Navigation

Pond Construction 101: The fundamental blueprint every builder should use

Invalid Displayed Gallery

2007gscc001

Contractors Corner Gallery | Making Rain

2005gswater001

Waterfall Gallery

2005gallpondcon001

Koi Pond with a View

2003gskenyon001

Gallery | 2019 Water Artisan of the Year Winners

2003gslily001

A Gallery of IWGS 2019 Waterlily Winners

2001gallpondcon002

Beauty in a Small Space | A Gallery

2001gs_netherland001

Aquatic Plant Nursery

1911gall_iwgs001

IWGS Symposium Gallery

1911intgall001

A Gallery of Captivating Landscapes

1909koigall001

Custodian Critters Can Help Keep Your Pond Clean

1909homegall001

Home Shows in 2019: Do They Add Value?

1909pointsgall005

Five Ways to Become a More Artistic Pond Builder

1907gs-bestprac001

Best Practices | Formal Courtyard Pond Design

1907aquaticgall001

Does Your Pond Need a Diet? | Parallels Between Humans & Ponds

1905PondConst001

Pond Construction | Pebble Mosaic Skeleton Feature

1906cosm001

Cosmic Coffee

1905turtgall001

The Turtle's Turf

1904drain003

Case Study | Muck, Debris, River Rock

1903wall001

Big Ideas with this Pond Installation

1903ru15k001

Runners Up for the 2019 Water Artisans of the Year

1903gall15K001

Artisan of the Year Award Winners for 2018 Deliver

1901flwr001

IWGS 2018 Recap

1901llyinvsv

How to Contain Invasive Plant Species

1901firegal001

Outdoor Dining Table Meets Fire and Water

1811lotgal001

A deeper look at Nelumbo nucifera

1811gall001

Modern Japanese Gardens

1809filter001

Pond Filtration Upgrades

1809lkgal002

Leakers | Find the Culprits

180901gal001

A Family Affair

1807tourgal001

Your Guide to Pond & Water Tours

1808aqua001

Advances in Aquaponics

1807wills009

Building on The Edge

1805gall001

Pool-to-Pond Conversion

1805Warmington_pond

Warmington Ponds

1805WGE001

2018 Water Garden Expo

1804_AilingPond_1

Ailing Pond

0318MrsPDS001

Aquatic Gardens 2018

Iris laevigata 'June Lake'

An Eye for an Iris A profile of the 'true aquatic iris'

Winner: Best Large Scale

Winners of the 2017 Water Artisans of the Year

1801gal017010

IWGS New Waterlily Competition

1801pool001

Florida Pool Renovation

1711watergal001

Exciting Water Feature Add-Ons for Existing Clients

1709tankgal001

Las Vegas Pond Designs

1707model001

C.E. Pontz Sons Connects with Unique Business Model

1707galspl001

Make a Splash with Spillways and Ponds

1705bub001

Water Features are Bubbling Over

1705digsld001

An On-Campus Oasis

A potted water lily is ready for division.

Hearty Waterlilies Coming to a Pond Near You

Turtle munching on strawberries.

Pond Build at Turtle Research Institute

The spirit of cooperation reigned as dozens of pondbuilders from all over the country worked together on the waterfall area.

Water Garden Expo 2017

Aquatica and Dean Pipito's team won the best overall design with this pond waterfall at the Merrill Hills Golf Club.

POND 2016 Water Artisans of the Year | Best Overall Category

Tremendous components made this the winner of the best overall design.

Winners of the 1st Annual Water Artisans of the Year Contest

Overflowing vase water features look amazing when they start to form ice sculptures. (Photos by Aquatic Edge)

Frozen Pond Features

The concrete support slab is seen under the liner before and after the installation of the rebar.

Floating Step Design

Tony Sargent and his foreman even attracted Roy Dahle to learn new skills at Pondemonium.

Living the Pond Life

1609fallgal001

Fall Pond Gallery 2016

A beautiful widow skimmer dragonfly perches on a small branch.

Dragonflies to the Rescue!

This 40-foot water feature and stream led right up to the edge of an outdoor living space that included a paver patio, covered structure and outdoor kitchen.

Hardscape Dreamscapes

A broken piece of old log will soften the look of rocks in a stream.

Wood Elements Blend the Aesthetic Worlds of Hard and Soft

Workers installed a triple basalt feature at the first house.

Pond Guy of the South

A 10-foot-tall, sheer commercial waterfall under construction. The three largest pieces have been set in place dry to confirm alignment.

The Sights and Sounds of Spectacular Waterfalls

Oryza sativa, Black Madras Rice.

Illuminate Your Shady Pond with Shade-Loving Plants

This is the pre-construction scene, which is unfortunately representative of what is all too common for pond contractors: a poorly-built, unattractive feature that is not functioning.

Backyard Jewel in Wisconsin

Testing the water flow is crucial before adding the finishing touches.

Laurel Highlands Restaurant Theme Undergoes "Boulder" Makeover

Adding plants to shelves helps soften the rocks and provides visual focal points in the water garden.

Effective Pond Planning, Remember Plant Shelves

Complementary-colored lily groups are spectacular in or out of the pond. Color harmonies are universal, like this stunning display from Bangkok’s plant market.

Why Color Can Be Your Best Sales Tool

The conditions of the site — including what kinds of equipment will access the area, high winds and dust, existing drainage and other factors — can dictate the type of liner best suited to the project.

Choose the Right Liner to Seal Your Pond

An NSP in Ojai, California with traditional pool optics, featured on Animal Planet’s The Pool Master (Photo courtesy of California BioNova and Animal Planet).

Swimming Ponds & Natural Swimming Ponds

The Beauty of Balancing Stones by Tim Anderson at Keystone Balance.

The Beauty of Balancing Stones

A formal koi pond can provide nutrients for the garden.

Ponds & Water Conservation

With the liner in place and the fiber-reinforced concrete installed on top of the liner, the rock formations can be assembled without concern for liner damage.

Chinese Pagoda Garden

A waterfall building contest brought together foremen and rookie pond builders.

Hijinks and Hands-On Learning at Pondemonium 2015

Attendees enjoyed a panel discussion on

IWGS 2015 Symposium Informs & Inspires

Masato of Koda Koi Farm is about to measure his Kujaku oya goi (female breeder) after pulling her from the mud pond.

Cull Koi, a Treasured Gift

Zephyranthes candida, or Rain Lily is a delightful little plant that looks like a clump of chives until late summer, when crisp white flowers emerge. They add a happy splash of color just as everything else in the garden pond is beginning to look tired.

Overwintering Aquatic Plants

Froggy come a calling for insects!

Toads Serve as Unlikely Allies

Beautiful, weathered limestone was used for this pond-free feature. Only six large stones make up the fall and stream.

Natural Rock Accents, Go Big!

This massive wetland filter is ready for the varying grades of gravel and aquatic plantings.

Installation of a Large Pond Water Filtration System

Nymphaea Siam Pink #1: Hybridized by Mr. Pairat Songpanich, Thailand (Source: Pond Megastore)

Aquatic Plants

This swimming pond is in upper New York. It is now two years old, and the shoreline plants are just emerging from an extreme winter. This pond has an architectural peninsula that can be seen extending out into the pond a considerable distance, with lawn to the edge and a small island. The pond is approximately 1.25 acres and 9 feet at the deepest point.

Swim Ponds Provide Good, Clean Fun

Layout of partition bog filter.

Bog Gravel Filtration

This shot was captured over the lower pond on this water feature. You can see the sheer face of the hillside along the left side of the photo. The drone was hovering six feet over the center of the pond.

High-tech drones enhance water feature photography

Ken Rust from Kasco Marine offers advice in his presentation on “Being Successful with Lake Management.

Water Garden Expo 2015 | Industry Stars Shine in Shawnee

A 1,500-gallon rainwater capture system is used as the reservoir for a stacked slate urn fountain. The pumping system for the fountain doubles as the delivery system for the captured water, allowing it to be used for the surrounding gardens.

The art and science of small water features

Use annual sun positions to determine fence placement and overhead shade design. (Photo courtesy Paula Biles)

Conquer the Weather with Microclimates

These are the

Increase Profits by Adding Landscaping

Even really small containers work easily for aquatic plants. This frog container holds approximately 1.5 cups of water. Since it is so small, water needs to be added every day. Water Lettuce and Salvinia work well in this situation.

Water Gardening in Containers

Leave plenty of room for aquatic plants which help naturalize the pond and make it look like it’s always been part of the landscaping.

Take a Cue from Mother Nature

The major construction is completed.

Nature’s Clues for Great Watershaping

The Renaissance pond build at the 2015 Water Garden Expo.

2015 Water Garden Expo: Renaissance Pond Build

Photos by Dan Lenner.

Water Garden Whimsy | Infuse Your Pond with Personality

Mr. and Mrs. Slocum stand in front of the entrance sign that welcomes visitors.

You Don't Have to Mow Water

Dr. Vivian Grant, D.V.M., did a sensitivity test on this 5-kilogram Showa (above, left). Results came back indicating that we needed both Baytril and Amikacin for this infection.

Koi in the Balance

Growing houses like this one are perfect for winterizing bog plants.

Water Gardening: 30 Years and Still Growing

Joseph Paxton got Victoria to bloom in 1849. Before calling in the press, he astutely put his daughter on a leaf. The resulting coverage went global and started a fad practiced today. Public domain photo credit: Unknown, in Illustrated London News.

Business Tips from a Giant Water Lily

Placing a large boulder in a way that’s both structurally sound and organic in appearance is a thoroughly satisfying art. This one, in a recreational pond in Southeast Queensland, was no exception.

Breaking Ground in Australia

World's Best Blooms

A non-linear design with multiple waterfalls at varying elevations and cascade styles. Strategically placed boulders create both interest and reason for directional water flow changes.

The Art of the Waterfall

A typical backyard in Florida sets the stage for the transformation that becomes the “sizzle reel” to pitch our show.

Pond Stars: The making of our reality

Tony Moore gets down and dirty in his explanation of lily hybridizing.

IWGS Symposium: Splendor in the Grasses (and other numerous plants)

“We work hard, play hard and challenge our skill set at every opportunity,” Triplett said. Here, Eric and his team show a bond beam installation for a dedicated koi pond on the “set” for YouTube.

Renaissance Pond Man

Language of Koi: A Beautiful Accident

Language of Koi: A Beautiful Accident

Winter Care: You Can't Make Any Mistakes

Winter Care: You Can't Make Any Mistakes

Pondemonium 2014

Reaching for the Stars at Pondemonium 2014

A liner edges, trimmed and secured to a rebar ring inside the block edge.

An Unnecessary Battle | Concrete and Liner are teammates, Not Enemies

As you can see in this early shot, the feature had no splash curtain and the base had not yet been wet tested.se

Near Disaster at Chelsea

This nearly new pond needs to be totally rebuilt because it was put at the lowest spot in the yard. Tannin-filled water is sitting on a liner that is floating a foot off of the bottom of the pond.

Pond Construction 101: The fundamental blueprint every builder should use