Ponder the Beauty

The 20th annual Green Country Water Garden Society Pond Tour will be held June 23-24, 2012.

It makes up 70 percent of the earth’s surface. It constitutes 70 percent of our brains. With water being so big a part of who we are, it isn’t any wonder that the sight and sound of water often soothes and inspires the human spirit. It also isn’t any wonder that the Green Country Water Garden Society Pond Tour has spread over the last 20 years from Tulsa into many of its surrounding areas.

Homes on the tour will be open on Saturday, June 23 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, June 24 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. “We have 22 ponds on this year’s tour, with ponds in Sapulpa, Sand Springs, Bixby, Broken Arrow, Collinsville, and even as far away as Adair,” says Melanie Allen, president of GCWGS. “We have decided to spread out from Tulsa and really live up to the name ‘Green Country.’”

Displayed on the tour are some of Green Country’s ­loveliest backyard water gardens and ponds in all kinds of arrangements, from gentle brooks to plunging waterfalls. In the last two decades, landscapers and water garden enthusiasts have made great strides in water garden development, and this will be evident to those who view the intricate rock designs and water filtration systems along the tour. These ponds are not only set up to be pleasing to the eye and create a relaxing atmosphere, but to provide a ­natural habitat for fish and birds as well. A plethora of ­water-friendly plants and flowers ­surround and fill the ponds, completing the natural effect. And just as in nature, each pond is unique, as the pond owner has designed it according to his or her own imagination and taste.

“Through this tour, GCWGS provides the ­opportunity for interested ­parties to share ideas and ­experiences, successes and ­pitfalls relating to the care and enjoyment of ponds,” says Jody Porter, a member of GCWGS and owner of Hardscape Materials Outdoor Living Center, along with her husband Brad. “People can learn about aquatic plants and fish while enjoying ponds built by both weekend warriors and professional pond builders.” Hardscape is the presenting sponsor of the Green Country Water Garden Society Pond Tour, with other major sponsors including Anderson Pond Design and BZT Pond and Koi Products.

Tickets for the pond tour are $5 and are available at Hardscape Materials, Southern Agriculture, and on the Green Country Water Garden Society website,  www.gcwgs.com. Tickets will also be available at tour homes. In years past, GCWGS has provided a ­magazine filled with information about the different ponds and about water gardening in general, and this year’s magazine will be the actual ticket for the event, gaining the holder entrance into any of the ponds on the tour. Also new this year: Jody Porter has set up a GPS routing system with all of the tour home ­locations. To obtain information about this, email Jody at  eat0@eau0eav0eaw0.

The Green Country Water Garden Society is dedicated to educating Green Country about the how-to’s – and resulting joys – of water gardening. This non-profit society meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Tulsa Garden Center at 2435 S. Peoria and is a supporter of the Linnaeus Teaching Garden. Another main focus of the club is to provide scholarships to ­horticulture students. The GCWGS Pond Tour is the club’s main fundraiser of the year, but it is also its way of introducing its passion to the public. “If you are interested in gardening and water features,” says Jody, “this pond tour is your gateway to the ‘Pond Life.’”

For more information, contact

Green Country Water Garden Society

www.GCWGS.com