Sneak Preview: Ponds Big and Small to Inspire You

The Sperling's Pond, Hamilton

Dealing with a deep personal loss is never easy, but somehow Debbie Sperling managed to find in her grief a reason to do good things in her community. Rooted in happy memories of her sister, Jean, and inspired by her loss, Debbie set out in 2010 to organize what she hoped would be the largest pond tour in Canada. The wellspring for this inner strength? A deep spiritual bond with nature, her love of gardening and her own backyard pond. 

"My sister Jean loved nature and my garden's pond," Debbie recalls. "After she was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer in February 2009, she would visit as often as possible. I treasured the times I watched her pain and tension disappear as she sat pondering."

In July, Debbie and her sister toured the Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice for Palliative Care in Hamilton, ON together. Debbie remembers, "She was nervous at first, but like all those times we sat looking over the pond, her anxiety melted away as she took in the beauty of the home and the smiling compassion of the staff...Within minutes Jean decided to spend her final weeks there."

Jean passed away at peace, having received what the family felt was exceptional care. "Our experience as a family made us want to give back to the Hospice," says Debbie."Jean's fancy for the pond gave me a vision for this project." The pond tour raised over five thousand dollars that first year and has gone on to become an annual event.

The Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice receives approximately 41% of its annual budget from the government, meaning that it must raise the remainder to cover its monthly operating costs. "It is for this reason that events such as the pond tour are critical to the home's survival," says Jan Nichols, the hospice's Director of Development. 

The Lawson Pond, Hamilton

"This year's pond tour will showcase over 20 amazing private gardens,"says co-chair Melanie Downes of Clearwater Ponds. "On Saturday, June 23rd there will be tour stops in Hamilton, Grimsby, Burlington and the surrounding area. Sunday, June 24th will spotlight properties in Oakville, Mississauga and Halton Hills. There is even a "surprise feature garden" that will be open on both days."

The Brown's Pond in Mississauga, ON

The theme for this year's pond tour is "It's all about the memories" highlighting the role that memories have played in inspiring this year's gardens. For the Brown's of Mississauga, their pond is, "Where we begin and end our day. The sights and sounds draw us in and provide us with many happy hours of pleasure and relaxation." 

Thought it was designed to look expansive, this is actually a mid-sized pond 

on an average suburban lot.

Irises are a nice choice for pondside plantings and the Brown's have several pretty varieties.

Located right off the deck, this the perfect place to enjoy a morning coffee 

or to relax on a fine summer evening.

Let's stop on our way to the next pond to admire the roses growing 

all along the walkway to the back garden.

 The Paquette's Pond in Mississauga, ON

The Paquette's pond is a great example of a water feature for a small-sized garden. Water tumbles into a small pond that is just inches deep. Though the pond is only a year old, already the Paquette's already have many happy memories of the times they have spent sitting by the pond.

"The pond is a mecca for cardinals, finches, robins and many varieties of butterflies. We often see different birds drinking at the same time," the Paquettes tell me.

"We even have racoons dropping by during their evening jaunts around the neighbourhood," laughs Robin Paquette. "Last summer they discovered the goldfish and now they think we are offering them up as hor d'oeuvres."

The Luke's Pond in Oakville, ON

For Jackie and Peter Luke, their Japanese-inspired bridge and garden pond has formed the perfect backdrop for a summer wedding, a grandson's christening and garden parties for friends and family. The sound of water cascading down the pond's waterfall (which you can see on the left) has added a lovely ambience to all these cherished summer memories.

Jackie wanted their garden to have a Japanese feel to it, where the emphasis is more on form and foliage than flowers. She did most of the plant selection and Peter did most of the planting.

The garden's design incorporates a large patio area just outside the back door 

with ample seating for large parties. 

Just a short walk across the bridge, there is second flagstone patio complete with a table and chairs.

The Clarke Pond, Halton Hills

There were no trees or grass, let alone a garden when the Clarke's moved into their home ten years ago. In 2004, they commissioned Clearwater Ponds  to design a pond and garden that would transform their 2 acres on the outskirts of Glen Williams into the perfect backyard retreat. 

Water now pools on an upper terrace and flows down a meandering stream, under a stone bridge and then cascades down into a large pond. 

For the Clarke's 2 young boys, their pond is the place where summer memories are made. 

There are goldfish to feed, croaking frogs to hear and needle-thin dragonflies to watch. Though the pond is sizeable, it is only two feet deep, making it the perfect place for supervised summer fun.

Highlights of the 2012 Pond Tour for the Hospice include pond-less waterfalls, small water features and beautifully landscaped gardens filled with colorful summer flowers. There are even prizes to be won and a photography contest to enter. The tour is self-guided, leaving participants free to plan each of the two tour days to their liking. All proceeds from the sale of tickets go directly to the Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice. 

"My sister would have loved this tour," Debbie Sperling says. "She would have bought tickets in a heartbeat. Jean would have toured both days, revelling in the tranquility, imagery and sensory stimulation of every pond she could get to."

The 2012 Pond Tour for the Hospice represents a perfect opportunity for you to find the inspiration to create your own personal garden sanctuary. 

Just imagine two, fun-filled days of touring and the natural beauty of this area's most magnificent water gardens. Best of all, it is for a really great cause!

More Information and Links:

Ticket Information:

Tickets for the Pond Tour for the Hospice are available online and at selected retailers throughout the Golden Horsehoe. Tickets are $15 per adult and children under 12 are free of charge. The non-refundable tickets are good for both days of the event and you can visit as many ponds as you wish. The tour takes place rain or shine. For further information, and to purchase your tickets visit: thebestpondtour.com

Visit the The Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice for Palliative Care website

Thanks to these tour sponsors: Clearwater Ponds and Cole's Pond Store

The Flowers Garden, Oakville Ontario

This week I am celebrating the first anniversary of my garden blog. I want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all those kind people who allowed me to photograph and share their private gardens. 

Today, I would like to show you another garden we photographed on last year's Water Garden Tour.

The Flowers family of Oakville, Ontario had not one, but two ponds in their small suburban garden. The first, a more formal pond, had a square shape framed by paving stones and was filled with white water lilies, when we visited (shown above). 

The second water feature, a more casual design, was constructed at the bottom of an old, unused swimming pool. At one end of the old pool, the Flower's created a cascading waterfall, which tumbled down several feet to a small pond, which they installed at the bottom of the former pool. Opposite the waterfall, a short flight of stone steps was built to lead visitors down to pond level.

The second pond in the backyard is fed by a cascading waterfall. 

If last summer's Greater Toronto Water Garden Tour was any indication, there seems to be a bit of a trend to turn under used, high maintenance backyard swimming pools into garden ponds. 

The pond at the bottom of the old swimming pool.

The plantings at the edge of the pond included a ferny astilbe that was about to flower.

The garden had a number of inspirational ideas. Above, a light weight bamboo screen was used to disguise a standard back yard fence.

A set of wooden chimes added to the Japanese theme and was a nice reminder to layer sound into a garden's array of sensory pleasures.

Here is another rather fun idea. Standard copper pipe was used to construct the arbor which framed the entrance to the back garden.

A daylily from the front garden.

A canopy of mature trees somewhat limited the plantings in the back garden to shade loving perennials like hosta and ferns. The front yard, on the other hand, enjoyed all the advantages of full sun and was planted with a wide range of flowering plants.

There are so many different varieties of clematis available these days, aren't there? I thought this one was quite striking.

A birdbath vignette from the front garden.

We weren't the only visitors to the garden that day.

Isn't this lovely? I don't know why you don't see white echinacea in gardens. 

I also think white phlox is underused in preference to more popular pink varieties. 

Again, my thanks to the Flowers of Oakville and to all the other gardeners who were generous enough to allow me to share their private gardens through this blog.

The Garnet Garden, Oakville Ontario

An intimate view of a Hydrangea flower.

Overlooking Lake Ontario, the Garnet's have a breathtaking view that is simply priceless. Here adirondack chairs are positioned to look out over the lake.

This is got to be one of my very favorite pictures from the Greater Toronto Water Garden Tour. I love the mix of the pink hydrangeas and the cool blue tones of Russian Sage.

A bee discovers the Russian Sage flowers.

Shade and moisture loving Astrantia makes a abstract fairy tale image.

The Garnet's have transformed an old concrete pool into a pond. Don't the water lilies look like a painting by Renoir?

The back garden has a second smaller pond as well.

Astilbe (left) and daylilies create a pretty color combination.

A final piece of eye candy- a Hydrangea from the front garden.

The Jason Garden, Mississauga Ontario

Imagine the pleasure after a long day at work of coming home, collapsing into a comfortable chair and sinking your toes into the warm sand, while staring wistfully over the a cool, blue body of water.
Well that is just what these lucky homeowners do! This sublime garden features a large backyard pond, complete with a sandy beach and comfortable adirondack chairs. No need to head to the cottage. Just light the torches and you are in their own private paradise right in the heart of the big city!

Water cascades from the back of the property into the large five foot deep pond.

Koi dart in and out patches of sunlight under the dappled shade of a large ash and crabapple tree.

And the front garden is just as wonderful! Pondless streams fall over rock wind their way among charming plantings.

The creation of the stream beds were so thoughfully and artistically done that they look absolutely natural.

Sparkling water- crisp, fresh and cool!

A robin takes an early morning bath in the cool water.

The contrasting color and textures of Lady's Mantel (top), burgundy Barberry (right) and a flowering hosta makes a pretty picture.

The morning sunlight dances exquisitely on the leaves of an about-to-bloom hosta.

A sedum in bloom looks amazingly like an underwater creature on an exotic coral wreath.

The star-eyed blooms of a Moonbeam Coreopsis.

Do you get the impression that this must be a large property? Well, its really quite modest. Its just that the owners has done tremendous things with a little imagination and a good deal of hard work. The garden was simply magnificent.