Backyard ponds, waterfalls in bloom Backyard ponds, waterfalls in bloom (April 22, 2005)

Latest trend entices landscapers to learn new techniques

By Mari Sapina-Kerkhove

Springtime is making its way into Bay Area backyards, and gardeners are once again sprucing up their surroundings with colorful flowerbeds, fragrant rose bushes and apparently, ever more ponds and water falls.

"Water gardening is the fastest growing (segment) of landscaping," said Shanna Shriner, owner of Brookside Garden, a Mountain View landscape design business.

Not too long ago, Shriner said, one or two pond installations per year were the norm. Last year however, her company installed 120 water gardens that run the gamut from simple containers with a fountain to waterfalls to elaborate pond systems, she said.

Because of the increasing demand for water gardens, Shriner's landscaping business now has a crew specifically trained in that field. A year ago, she also opened the Pond Shack, a Mountain View store that offers fish, plants, technical equipment as well as advice related to water gardening.

The reasons why someone would want a pond or a waterfall in the backyard are as diverse as the possibilities that come with water gardening, Shriner said. For some it's aesthetics, for others it's the love of exotic plants and fish, or just the practicality of tuning out traffic noise with the sounds of nature.

"I just love the sound of the water, it's so soothing," said Mountain View resident Jim Ayers, who four years ago installed a 14-by-14-foot pond and waterfall in his backyard. "That was my main (reason) for putting the pond in - just to have that soothing sound of water."

While Ayers, an avid gardener and nature lover, said he always dreamt of owning a pond one day, Vic Herwick, also a Mountain View resident, stumbled across the idea when redoing his backyard two years ago.

"It was just a landscaping decision," he said. "I had plenty of space and it worked out really well."

Herwick now refers to his 20-by-10-foot pond that's stocked with fish named after family members and surrounded with varieties of water plants as "a little Zen garden" where he finds serenity after a long day's work.

Both Ayers and Herwick installed what is known as an ecologically balanced pond system. Trying to recreate nature as closely as possible, such systems build on the synergy of fish, plants and microorganisms to maintain a healthy pond without the need for excessive maintenance or chemical interference.

Shriner, whose business installs ecologically balanced water gardens, said they are increasingly popular with customers, not only for their natural look, but also for their minimal maintenance in comparison to older pond systems.

In past times, she said, ponds were often pools of water set in concrete or plastic without a running water feature. Inadequate filtration in combination with several other factors often causes excessive growth of algae in such systems, she said, which leads pond owners to rely on chemicals to control the problem. This can create a vicious cycle where ponds become chemically dependent, Shriner said.

At the heart of an ecologically balanced water garden, she said, is the combination of a mechanical filter, which clears the water surface of debris as well as a biological filter, which uses beneficial bacteria to decompose pond wastes. Moderate algae growth is desired in such a system, Shriner said, but the interaction of fish (which eat algae) and plants controls excessive growth. An ecologically balanced water garden also includes a pump or a running water feature (for example a water fall) to keep up the water flow and circulate oxygen. Finally, ecologically balanced ponds are generally set in plenty of gravel and rocks, which encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria, Shriner said.

Each element of an ecologically balanced pond, she said, whether it's the fish, the plants or organic matter is part of an interdependent cycle that keeps it intact.

"Whenever one piece is missing, then you're in trouble," she said.

To Ayers, who for a long time held off on his dream of a pond because he feared it would be too much work, the ecologically balanced system has proven a blessing.

"It's a really great system, it's pretty maintenance free," he said, adding that the only upkeep he has to do is cleaning the mechanical filter when needed and adding beneficial bacteria to the water every so often.

While fear of high maintenance might be one point of hesitation to homeowners interested in a water garden, cost is another. According to Shriner, water garden enthusiasts on a low budget can install a small water garden starting at about $700. Aquascape Designs, Inc. the country's largest ecological water garden builder and distributor of water garden supplies, even sells do-it-yourself kits that include the company's patented filter system, a pump, a liner as well as an instructional DVD, among other things.

But water garden enthusiasts without budgetary constraints should consider a professional installation, Shriner said. For $9,000, she said, her crew can install a complete water garden including an 11-by-17-foot pond, fish, plants and rocks with nothing left to do for owners but maintenance.

Because there is a large variety of plants (anything from water lilies to irises, to grasses and exotic plants that bloom at night), fish (goldfish and koi being the most popular ones), rocks and extra features (such as underwater lighting) to choose from, Shriner said water gardens allow for great creativity.

But despite its aesthetic benefits and contribution to property value, some fear that a pond in the backyard poses a breeding ground for mosquitoes, an especially touchy subject in the light of an apparently spreading West Nile virus.

As long as a water garden incorporates running water (such as a waterfall), Shriner said, home owners needn't worry. Mosquitoes are more likely to breed in standing water, such as found in an old tire, a kiddie pool or clogged rain gutters, she said.

For pond owners who are still concerned, Shriner recommended contacting Santa Clara County Vector Control for free mosquito fish, which eat mosquito larvae.

To Ayers, a contractor, the experience with his water garden has been so positive that he often recommends it to his clients.

His water garden has become a central part of his family's life, he said, where they like to have breakfast and invite friends over for barbeques and parties.

"It's just a real soothing feature to have at your house," Ayers said. "I look out my kitchen window and I can see it, I can see it from my deck, from my living room and from my office-it's just a really nice thing to sit (there) and have a cup of coffee in the morning."

For more information on water gardening and related products contact The Pond Shack, 823 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View, (650) 967-3764 or visit the www.pondshack.com

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