The St. Louis Water Gardening Society members offer a wide variety of private spaces for the 14th annual Pond-O-Rama pond and garden tour. There are 47 locations on the two-day tour, 43 of which are private gardens of SLWGS member that are on display only for this tour. Of these 22 will be open on Saturday, June 21. On Sunday, June 22, there are 21 sites. The remaining are four commercial sites that may be visited either day.
Tickets that cover both days of the two-day tour are $15 and are available now at garden centers throughout the metropolitan area. Everyone 18 years of age or older needs a ticket to attend. Children under the age of 18 do not need a ticket. For a list of ticket sellers, check the SLWGS website at www.slwgs.org. Tickets also may be ordered directly from the website.
Water features include some with expansive pond and streams, huge boulders and places for family fun as well as small, restful retreats for homeowners. “Our 14th annual tour includes something for every taste,” said Virginia Mueller, SLWGS coordinator for Pond-O-Rama.
A renovation project that is new to the tour turned a 5’ x 7’ pond into a 45’ x 30’ swimming pond that is 8’ deep. “Our 8- and 10-year old kids couldn’t stay out of our pond with fish, so we decided to expand it. Now a stream flows from that pond to our new swimming pond. We’re confident that our kids, fish and turtles won’t outgrow this one,” said the home owner.
Another homeowner replaced a problematic leaky old swimming pool with the sounds of a tranquil waterfall and pond. Since a part of the old pool deck was retained to create a seating area, they now can sit quietly, enjoying the sounds of the waterfall and the sight of their beautiful koi gliding through the water.
“Our hosts have been busy getting their gardens ready for the tour,” Mueller said. “We are excited to see the new spaces as well as the changes in our repeat hosts.” Each ticket purchased comes with a coupon for a free six-month membership to SLWGS.
For more information please visit www.slwgs.org.