Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 11, 1994 TAG: 9403140121
SECTION: LAWN & GARDEN PAGE: 11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
But unless you have some building or engineering experience and a solid horticulture background, the do-it-yourself method can be a long and arduous process.
Norman Tharpe, owner of Tharpe Landscaping Company, which is located on U.S. 29 south of Lynchburg, offers full-service water-garden design, installation and maintenance. He has four employees, and his family also pitches in when needed.
Some of his customers like to participate in various stages of the construction, he said, but others want him to do everything, including the yearly spring maintenance, so they can "just sit back and enjoy it."
"There's a lot a of physical labor involved," he said. Many people are willing "to pay someone to come in and do it for them."
Tharpe has been in the landscaping business for 13 years. A few years ago, he noticed that interest in water gardens was growing, and he decided to branch out into building and designing them.
A self-taught landscaper, Tharpe researched the subject thoroughly, talked to suppliers, and came up with a design that utilizes a 45-65-millimeter-thick liner, which he says can only be bought elsewhere in Charlottesville and Richmond. The liner is placed on a foam base, which, he says "takes most of the risk [of leaking] out of it."
He does not use preformed fiberglass liners or concrete, he said.
Business has been so good that he did 44 gardens last year, several in the Smith Mountain Lake area. In fact, he said, he has been so busy that he hasn't specifically targeted the Roanoke area yet, and most of his advertising has been by word-of-mouth.
One of Tharpe's specialties is creating waterfalls and natural-looking creekbeds. He can add on to existing ponds, and says he can even put one on a patio, on a balcony, in a foyer or on a wooden deck, if the client desires.
Water gardens can be built indoors too, but they are not very popular, he said, because they require more space than is usually found in most houses.
He has designed water gardens in various styles, from Japanese to Old English to Victorian.
Tharpe begins the process by talking with his clients to "to get an idea of what they have in mind."
He then looks at the yard and its topography to determine if the design will be feasible and aesthetically pleasing. He draws a sketch of his design for the client's approval, and then goes on to construct the pond and install the pump, the plants and the fish. Many of the water gardens also are equipped with lights so they can be enjoyed at night.
A very small pond can be installed for as little as $500, he said. The average pond costs about $2,000 to $5,000, and some of the bigger ones may cost up to $10,000 to $20,000. The liner is the most expensive element, at $1.82 per linear foot. Light fixtures cost around $30 each, he said.
Larry Booth of Belle Aire Garden Shoppe said he and his crew also will do complete installation of a water garden, but in the past few years, the store also has begun to stock do-it-yourself kits and other water garden supplies that have been hard to find in the Roanoke area until recently.
"A lot of people will want to do it themselves," he acknowledged.
The store stocks a full line of preformed liners, flexible 32 millimeter rubberized PVC liner as well as chemicals, fish and water plants. There are tanks set up behind the store year-round for display as well as for raising the fish and plants.
Inside the store is a complete water garden made of preformed fiberglass liners, with two ponds and a waterfall.
The cost of a do-it-yourself project "depends on the size and on how much they want to put into it,." Booth said.
The preformed liners "have come a long way," he said, and are available in a variety of natural shapes. The price of the kits run from about $135 to $645. A 60-gallon pump by itself costs around $60.
Installing a preformed liner isn't easy, however, Booth warned. If the hole is not dug exactly to fit the liner, the shape may buckle and sag. Using a rubber liner, although slightly more expensive, "is a little easier to do," he said.
The preformed liners also can be bought at some home improvement stores, and Booth expects supplies to become more available as the water gardens become more popular.
In fact, Tharpe's next project will be to open his own "pond shop", stocking plants, fish, food and other supplies. He already has started a club for hobbyists, which has 28 members. The members will be offered discounts at the store when it opens, he said.
Tharpe also gives seminars on water gardens at area garden shops. Bell Aire also offers seminars occasionally, Booth said.
The newest thing in water gardening, Booth added, is tub gardening: miniature water gardens set in tubs on a deck, a balcony or a patio. Many people use half an oak barrel for their plants, he said, but he prefers to use a liner with it or another container which is less likely to leak.
With a tub garden, he said, people can enjoy the effect of a water garden in a restricted space.
by CNB