Archived Feature Articles:

Construction

International Pondering
By Kelly Tunney
It’s been over 15 years since Gerard Touhey took his first steps on American soil and proudly called this new land home.

Room for a New Pond
By Rick Osbourne
Gary and Karen Evensen are baby boomers living comfortably in the suburbs of Chicago. They love water, fish, and beautiful, exotic plants. The only problem is that in this particular suburb, water, fish, and beautiful exotic plants are not exactly plentiful.

Let There Be Light!
By Kelly Tunney
You conquered the morning drive on the way into work, managing to avoid three separate car accidents, only to come into work and find that the coffee maker is out for maintenance once again. Your day seemed to fly until you found yourself in one of those never-ending meetings, where you carefully balance your pencil between the bottom of your nose and the top of your lip, while others complain about theirs jobs and you wonder why you were even invited to the meeting.

It's a Small World!
By Kelly Tunney
What's holding you back from digging a hole and adding a perfectly peaceful aquatic paradise to your backyard? Is it the price? The size? The uncertainty of it all? Will you even like adding water gardening to your list of outdoor hobbies? How do you make a transition into the wet and wild world of water gardening? Container gardens.

Critters

Acrobatic Artistry
By Jennifer Zuri
He circled the pond not once, not twice, but a dizzying number of times. He hovered for a moment before descending upon a flat, sun-soaked rock and rested as though posing for a still-life painting. The dragonfly claimed his territory and was prepared to ward off any fellow male intruders, permitting only female dragonflies to cross his circled boundary.

Feeding Koi and Pond Fish
By Dr. Erik Johnson
There are notable differences between the way koi and goldfish tend to eat. Of course, there are a lot of similarities too. Either way, there are many useful things for you to know about how, when, and where to fed koi and goldfish!

What to Look for When Purchasing New Fish
By Tommy "The Koi Guy" Hill
When purchasing new fish from a pet or pond store, there are certain things that you should look for and ask about to make sure that you are receiving healthy fish. Here is a list of ten things to ask and to look for.

Swimming Into Spring
By Dr. Erik Johnson
Winter's effects on fish seem to be the same whether the pond is merely icy, or iced over. This article intends to inform you of some wintertime facts, but more importantly, this article will seek to use those facts to guide you through a safe and healthy springtime.

The Winged Wildlife Living In and Around Your Pond
By Rick Osbourne
Way back in your sophomore year of college you failed your one and only class in entomology, the study of bugs. You and your friends always laughed and called it “bugology.” After all, you were a city kid who was brought up to think that everything that creeped, crawled, and had more than four legs was something you should at least avoid, if not step on at every chance. It makes the world a better place, right?

Maintenance

A User-Friendly Guide to Fixing Leaks
By Dave Kelly
Leaks are among the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed problems anyone can have in their pond. Understanding the basic principles of leak detection and repair will save you time, money, and headaches in your water gardening adventures … I guarantee it!

Preparing your Pond, and Its Inhabitants, for Winter
By Aaron Powers
Can it possibly be fall already? In the north, it feels like summer just got here. In the south, it feels like it may never cool off. Either way, summer goes by too quickly and now it’s time to think about getting ready for a change of seasons.

Water 101
By Kelly Tunney
Ammonia levels, nutrients, oxygen, and alkalinity - the list can baffle you whether you are new to ponds, or if you have been a long time pond owner. Everyone tells you something different. Who's right and who's wrong? What is it you really need to watch when it comes to protecting the plants and aquatic creatures in your pond?

Plants

Green Side Up, Brown Side Down
By Rick Osbourne
Twenty years ago, when Charles Thomas and his Lilypons crew was leading the charge, mail-order operations like his were about the only way you could buy aquatic plants. Back then, Thomas and a handful of other mail-order operations supplied water gardening enthusiasts across the country (what there was of them), with water lilies, lotus, water hyacinth, and various other aquatic plants that were being requested by hobbyists at that time.

Horsetail
By Kelly Tunney
History is one of the most fascinating subjects we can ever study. In school, we bury ourselves in books about the history of our ancestors, and we take our children to museums to wonder at the awesome dinosaurs and mighty pyramids. The fact is, civilization has been obsessed with history since, well, the beginning of history.

Go Tropical!
By Eric Wood & Tamara Taylor
Have you ever given any thought to what makes the tropics so inviting? Is it the steamy climate, or maybe the beat of the music that fills the air? For many people it's the plants. The word "tropics" makes us think about rich colors and plush, overgrown plants. The tropics without plants would be lacking in its "tropical" appeal.