Publishers’ Perspective
Take a look at our cover. Who do you see? If you said “Pond professionals,” you’re only half-right. While they certainly are knowledgable and capable pond builders, those Aquascape guys are also soon-to-be TV stars!
Yes, Aquascape is hitting the big time. Their new reality TV show, “Pond Stars,” airs Sept. 5 on Nat Geo Wild. The show will be sure to spark a lot of new interest in our wonderful industry. And with any luck, it will also turn hundreds or thousands of viewers into potential customers, suddenly craving ponds or water features in their backyards! You can get all the details straight from the show’s star, Greg Wittstock, on page 26.
To borrow a line from those late-night infomercials: “But wait — there’s more!” As if that wasn’t exciting enough, Eric Triplett, “The Pond Digger,” recently announced that he too will soon have a TV show! As of press time, the station and start date are unknown. But stay tuned: POND Trade will be covering the details of Eric’s show as they unfold. Congrats and good work to Greg, Eric and their hard-working teams.
Speaking of the cover, did you notice our new look? We decided that a new logo was in order — and while we were at it, we hammered out a whole new design! You hold in your hands a fresh, revitalized POND Trade that we hope will be cleaner, more attractive and more readable. Be sure to email and let us know what you think.
Although the look is new, the guts haven’t changed — this issue boasts the same variety of valuable content that you’ve come to expect from POND Trade. Eric Triplett invites you to join Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci by becoming a Renaissance pond man or woman on page 8. If you’re looking for a fresh construction idea, turn to page 20, where Rick Smith illustrates the many benefits of an upper-pond design.
If you’re a foodie, you may find Toni Jacobs Lopez’s story more mouth-watering than our typical fare. He shares some great ideas for expanding your koi’s diet into foods you never dreamed of putting in your pond on page 34! (I’m sure your fish are hoping you’ll take his advice.)
Leafy vegetables aside, there’s plenty of other greenery in this issue. John Mark Courtney lays out some guidelines for good native plant selection on page 43, and Meyer Jordan’s piece on periphyton — the slimy, green film — is a biology lesson that you can see applied in your pond every day.
With new shows, new construction techniques and new foods, the pond world is moving and shaking like never before. Turn the page and join the party!
Happy PONDering!
