Water gardens and waterfalls

July 17, 2005

    If you love the sound of running water, and a nature sounds tape or sprinkler system doesn’t satisfy you, consider adding a water feature to your property. These include water gardens, waterfalls and combinations of the two. A water garden is an artificial body of water on your premises, essentially a pond, but with streaming water, aquatic plants, fish and a filtration system to help keep it clean with a minimum of work. Jeff Michaels, owner of Pondering Waters Inc. (21225 Dorion, St. Clair Shores, 586-405-9275 or www.ponderingwaters.com), is a certified contractor for Aquascape Designs Inc., the country’s largest water garden builder, according to its Web site (www.aquascapedesigns.com), and can install a water garden for you. Or you can choose to do it yourself. We have kits for water gardens and pondless waterfalls, Michaels said, all of which come with instruction manuals or videos. I do offer service to customers (who buy the kit) if they get stuck, Michaels said. I’m very service-oriented.
    Before starting, Michaels said, ‘First thing: Check with your city code’ to make sure you aren’t violating any rules or ordinances. For code purposes, water gardens and pondless waterfalls are classified under swimming pools.
    After the hole is dug, a fabric underlay and rubber liner is added, followed by a filtration system, along with a skimmer and other piping and plumbing. Then you can add boulders, cobblestones and either a waterfall or stream. Add aquatic plants (Michaels can get them, too) and fish (koi are popular). Michaels also tosses in a subscription to Aquascape magazine.
    The starting price for any water garden, Michaels estimated, is about $3,000, depending on size and additional features. An 11 foot-by 16-foot pond with a simple water fall would run $6,000-$6,500.
    Michaels also offers a Mistscaping system by Fogco (www.fogco.com), which cools down the area surrounding the water garden by spraying a fine mist or fog.
    But the “the biggest new thing is the pondless waterfall,” Michaels said. “I’ve been installing these like crazy.”
    With a pondless waterfall, Michaels said, “Basically you have everything (you’d have with a pond) except open water,” which means you don’t have the liability of open water either. A full pond can be added later if you so choose.
    “The water empties into a pit full of stone and keeps re-circulating” with a concealed pump. Michaels said it’s “self-sufficient, hardly any maintenance at all.”
    Aquascape also offers a Micro-Pondless Waterfall, up to 4-feet high, in a 4-foot-by-6-foot gravel bed.
    Kathie Thueme (pronounced “team”), store manager at The Pond Guy (6135 King Road, Marine City, 888-766-3520 or www.thepondguy.com), agreed that pondless waterfalls are a growing trend in the water garden business, especially for people who want the sound of running water without the inconveniences of a pond. But “just as many people want ponds with waterfalls.”
    The Pond Guy sells “a little bit of everything” for water gardens, pondless waterfalls and commercial farm ponds, including products from several companies plus a few of their own products. “We don’t do actual installation,” Thueme said, but they offer seminars at the store for do-it-yourselfers, and can refer customers to a contractor they work with.
    Other trends are making ponds bigger, more elaborate and more upscale. “People have fun with it.” Pond owners have been stocking their ponds with koi for a long time (they are known as koi ponds in some places), but now they get “fanatical” about their koi, and even “show” them like dogs at a dog show. They are trainable, and you can teach then to take food right from your hand. “They’re friendly fish, social fish.” Thueme said.
    For a showcase of some of The Pond Guy’s products, and a chance to help some homeless animals, get a ticket for the Parade of Ponds, a self-guided tour of 18 water gardens by Pond Guy customers in Macomb, Oakland and St. Clair counties. Proceeds benefit the St. Clair County Humane Society.
    The Pond Guy’s annual Parade of Ponds self-guided tour runs 9 a.m.-5 p.m. July 23 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. July 24, rain or shine. Tickets are $10 per person, children 12 and younger are free. Proceeds benefit the St. Clair County Humane Society. Call (810) 765-7400.