THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 2, 1995 TAG: 9504040488
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBORAH ARMSTRONG, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: Long : 210 lines
PEOPLE ARE FASCINATED by water: its beauty, its motion, its sound. Some in this area are fortunate enough to have waterfront property, where they can enjoy the ever-changing works of nature. But even landlocked homeowners can experience a bit of that same pleasure with an outdoor or indoor pond.
``People like water,'' says Tony Provenzano, owner with wife, Fran, of East-West Specialties Inc., a water garden supply company in Norfolk. ``Maybe it's our ancestral roots, but people are drawn to water. Some find religious significance, others enjoy the tranquilizing effect. It comes from the modern person's desire to be close to nature.''
Pond-keeping is one of the fastest growing aspects of home recreation and gardening, says Provenzano, who also is an oceanography professor at Old Dominion University.
``It used to be different, very expensive,'' Provenzano says. ``Today, it's so inexpensive that anyone can have a water garden.''
Costs range from ``a few 10s of dollars to thousands,'' he says, depending on how elaborate the pond is. East-West Specialties offers one-stop shopping, selling everything from fish, plants, supplies and books to services.
``There's lots of demand for information,'' says Provenzano, who with his wife edits and publishes The Water Gardener, a bimonthly magazine about pond-keeping.
Pond-keeping is a continual learning experience, he says. ``There's always something new, new varieties of plants to try out.''
He suggests seeking advice from an expert before construction begins. ``We get calls to fix problems'' that could have been avoided with a brief consultation, he says. He makes house calls and charges a modest consulting fee. He gives free talks on water gardening for garden clubs and non-profit groups.
The first decision the homeowner must make is where to put the pond. An east or south orientation is best, because some plants, such as water lilies, need as much sunlight as possible, says Provenzano.
``Most require six or more hours daily,'' he says. ``The more sun, the more flowers.''
It's also best not to have overhanging trees, he says, because they block some sunlight and leaves fall into the pond.
The next choice is whether to put the pond in or on the ground; either is possible with a pre-formed polyethylene tub or a liner in a box or in the ground. A liner is flexible and allows the homeowner to create any shape or size. But, be sure to use a fish-safe liner, says Provenzano. Other types of liners can be toxic to fish.
The homeowner can dig the pond or have it done by a contractor. Check with the permits department in your city to see if you need a building permit and/or fence, and call Miss Utility of Virginia (800-552-7001) to get underground utility lines marked.
(It is against outdoor water restrictions to construct an outdoor pond in Virginia Beach, according to Wanda Frink, water conservation coordinator for the city. Restrictions are in effect now, and she expects them to remain so for the next five years. Well-water users are exempt from the restrictions, but Frink reminds that well water is a limited resource and should be used wisely.)
The sides of the pond should be elevated so that groundwater will not run in. A pond that will hold fish should be at least 18 inches deep, but not more than 24 inches deep in this area. Once filled, a pond uses less water than a lawn, Provenzano says. ``The water is recycled if you use a pump,'' he says, and there is little evaporation.
Many types of water plants are available. Provenzano sells more than 75 varieties. Emergent types, also known as bog plants or marginals, grow in shallow water and include irises, cattails, rushes and sedges. A second type of submerged plant is known as oxygenators and include Anacharis, Cabomba and hornwort.
Floating plants, such as water hyacinths, duckweed and water ferns, provide shade and take up nutrients. Water lilies and lotuses grow beneath the water but put their leaves on the surface.
Provenzano recommends having goldfish or koi in a pond, for color, for movement and to help balance the pond's ecosystem. And there is ``no problem with insects as long as there are fish in the pond,'' he says. ``Fish love mosquitoes.''
Cold weather doesn't bother the fish or plants, he says. The plants freeze back to the water line, and most will survive if their roots are in the water and don't freeze.
Once the pond is up and running, there's not a lot of maintenance, he says. ``There is almost no weeding . . . you just trim a few plants and maintain the filter. Some people like to dabble; they find things to do.''
His advice to pond-keepers: ``Sit and watch and enjoy.'' NOT HARD OR EXPENSIVE
Smithfield Gardens in Suffolk has been selling pond equipment, plants and fish for many years, but garden center manager Anne Cairns has seen interest heighten during the last couple of years.
``It's gotten real big,'' she says. ``People have found out that having a pond isn't that hard and isn't that expensive.
``People can have any size pond they want,'' says Cairns, adding that liners are up to 20 feet wide. The garden center also sells preformed basins, with 15 shapes in stock. They have plastic whiskey barrels for creating a pond environment on a patio.
Anna Hodges, assistant greenhouse manager, says novice water gardeners tend to start small when choosing the basin or liner for their pond, but often come back wishing they'd gotten a bigger size.
The pond should be placed close enough to where people sit outside so that they can enjoy seeing and hearing the water, says Cairns. And it must be situated near an electrical outlet if a pump is used.
Hodges says the gardener must think of the needs of the plants as they plan their water garden. Fountains look pretty, but ``lilies don't like moving water,'' she says. They can coexist, but the lilies must be placed some distance from the fountain.
To help prospective pond-keepers avoid pitfalls, Smithfield Gardens will offer a free class on ``Backyard Ponds and Water Gardens,'' June 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. Preregistration is required, says Cairns.
The garden center can do all or some of the pond construction and landscaping. The cost and time for completion varies with the complexity of the project. ``It usually takes a day to dig the pond; (constructing) waterfalls takes longer,'' says Cairns.
She and Hodges recommend landscaping the area around the pond to naturalize the setting. ``We sell real rocks and boulders,'' complete with moss and lichens, Cairns says.
Ferns are nice, adds Hodges. ``Holly ferns, in particular, tend to do well. Ground covers look nice as they grow around the edge of the pond and up through the rocks.''
Once the pond is filled, you can put in water plants. ``Get them established before you add fish,'' says Hodges. The nursery sells about 25 varieties of water plants, but ``can get almost anything,'' she says.
Smithfield Gardens also sells pond fish. ``We mainly deal with koi,'' but can order others such as shubunkins, which are comet-shaped fish with calico markings, Hodges says. The fish range in size from 2 inches to 24 inches. The rule of thumb is to allow one inch of fish per square foot of water.
In addition to pond equipment such as liners, pumps and filters, Smithfield sells snails, fish food, pond-care products, chemicals, pH kits, books and videotapes on pond construction.
``We have tons of information,'' says Cairns. If a pond-keeper has a question, ``Somebody here is going to know the answer.'' BRINGING OUTSIDE IN
For whatever reason, maybe an outdoor pond isn't for you. Maybe you don't have the space, or maybe you simply want to enjoy it year-round. An indoor pond may be the answer. Daniel and Carolyn Montague have designed interior aquatic gardens to, as they say, ``bring the beauty and serenity of nature right into your home or office.''
Relative newcomers to the pond business, they became interested in pond-keeping last fall after digging a pond outside their Norfolk home.
``We both have been avid gardeners for years,'' says Daniel. The couple has an eclectic background; they once ran an antique shop in Maine, and he's been a sailing captain and boat builder in Australia. ``We were looking for a different thing to do together. . . . We figured when the right thing came along, we'd fall right into a niche.''
As it turns out, they fell right into the pond business with the company they named Saroja Ponds, meaning ``lotus flower.'' They so enjoyed doing their own pond, they wondered if they could do that for a living. But, Carolyn notes, working outdoors ``you have to deal with the weather.'' They persevered until the idea of creating a self-contained indoor pond came along.
Daniel, who has a one-man remodeling and cabinetry business, built the prototype: a hand-crafted cedar box measuring 20 inches by 30 inches, housing a 10-gallon pond. He chose cedar because of its resistance to rot. The 10-inch-deep box is bordered by a small shelf on which house plants can be rooted. Water lightly trickles from a small fountain into the pond.
In the Montagues' cozy West Ghent home, the warm afternoon sun filters in through a south window, illuminating two aquariums where Carolyn and Daniel have spent more than two months testing water plants and lighting situations. In the top tank, thriving green plants are potted just below water level. In the tank below, a couple of goldfish swim among filmy parrotsfeather, and a corkscrew rush twists across the water's surface.
Their testing has resulted in ``plants we've come to know are going to last in this situation,'' says Carolyn.
The finished products can be seen in two local stores. One, with a Zen motif, is at Heritage Bookstore, 314 Laskin Road in Virginia Beach. The other, with an Oriental flavor, is at Tranquil Moments, 727 W. 21st St. in Norfolk. A recently completed woodlands garden can be seen at the Montagues' home by appointment.
``People can tell us what they want and we can customize,'' Carolyn says.
The basic pond comes fully landscaped and includes a self-contained pump, filter and fountain. It sells for $650, and the optional hand-crafted metal table is $195. Delivery and set-up are available.
Their aquatic gardens are not restricted to sunny windows, says Carolyn. ``Indirect lighting or a grow light is fine.''
In addition, the indoor ponds are environmentally friendly. ``We use recycled pots, the water recycles itself. It's very low maintenance,'' she says. ILLUSTRATION: BETH BERGMAN/Staff color photos
Smithfield Gardens designed and constructed this pond at the home of
Joe and Anne Addington on Mowbray Arch in Norfolk.
East-West Specialties maintains and services this pond at the
Norfolk home of Oriana and Arnold McKinnon.
Photo
BETH BERGMAN/Staff
The indoor pond at the Norfolk home of Carolyn and Daniel Montague
has a woodlands motif.
Graphic
POND RESOURCES
East-West Specialties Inc. is at 1170 Lance Road, Suite 103,
Norfolk, Va., 23502. Call 461-0665.
Smithfield Gardens is on Route 17 and 1869 Bridge Road in
Suffolk. Call 238-2511 or 399-4331.
For information about Saroja Ponds, call 625-2158.
The National Pond Society offers Pondscapes, a magazine devoted
to pond-keeping, fax-on-demand pond information, a handbook for the
technically inclined pond-keeper and commercial pond-keeper
certification. The society has designated July 15 National Pond Day
for water gardeners across the country to open their ponds to the
public. For more information, call (404) 975-0277, or write P.O. Box
449, Acworth, Ga. 30101.
by CNB