Reports are coming in from pond builders all over the country — it sounds like business and life in the pond world has been really good this season! People have told me that with the economy on the upswing, they are able to pick and choose which jobs they want to take on, and which …
As a veteran of creating successful, award-winning displays for more than 20 years, I get asked a lot of questions. How do we come up with our inspirational scenes? Where do our crazy ideas come from? What is the real value of home shows in the water garden industry? There certainly isn’t an exact science …
In summer 2018, Darren DeStefano, a horticulturist at the General Services Administration (GSA) Public Building Service National Capital Region, and Claro Rodriguez from Plant or Transplant collaborated with me to create the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s now prominent waterlily feature. DeStefano designed a feature that is equal parts reflection, color and simplicity. Rodriguez …
‘Waterlily Timeline’ Adds New Aesthetic to D.C. Building Read More »
A living pond is an artificial body of water with the functional capability of supporting aquatic life. The proper function of a living pond has little to nothing to do with its aesthetic makeup. The visual appearance of a pond relies upon a combination of how well it fits into the surrounding space and what …
Best Pond Practices | Naturalistic Pond Edge Treatments Read More »
During the various stages of building a water feature, do you ever have trouble visualizing the details that will set your feature apart from the crowd? It’s OK — most of us do! After building naturally inspired water features for several years, studying natural water environments and learning from some of the most artistically talented …
Five Ways to Become a More Artistic Pond Builder Read More »
Pond and koi keeping often can require a lot of time and labor. It is a labor of love for many koi fans, but a little help from time to time is greatly appreciated. Sometimes, this assistance comes from the most unlikely of sources. Believe it or not, even Aeromonas has its own helpful qualities. …
Language of Koi | Custodian Critters Assist with Pond Upkeep Read More »
Anyone who has been involved with water gardens for even a short period of time understands how algae can be a curse. When you think about what to do with string algae, such as filamentous algae and blanket weed, or pea-green soup algae, which is the same as planktonic and single-celled algae, it can create …
There are two pondless waterfall streams in the front yard along with a spillway bowl set. The landscaping, complete with six Japanese maples of different varieties and dozens of shrubs and stunning coral drift roses, provides a wonderful introduction to the property, which spans six-tenths of an acre. If I were to charge a client …