serve as part of the basis of our recognition of the seasons. “Seasonality refers to both a regularly changing environment and the biological responses conditioned by that environment,” according to the Journal of Experimental Botany. “Knowing how plants respond to the sequence of environmental changes through the year is therefore an important topic, not just for the plant sciences, but also because of the role of plants in daily life: this aspect of seasonality forms a bridge for public understanding.”

5. Garden Centers and landscapers are typically their busiest in Spring creating shortages of landscaping materials and longer wait times for landscape design installations. During the Fall, families focus increasingly on back-to-school activities and upcoming holidays. Less demand pressure in Fall increases the availability of landscaping and hardscaping materials, such as pavers that your contracted landscape company can install with decreased wait times.

Take advantage of Fall Landscaping weather by booking your Landscape Design Consultation today by contacting us at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions.

Earth Works proudly serves clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.

Pond owners using simple pond leak test procedures can assess the leak’s source and make repairs without having to call in a professional. Pond leaks can be expensive but are undoubtedly stressful for pond owners. Calm yourself, though, and consider the following:

Note: Before doing a pond leak test, realize that regular water loss is associated with evaporation. Expect evaporation to increase during the warmer months. And realize that the most common cause for concern over pond water loss is evaporation. Evaporation increases due to various factors, including temperature, wind, and elements of water feature design, including the volume of water pumped across the pond stream (due to shallow water exposure effects of temperature & wind). 

So you’ve ruled out evaporation and want to do a Pond Leak Test. Here are a few steps to follow.

Step 1: Do a visual inspection for any signs of water escaping the liner from debris piled up in your stream. Look for unusual wet spots, soft soil, and erosion that can signify a leaking underground connection or hose. Some pond owners include spitters for additional aeration that, when clogged, can cause water to leak outside the liner around where it’s positioned at the pond edge. Where appropriate, clean out debris from the stream and adjust rocks if it appears there is a blockage backing up water that is escaping over the liner edge. If you find low areas where water is running over the liner, raise the liner edge by backfilling with additional dirt under the liner. Water escaping along the stream is the most common source of leaks and is typically fixable by the pond owner. 

Step 2: Fill the pond to its normal full level and then turn off the pump for at least 24 hours to determine at what level the leakage stops. 

Note: If your pond is home to fish, you can keep them in the pond without the pump running if the fish load is small. However, you’ll need to provide them with supplemental aeration and monitor the water quality closely with a test kit. If you decide to keep your fish in the pond during the pond leak test, consider adding Aquascape’s Maintain product to further assist in keeping the water parameters safe. Otherwise, move your koi, goldfish, and other fish to a holding area such as a quarantine tank.

Step 3: Did the pond leak during the 24 hours with the pond pump turned off? If there was no further leakage with the pump off, skip to Step 4. Allow the leak-down to complete as the leak source will be at or below where it stopped leaking. Once the leak down is complete, inspect the liner at the water level edge for holes. Also, if the skimmer faceplate is in the zone where the leak stopped, check it as a possible leak source that may require resealing. Earth Works sells liner patches and sealant. If you found the leak and patched or resealed it, congratulations, you are done and can disregard additional steps.

Step 4: If turning the pump off stops the leak, then turn the pump on again and reinspect the stream and edge work and the seals where the liner is attached to the skimmer face plate and biofall filter spillway. If the leak is identified as one of the component seals, turn off the pump and reseal the leaking components with silicone and re-foam rocks if necessary. Then turn the pump back on and let it run for 24 hours to verify there is no leak. If the leak continues, move to the next step.

Step 5: With the pump running, begin digging to expose flex hose plumbing connections to the back of the biofall and skimmer. If you find no leaks at the plumbing connections, more digging out of the flex hose for inspection or running new lines will be required, which might be the point at which you will want to contact Earth Works for repair or a rebuild upgrade.

Book your Landscape Design Consultation today by contacting us at 904-996-0712. 

Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions.

Earth Works proudly serves clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.

Meet Pam Poe, Earth Works Landscape Designer. Pam is an avid gardener with a passion for art and design. As a lifelong learner, her related educational background includes an A.A.S. degree in Horticulture & Landscape Design. Plus, Pam is certified in Florida-Friendly Landscaping with the University of Florida IFAS Extension, and is certified with the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association,
For nearly a decade Pam has worked in perennial gardens, garden centers, container design, garden maintenance, and landscape design.  “I love learning about new plants and trends in design so I pursue continuing education classes whenever possible. I enjoy the challenge of helping my clients turn their landscape vision into an  outdoor space they enjoy coming home to.”

The following are samples of Earth Works videos of landscape designer Pam Poe.

Booking your Landscape Design Consultation with Pam today by contacting us at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions.

Earth Works proudly serves clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.

Earth Works Landscape Designer Jeff Melear’s passion for plants and turf has spanned his entire life, which led to his operation of not one, but two landscape companies in both St. Simon Island and Savannah, Georgia.
Jeff’s thirty-plus years of professional landscape credentials include A.A.S Degrees in both Golf Turf Management and Landscape Design and Grounds Management from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC).

Outside of his landscape design career focus, Jeff’s life revolves around his two amazing children of 8 and 10 years old and his love of woodworking, serving in church, and Georgia Bulldog football. Know that Jeff Melear will see your project through and keep you informed throughout the consultation, design, and implementation process. Contact Landscape Designer Jeff Melear by phone at 904-996-0712 or email [email protected].

The following are samples of Earth Works videos of landscape designs by Jeff Melear.

Book your Landscape Design Consultation with Jeff today by contacting us at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions.

Earth Works proudly serves clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.

Earth Works, Jason Duffney provides information in the following videos answering our pond equipment and supplies FAQs (frequently asked questions).

Aquascape Pond Equipment Accessories: Jason Duffney explains Aquascape Inc pond equipment accessories that can be included in your installation or that you can add yourself at a later date. These accessories include the Aquascape Dosing System, IonGen, Smart Control Receiver, and Lighting System.

Aquascape Bacteria and Water Clarity Products: Jason Duffney explains Aquascape Inc products that improve the health and water clarity in your pond. These products include Aquascape Beneficial Bacterial, Maintain, Clear, and the Aquascape QuickFix Pond Gummy.

Water lily Transplanting & Care in Northeast Florida: Jason Duffney explains the basics of water lily transplanting and care here in Northeast Florida whether you prefer to grow in a container or directly in the pond substrate. Earth Works provides high-quality water lilies year round along with specialty pots for growing them and fertilizer.

Our Five Key Pond Components: Jason Duffney explains our five key pond components to building and maintaining a healthy ecosystem pond. We pride ourselves on providing clients with healthy pond systems that require minimal maintenance.

Pond Filtration & Maintenance: Jason Duffney explains pond filtration and maintenance in this video focused on the skimmer, which is the mechanical aspect of filtration.

Pond Pump Troubleshooting: Jason Duffney explains the basics of pond pump troubleshooting focusing on the most common problems that a pond owner can check prior to calling us for a service call.

Operating the Aquascape SMART Control Receiver: Jason Duffney explains the operation of the Aquascape SMART Control Receiver used in adjusting the flow rates of variable speed Aquascape pumps.

Check back regularly as Jason provides more pond equipment and supplies FAQs here and on youtube.

Take advantage of Fall Landscaping weather by booking your Landscape Design Consultation today by contacting us at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions.

Earth Works proudly serves clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.

Living the Aquascape Lifestyle is a passion for many and especially Nestor White, an Earth Works client who provides this reporting and testimonial on his pond upgrade.

By Nestor White, Orange Park

In 1999 my two sons and I designed and built three beautiful, connected ponds with four waterfalls where each pond emptied into a lower pond for a total of about 5000 gallons. The deepest part of two ponds was about 42” with shelf ledges around two of those ponds that would hold large pots with plants about 15” below the surface. We used over 30,000 pounds of smaller rocks up to about 14” in diameter with some beautiful flagstone full of shiny, mica flakes. The ponds were stocked with over a dozen varieties of goldfish and about 15 koi. Several years ago, probably because of the excessive number of fish for the size of the ponds, and the realization that we needed a better filtration system than just one skimmer-filter, we decided to completely remove the old ponds and start from scratch. Pressure washing all of that rock and tearing everything apart took about two years doing a bit at a time.

So, over two years ago, we contacted Earth Works to start planning some new ponds. Before we could move ahead with that project we had to complete a 400-square foot screen room addition with roll-up screens to overlook the new ponds. Before I continue I want to make it clear that this review was not solicited. After a 20-year Navy career as a jet pilot and maintenance officer, I had the opportunity to supervise thousands of fine young men and women. For the past 32 years, I have been a financial advisor and have a good sense of what it takes to run a profitable, successful business. The motivation for me to write this stems from my positive impression of the employees I came to know at Earth Works and the realization of what an amazing business it is. A great business needs inspiration and excellent leadership but most of all great employees. Anyone who has already done business with Earth Works already knows that, and I have experience with them dating back to 1999 when I first started my own ponds.

Earth Works only does a couple of pond builds a year that are as large and elaborate as ours. Even though I have seen the great display ponds at the store, I had no idea what was in store for us. Planning began with John Cacchione in sales who is also the pond designer. We met several times at our home and in his office. Long before construction started the youngest owner, Jason Duffney, even made a couple of visits to our property to get the general layout. We were SO ready after waiting several years and having our space so torn up waiting for the build that when Melissia Marinez, the landscape assistant, gave us the build date we were really excited.

The project was scheduled to take two weeks and cost about three times their average installation. In mid-July 2022, Tim Juror, the young foreman, showed up with workers, Patrick Smaglis, Ricardo Orta, and Antonio Santiago. They brought a tracked excavator and another forklift/bulldozer and had them on site for two weeks. Over that time, they must have hauled in about 90,000 pounds of boulders and rocks in addition to using every bit of my 30,000 pounds of rock. About every other day new pallets of rock and other materials arrived lining our driveway for over 100’.

The real genius for the build was Mike Quatromoni, the “artist”, with a background in sculpture and a degree from the University of North Florida. He is one of the premier pond builders in Florida with a keen eye for creating an appealing, natural-looking pond environment. This build was going to be different from our original pond primarily because of the larger rocks, but mainly because we wanted to create a large “bog” area. Water would be pumped in from the bottom of the bog and filtered up through different layers of rocks starting with large rocks on the bottom and getting smaller at the surface. Mike had the brilliant idea to build the bog beneath an upper pond instead of having an upper bog, a middle water lily pond, and a lower pond with the fish. Space constraints actually dictated this decision but he almost regretted it during the actual bog construction phase.

Here in Orange Park, we are on a sand hill like much of Florida. In our Foxridge Subdivision, we have some small hills. Mike was excited to do an install with some elevation changes and not a typical flat pond. As the excavator began to dig the bog, it was apparent that going so deep would cause some of the walls to collapse. What was originally going to be maybe 4’x6’ and about 8’ deep ended up being more than 7’x7’. When two of them were standing in the bottom putting in the piping and plastic crates, the rim of the sand towered several feet above their heads. Just filling the bog with rocks swallowed up at least 60,000 pounds of rock, not including the tons of large boulders around the perimeter. Dozens of cubic yards of sand had to be removed and hauled off by their trucks.

Watching the excavator’s “bucket” pick up these huge rocks weighing maybe 500-800 pounds with straps and lowering each one precisely on the pond liner where Mike decided to place them was interesting to watch and dangerous at the same time. One particular rock about 4’ high and 3’ wide and 18” deep was being placed vertically resting on the 18” base. It was teetering on the edge of the lower pond beside Mike, as he was alongside but mostly below the rock kneeling on the bottom of the pond. Ricardo had his foot on the rock pushing it at the top to get it aligned just right. I finally just had to walk away praying that it would not fall and possibly injure or even kill Mike. The rock finally got shimmed up with some other rocks under it and oriented at a safe angle. The excavator literally made hundreds of rotations lifting and moving rocks and soil around to complete the construction without anyone getting injured.

Twice during the build and once after, John Hawley, the photographer/videographer, came out to take photos during construction. One day, filling in for one of the other workers, Mike Oaks, the paver/service foreman, helped out with the construction and gave me some pointers on how to do the pavers in our new screen room.

I just can’t say enough about this crew. They sent their top, most skilled, workers. To a man, they were all professional, courteous, good-natured, and got along well with each other. There were NO slackers and everyone knew what had to be done and did it without any complaining. I did not hear one cuss word or any type of off-color comment. That REALLY impressed me! The weather was dreadful with most days running about 95+ degrees with high humidity. When it rained they just kept on working. When the job was completed they cleaned up everything as if they were never there. If I were an employer, I would hire any one of them in an instant and be happy they were working for me and not someone else.

After completion, there was a minor problem with some leaks around the edge of the liner. Their “leak” expert, Glenn Stanza, who does all of the pond maintenance, came out on two occasions and located most of the problems and fixed them. He was really helpful in providing information on caring for the pond, taking care of the fish and plants, and had a great knowledge of ponds in general. One day he stayed at our house until almost 8 PM until he had accomplished what needed to be done. The next day we visited the store and he helped us pick out some plants and fish. We also had a nice talk with Jason, the owner, who happened to be there.

We still had at least one leak, so Sean Duffney, Jason’s brother, who acts primarily as the field supervisor and general problem solver, came out to take a look. He located the general area and sent out Mike the next day who finally found the last liner adjustment to prevent any further leaks.

Although I have not met her, there is one person you might not like. Her name is Mandi Futch. She sends the bills! I’m kidding, of course. She is good at her job, communicates accurately and promptly but ensures that the company gets its pound of flesh from each customer.

Overall, I will say that my wife, Cathy, and I are extremely pleased with the finished project. We look forward to completing flower beds and landscaping around the pond to enhance its appeal. There are already hundreds of tiny black Florida toad tadpoles swimming around in the pond along with one large bullfrog. Several green tree frogs have been attracted by the water and start to croak and “bark” after dark. Watching our 40 small starter koi, goldfish, and mollies explore their new home is a relaxing pastime. The five new waterfalls provide soothing background noise and the 20 lights that were installed under the water highlight the fish and rocks after dark.

If you have been thinking about building a pond or want to expand or improve the one you already have, you can’t go wrong by hiring Earth Works. Check out some of their other services too.

We here at Earth Works appreciate the White family as clients living the Aquascape Lifestyle and for this detailed client reporting and testimonial. Photo credit to Nestor White.

For comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden, and landscaping needs, contact us at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. 

Earth Works proudly serves clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.