The 28th annual Tour of Ponds will be held June 8-9. Photos courtesy of the North Texas Water Garden Society.

May 21, 2019

Here’s a refreshing way to spend a warm June weekend - perusing North Texas backyard ponds.

The 28th annual Tour of Ponds, hosted by the North Texas Water Garden Society, will be held June 8-9. 

Hours for the two-day self-guided tour are Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday night from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Anyone who is interested in ponds and gardening is in for a treat. Forty pond owners across the Metroplex are participating, with water features ranging from small 150-gallon stock tanks to 15,000-gallon ponds, the size of swimming pools. 

Pond Tour koi“Our members are gardeners and the water feature brings a whole new dimension like creatures, insects, frogs and birds,” said Lisa Herrick, president of the North Texas Water Garden Society. “Many of us have certified wildlife habitats; some members are master naturalists and some are certified koi fish people.”

The North Texas Water Garden Society, is a not-for-profit club formed in 1992. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of every month and feature speakers who talk about horticultural and other earthy subjects. For example, a wildlife expert might speak about snakes. Other experts might focus on plants, water collection, caring for koi/gold fish, etc. – anything related to ponds and gardening. 

Pond Tour lotus“Our over-100-member group loves to share information and knowledge,” says Herrick. “If you are getting ideas about landscape, this tour is for you. A lot of other garden tours don’t have people who live on the property. Actual homeowners on the tour live in their house and garden and pond. You talk with the resident, which makes our tour unique.”

Herrick said her own garden is on the tour and changes annually.

“I have people who come to my garden every year because every year I do something different,” she shares. “It might be a change in the landscape, planting, or adding more filter. One year, I added an outdoor shed built of repurposed material. Even if you go back to the same garden every year, there will be something unique.

Herrick said the grassroots tour includes naturally landscaped ponds with a variety of wildlife, plants, and style, which guests will find calming and educational. 

Pond tour“A Carrollton husband/wife team has a true blue Egyptian water lily. Another couple has a carnivorous plant. Quite a few pond owners stock koi fish that eat out of your hand. Water lilies, Iris, canna lilies and umbrella palm grow in the dirt or the pond.”

She said NTWGS members will be on hand to answer questions about how to get started.

“We want to help people have a pond, learn about ponds or keep a pond,” explains Herrick. 

To attend the self-guided tour, you need only to purchase one tour guide book for $20 per carload for access to all 40 ponds. The tour book guide features complete pond listings, descriptions, directions and color pictures. It also includes a map and pond related articles of interest. Guides can be purchased from May 11 until June 9 online Herrick will mail the book to you, or they can be purchased at local retailers. See list below.

28th Annual Tour of Ponds

Hosted by: North Texas Water Garden Society

When: June 8-9, 2019

Hours: Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday night from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Tickets: Tour Guide Books are $20 each. Purchase one per carload. Buy online to be mailed or buy at any of the following retailers:

Creative Water Gardens – Garland 
Dickson Brothers – Mesquite
Chesshir Stone – Dallas
Whiz Q Stone – Fort Worth
Shades of Green – Frisco
Dr. Delphinium – Richardson 
Jacksons Home and Garden – Dallas
 
Sublime Water Gardens – Flower Mound
Let’s Be Koi – Waxahachie
North Haven Gardens – Dallas
Plants and Planters – Richardson
Puckett’s Nursery – Allen
Wild Birds Unlimited – McKinney

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