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The midday sun reflects off a 15-by-20-foot pond that stretches throughout a rural yard. The blue of the sky is mirrored by the water, while a couple of lots koi sweep about below the surface - flashes of orange, yellow, black and white move by. They dance between the waterlilies, the plants' round leaves sitting delicately on the water's surface area as blooms of pink and yellow open up to drink in the sunshine.
" This is our playground," states Dick Williams, as he and his wife, LaNell, conceal from the summer heat in the shade of their aspen trees, and watch the fish and flowers in their backyard Shangri-La.
The Williams' house is one stop on this weekend's Water Garden Tour - the 17th annual trip hosted by the Pikes Peak Water Garden Society. The trip draws as many as 1,500 gawkers when the weather condition complies, and the society has grown to more than 250 members, signs of the appeal of water gardening in the area.
Wait one cotton-picking minute, you might be believing: Did you state water gardening? Here in Colorado Springs, the land of water constraints and dry spell?
That's right, water gardening. Odd as it seems, developing a huge water feature in the yard may be the very best way to save water.
" Though it might sound counter-intuitive, it has been shown that a location given over to a water garden consumes less water than the same ground covered with lawn or ground-covering plants - by some price quotes, just one-tenth as much," says the book "Water Gardening for the Southwest," by Teri Dunn.
Structure your very own pond is easier than it utilized to be, thanks to advances in equipment and a larger accessibility of water plants. Club members say you can construct a large pond for less than $1,000 if you do the work yourself.
It's not a cinch. Ron Bissonnette, vice president of the Pikes Peak Water Garden Society, remembers transporting dirt from his backyard one wheelbarrow at a time in 1993. And the pickings were slim for pond accoutrements.
" At that time, there were no services in town selling pond plants," states his other half, Betty Lou. "But now the marketplace is real full."
Mike Spencer, co-owner of Spencer's Lawn & Garden Centers, confirms that. He now stocks water plants and fish, and a fuller supply of liners, pumps and filters than he did a decade earlier.
Recently, Spencer has actually hosted a "build-a-pond" workshop for 50 individuals each year at his store at 4720 Center Valley Drive in Fountain. Next year he's expanding it to three workshops due to the fact that he's required to turn away many people.
The items became much more available and much better," Spencer says. "And, as time has actually gone on, individuals are investing a lot more time in their yard.
Unlike some garden clubs, the Water Garden Society attracts its fair share of big men. Bissonnette, a car mechanic, and a lot of his cohorts like the building and construction element of water gardening, along with the mechanics of pumps and filters, and the relaxing reward of seeing fish swim.
" I prefer to believe that I'm the building and construction engineer, and she's the gardener," states Dick Williams, who likes his slick new filter and pump system that powers 3 ponds and two streams.
Real enough, his better half is into the cultivation.
" I just love the water plants," LaNell says. "The sound and the sheer appeal of the whole thing is another dimension from flowers and pots."
The Williamses have 5 ponds that hold about 7,700 gallons of water. They highly recommend beginners to dig a big pond the first time - otherwise they'll be doing it all once again in a couple of years.
" If he digs another hole, he better look out or he'll end up in it," LaNell states.
" She plays unclean," he says.
When the building and construction is done, water gardening needs less upkeep than flower beds in the dirt. The tough work comes in the spring when you open the pond, and in the fall when you put it to bed. And, since the plants have all the water they desire, they usually flourish and people discover themselves cutting them back and handing out additional plants.
" The work is more simply ripping stuff out due to the fact that it's growing too fast," LaNell states. "I've distributed hundreds of plants this year."
The Williamses rarely go on summer getaway anymore due to the fact that they cannot think about anywhere better than their own backyard.
" You spend a lot of time just viewing the wacky fish," Dick states. "When friends visited, we generally wind up outside. It's relaxing and it's unwinding."
A stone-step waterfall cascades down into their large pond, and the noise of rushing water lulls them to sleep during the night - in addition to the talk from their three resident bullfrogs.
" A water garden has a primal tourist attraction," composes Dunn in "Water Gardening for the Southwest."
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" Jarring noises and interruptions slope. In a hectic and struggling world, something as easy as a backyard pond is a balm to the human spirit."
TIPS AND ADVICE
Develop your pond as large as you can. Water garden lovers say you'll just end up expanding it in the future, so save yourself the time and cost and begin huge.
2. Strategy thoroughly. The initial step is to call your energy company to mark underground utilities in the yard. This will tell you exactly what shape is possible. Then use a garden hose pipe to sketch out the shape of your pond and let it sit for a number of days up until you're certain you like it. Read books, speak with regional water gardeners and check out plants. THEN begin digging.
Water plants require full sun, so make sure the spot gets 6 hours of direct sun. Do not put the pond under trees - the plants will suffer and the water will be littered with leaves or needles.
4. Keep it on the level. Water is unforgiving if your pond is not completely level. Hang around getting it ideal before the water goes in.
5. Fish require filters. Even without fish, utilizing filters may be a good concept to keep the water healthy and clear. Also, fish eat mosquito larvae. Without them, you need to put mosquito killer in the water.
Hardy waterlilies are the stars of many water gardens in Colorado Springs (along with koi). Hardy plants can be cut back and set much deeper in the water where they will endure the winter.

The preformed pond bottoms sold at hardware stores are extremely limiting in size and depth, according to our pond experts. They suggest versatile pond liners (typically EPDM), at least 40 millimeters thick.
Heron and raccoon are both consistent insects to water gardeners, so you'll need to make some accommodations. Some gardeners trap and release raccoons; others develop little fences around the ponds to hinder the birds.
They need supervision near the water. Parents might consider a more shallow pond, stair actions in the pond that make it easy to climb out - or simply waiting to construct it until the kids are bigger.
Include water gradually. As soon as your pond is filled, you will require to utilize a pipe to top it off about once a week to counter evaporation.
11. Don't flip out when algae grows. If you're patient, the pond environment will eventually discover balance. If you clear the pond, include chemicals, or scrub the sides, the process will start once again. Water gardeners recommend UV sterilizers for more water clearness.
Hardy waterlilies must cover about two-thirds of the water for pond health. Great limited plants (in ground or water sounding the pond) are arrowhead, bog bean, pickerel rush, water iris, marsh marigold, bull rush, variegated sweet flag, miniature cattails and water celery.
SOURCES: Ron and Betty Lou Bissonnette, Dick and LaNell Williams, "Water Gardening for the Southwest"
WATER GARDEN TOUR
Hosted by the Pikes Peak Water Garden Society Where: Street maps of the 12 homes featured are offered for printing at www.ppwgs.org under the "Pond Tours" link. Printed map plans are offered 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and 8:30 a.m.-noon Sunday in the student parking lot of Wasson High School, 2115 Afton Way.
Penis and LaNell Williams feed their koi in a ring so the food does not get skimmed away by the pond's cleaner.
Cock Williams provided his spouse this statue for her birthday in 2015. It's named Keo Miles for the 2,000 miles he traveled to purchase it in Arkansas.
The Williamses have actually been water gardening for 11 years, starting with LaNell seeing if she might grow water plants in a pail. Now they have six ponds filled with fish and plants.
The sound of this waterfall in the Williamses' largest pond lulls them to sleep at night, as does the chatter from the bullfrogs the water draws in.
The 19 koi in their big pond are too huge to be troubled by herons, however Dick and LaNell Williams have actually lost smaller sized fish to the predator.

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