The best possible education in horticulture inthe early 1900’s was a two-year training programat the Queen’s School of the Royal BotanicGarden at Kew. During the evening classes, Pringbegan to sit in on the lectures, since he was notyet the mandatory 21-years-of-age necessary toenter the program. Pring took notes and attendedthe lectures for practice, hoping one day to enterthe program. At one point, he turned in his lec-ture book, along with all the regular students, tobe graded. Receiving good marks, the lecturebook captured the eye of the Director. Barely 19,young George was inducted into the Kew pro-gram as the youngest student ever.

With the end of his second year, anticipatingemployment, Pring learned of positions at otherbotanical gardens. The first position was at theBotanical Gardens of Calcutta, India, and the

45

second was at Missouri Botanical Garden in St.Louis. Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) waslooking for someone to take charge of theorchids. Pring was told that he would make a bet-ter American than an Indian. Being just 20, Pringneeded his parents’ permission to go to America.“You’re far too young,” his parents told him.Finally, George’s father stated, “I’m going to sayto you that you decide for yourself. It’s yourcareer. It’ll be your future.” Ten days afterGeorge H. Pring said yes, he began to work atMissouri Botanical Garden.

In the late winter of 1906, with 6 inches ofsnow on the ground, George Pring arrived atMissouri Botanical Garden. He would stay for 63years. Over those years MBG changed quite a bit,and some of the fantastic growth would not havetaken place were it not for George H. Pring.

“Creating backyard havens.”

by Joe Summers, Missouri Botanical Gardenwith photos from MBG archives, Perry D.

Slocum, Joe Summers & Helen Nash

In 1906, George Pring needed to decide

where he would work. His choice would

both change and enrich many lives, offering

our gardens beauty unmatched before.

George Harry Ethelbert Pring was bornDecember 2, 1885, in Devonshire,England, the youngest of four children

of Charles and Mahalla Pring. Charles was a suc-cessful builder in Exmouth until ‘Depression’ hitand the family moved to the London area. YoungGeorge grew up about two blocks from theRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Upon reaching thehighest level of school at the time, about the sev-enth grade, George took on an apprenticeship atKew. Both father and son figured that Georgewould follow in his father’s business and some-day end up in the building profession. CharlesPring told his son, “We can always make anarchitect out of you later on,” when he learned ofthe Kew apprenticeship.

Just shy of his 14th birthday, Pring began workat Kew each morning at 6:00. Breakfast and alunch hour were at eight and twelve respectively.The day ended at 6:00 p.m. Cleaning pots, feed-ing the chickens, and packing plants for shipmentwere part of Pring’s early duties. As time went

44 Pond & Garden

on, he took charge of the carvnivorous plants andeventually was, also, put in charge of two of theorchid houses. Finally, some training on the actu-al grounds gave Pring a well-rounded, horticul-tural experience.

George H. Pring, “FATHER OF TROPICAL WATER LILIES”

George H. Pring, shown in hip-waders in one of the MissouriBotanic Garden’s lily pools, is known today as “the father oftropical water lilies.” Photo courtesy of MBG archives.

In 1950 Pring registered this Laelia cattleya orchid that henamed ‘St. Louis.’ This plant is still in the MBG collection.Photo by Joe Summers.

In March of 1906, George H. Pring (sitting) arrived at MBG.Pictured with him is George Edward McClure, the man whoheld Pring’s new job. McClure remained at MBG to help Pringsettle into his new role. Photo courtesy of MBG archives.

McAdie, who was traveling with her grandmoth-er to visit an uncle. Over the next three years, thefriendship turned to romance. The couple wed inNew York and returned to St. Louis to raise fourchildren. With influences of the family home onMBG property and their father’s passionate occu-pation, the three Pring boys became horticultur-ists and the Prings’ daughter married a botanist.

George Pring was not alone in his dedicationto Missouri Botanical Garden. His wife, Belle, asshe was most commonly known, helped establishthe Garden’s auxiliary, which operated TowerGrove House, the home of MBG founder HenryShaw. It was the Prings’ friendships, in fact, thatled to the restoration of the building. Belle initi-ated the first volunteer program to staff the homefor public tours, and she herself filled in many

47“Creating backyard havens.”

When Pring was shown the orchids at MBG, hechallenged himself to work toward a Kew-stylecollection. Although orchids were just one of themany horticulture fields in which Pring worked atMBG, he was an orchid expert for more than 60years and developed numerous outstandinghybrid orchids that are registered with theAmerican Orchid Society.

Mr. Pring was the driving force in making theannual Orchid Show a success. He staged shows

46 Pond & Garden

in New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C.,along with a number of other cities. Theseexhibits were both educational and outrightbeautiful. In 1954 the First World OrchidCongress was held in St. Louis with Pring asChairman of the event. Over the years, Pringaccumulated many awards and compliments asChairman of Installation.

Pring’s plant-collecting trips to Central andSouth America began in 1923. While on his firsttrip to Colombia, Pring established a tropical sta-tion on behalf of MBG in the Canal Zone. The sta-tion was used for research in orchids and tropicalplants. When Pring returned from one trip thatlasted six months, he arrived home with more than5,000 plants. Over the course of his career, theMBG’s orchid collection grew from the 300 plantswhen Pring arrived to over 50,000 plants withabout 1200 varieties. The MBG orchid collectionwas second to none, including Kew Gardens.

In 1907, keeping a promise made to his par-ents, George Pring returned home for a visit 18months after his arrival to St. Louis. On the boattrip to England, he met a young lady, Isabelle

While the three main water lily pools existed at MBG in 1956,the bronze sculptures were not yet in place. Since then, theupper pool has been designated the Pring Memorial Pool, thelarge center pool has been devoted to Victoria displays, andthe lower pool showcases a great variety of tropical waterlilies. Photo courtesy of MBG archives.

This archive photo of the lily propagating tanks in MBG’s greenhouses was taken in April of 1957. Although some of the lilies arealready blooming, Pring would not move them outside until the water temperature had warmed to over 70 degrees. Photo cour-tesy of MBG archives.

Emily Grant Hutchings. – Flowers very large, cup-shaped, pinkish-red. Leaves small, brownish green. TowerGrove Park hybrid. (1922). (night-blooming) MissouriBotanical Garden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March, 1949,“Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring.

Isabelle Pring. – Flowers similar to Mrs. George H. Pringbut fuller and more rounded, fragrant; buds light green.Leaves very large, light green above, flecked reddish brownbelow but this fading in age. Strongly viviparous. (1942)Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March,1949, “Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring.

49“Creating backyard havens.”

times for no-shows over the years tokeep the project alive. Belle alsoserved many garden clubs of the areain various posts, including President ofthe Better Gardens Club and theMargaret Krueger Conservation Club.

Although George Pring’s work withorchids and tropical plant collectionalone would immortalize him in MBG history, heis perhaps most recognized for his accomplish-

48 Pond & Garden

ments with the tropical water lilies.If you visit a public display ofwater lilies or open an aquaticplant catalog, you view his work.Pring introduced improved quality,improved forms, and even new col-ors of tropical water lilies. For sucha significant body of work, Pring isundisputed as “the father of tropi-cal water lilies.”

Pring’s legacy began in 1912when he decided to cross-pollinatesome water lilies. Pring laterexplained two reasons for his

changing field of interestfrom orchids to water lilies:“First, to grow lilies fromseed to bloom takes onlyone year, but an orchid cantake seven years. Hybridlilies can thus be producedsooner. Second, there werefew if any, horticulturistsworking with tropical lilies,providing a challenging fieldfor experimentation.”

Pring was most intriguedwith day-blooming tropicallilies. Blooming high abovethe water’s surface and theirfloating leaves for 4-6 suc-cessive days during the longsummer hours, many ofthem bear a wonderful fra-

grance well worth an indulgent trip into the pond.Pring set very high standards when introducing a

Today, Jon Sweeney manages andtends the water lily collection at MBG.He and his staff worked hard to have theMBG collection, including its famousVictorias, at their peak for the 2000IWGS post-Symposium.

(opposite page) Henry Shaw. – Flowerswide-opening, spreading, fragrant,Campanula Blue, with Chrome Yellow sta-mens. Leaves sparsely splotched with lightbrown above, flushed pinkish red below.Not viviparous. (1947). Missouri BotanicalGarden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March,1949, “Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring.

Viewed from the head of the Pring Memorial Pool,the MBG’s world-famous Climatron stands beyondthe round Victoria display pool and yet anothertropical lily display pool.

was awarded a Silver Medal from theSociety of American Florists. It is oftenspeculated that this lily was one of Pring’sall-time favorites. He named it ‘Mrs.George H. Pring’ to honor his wife.Another Silver Medal was awarded to Pringthe next year by the Society for ‘GeneralPershing,’ which is a large pink lily.

Pring’s accomplishments have assumedlegendary proportion. One true tale beginswith the St. Louis newspapers being calledto announce that a twelve-year project tofind the “lost yellow lily” of Africa wascompleted. The fabled yellow lily had beendescribed but had not been seen for manyyears, rumored to be ‘lost’ to cultivation.Finally, a seed pod arrived in St.Louis viaPring’s research contacts in Africa. Pring exam-ined the pod and its contents, only to be disap-pointed. “The seed pod was collected too early.

51

These seeds are immature.” Stubbornly, Pringmade an important decision. “We’re gonna takeevery one of these seeds out and soak them.

“Creating backyard havens.”50 Pond & Garden

new hybrid; many of his lilies are still consideredto be the best. For example, out of nearly 250 pol-linations that produced thousands of seedlings,just eight plants met Pring’s criteria and would beintroduced. George Pring introduced only twonight-blooming lilies. All of his other introduc-tions are day-blooming lilies.

The first Gold Medal ever awarded by theNational Association of Gardeners was given toPring’s introduction of the Whitaker Strain oflilies in 1920. It was stated at the time of theaward, “This has opened up a new era in waterlily fame.” Pring’s continued work with waterlilies forced MBG to build bigger display pools tobetter showcase his creations.

Pring’s next breakthrough came, after carefulbreeding, with the introduction of the first whitehybrid tropical water lily. Exhibited for the firsttime at the National Flower Show in 1922, this lily

Midnight. – Flowers abundant, small, with few large petals and many smaller stamen-like petals towards the center, a deep rich pur-ple with only a small golden center; buds dark green. Leaves smallish, dark green, sparsely flecked with reddish brown, purple beneath.Not viviparous. (1941). Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March, 1949, “Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring.

General Pershing.—Flowers large, pink, usually 8-10 inches indiameter, full, fragrant, persistently open, borne about a footabove water-levels; buds dark green striped purple. Leaveslarge, streaked reddish. Not viviparous. (1917). MissouriBotanical Garden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March, 1949,“Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring. Photo by Perry D. Slocum

Bob Trickett. – Flower large (10-14 inches across), Campanula Blue with yellow center, similar to Mrs. Edwards Whitaker butmore cup-shaped and fuller; buds green. Leaves large, orbicular, green above, red with green veins beneath, the margins undolate.Not viviparous. (1948). Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March, 1949, “Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring.

Peach Blow. – Large, full, rounded flowers with many petals and sta-mens, deep pink (pale Persian Lilac of Ridgway), lighter towards thecenter; buds green. Leaves moderately large, light green, sparselyflecked, fading in age, light green flushed red beneath. Freely vivparous.(1941). Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March,1949, “Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring.

to honor Pring’s youngest son who was killed dur-ing a flight while he served in the military.

Besides his son and his wife, Pring also nameda lily for his daughter. ‘Isabelle Pring’ is a won-derful white lily. ‘Joanne Pring’, a dark pinkflower, is named for his first granddaughter. Asyou visit displays of tropical lilies in the future,you will spot these names and many more. Pringoften would name a lily after a family member ora person significant to his work. There are alsolilies named for staff of Missouri BotanicalGarden such as ‘Joe Cutak’ and ‘DirectorGeorge T. Moore.’

In total, George Pring created or introducedabout 40 tropical water lilies over the course of 45

53“Creating backyard havens.”

There’s always a possibility that onemight be fertile.”

Pring took the pod to Joe Cutak,his assistant, and the two mensoaked every seed, totaling about3,000. Within three weeks, Cutakreported, “I think there’s a littleseedling coming through – the yel-low water lily.” Pring later reported,“When the first (flower) budappeared, he (Joe Cutak) and Icouldn’t wait.” They opened theflower bud and were “highlydelighted.” It was indeed “the lostyellow lily.” An unbelievable story,one seed out of about three thou-sand germinated… just one seed ger-

52 Pond & Garden

minated. Pring not only proved its existence, buthe would later produce some of his best liliesusing “the lost yellow lily” as a parent.

The color yellow had not previously been seenin tropical lilies, making this a most notable dis-covery. Pring would go on to introduce severalnew hybrids in the yellow color range, the firstbeing ‘St. Louis,’ which was the only Pring lilyever granted a U.S. patent. The ‘St. Louis’ lily wasalso awarded the National Flower Show’s Medalin 1933. ‘Aviator Pring’ is a dark yellow lily named

Mrs. George C. Hitchcock. – Flowers large, Rose Pink,stamens deep orange. Leaves copperish green flecked withgreen, purplish brown beneath, margins undulate. (night-blooming) (1926). Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin, Vol.XXXVII, No. 3, March, 1949, “Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring.

Director George T. Moore.-Flowers compact, moderate-ly small but larger than in N. colorata, a deep rich purple with agolden center; buds green. Leaves smallish, dark green, occa-sionally flecked with purplish brown, the underside light greenflushed with purple; forms excellent rosette patterns. A profusebloomer and propagates freely from tubers. (1941). MissouriBotanical Garden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March, 1949,“Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring. Photo by Perry D. Slocum

N. ‘Aviator Pring.’ George H. Pring 1956. Parentage: N.sulfureax N. ‘St. Louis’. Very free flowering with yellow petals, sepals,anthers, and stamens. Flower shape is large, full star, 8-10inches across with a delightful fragrance. 25-26 petals and 4sepals. Leaves green on top and bottom, somewhat egg-shaped, 12 x 10.5 in., spreading 6-8 feet. Nonviviparous. “Oneof the very best yellow tropicals for the medium and large pool.I highly recommend it.” Perry D. Slocum , Water GardeningWater Lilies and Lotuses, Perry D. Slocum & Peter Robinsonwith Frances Perry , Timber Press, Portland, OR 1996

Missouri. – Flowers very large (up to 14 inches), pure white,full, with many broad petals and erect stamens. Leaves large,mottled, indented on the margins. A truly outstanding nightbloomer. (1932). (Night-blooming) Missouri BotanicalGarden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March, 1949, “Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring.

lecturer, speaking on subjects from “InsectPollination of Flowers” to “Plant Explorations inCentral and South America.” He become “theanswer man,” responding to the numerous ques-tions that came to MBG. Pring also hosted aradio program with this same concept, answeringgardeners’ questions about their plants. GeorgePring wrote numerous articles for such publica-tions as the Ladies Home Journal, SaturdayEvening Post, and Life Magazine. He collaborat-ed on several books, for example, Taylor’sEncyclopedia and Garden Pools, Water-lilies andGoldfish. One of his later accomplishments washis consultation in the design of the magnificentlily pools at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

55

Missouri Botanical Garden was ever changedby George Pring’s decision to work in St. Louisrather than in Calcutta. Thank goodness we’llnever know what “young George would have

“Creating backyard havens.”

years. This feat is still unmatched. Pring’sbreeding efforts are still studied by currenthybridizers. To his credit, Pring keptdetailed records and made his breedingpublic. When he introduced a new plant, hepublished the work in great detail inMissouri Botanical Gardens’ Bulletin. Alarge portion of these forty lilies have stood thetest of time and are still considered the best.

Besides introducing the first white tropicalhybrid, ‘Mrs. George H. Pring’ and the first yel-low tropical hybrid, ‘St. Louis,’ Pring also intro-duced the first hybrids of pygmy forms for thehome gardeners. And last, but not least, he intro-duced the first white form of the gigantean

54 Pond & Garden

species from Australia calling it‘Albert De Lestang.’ In referringto the Australian species lily,Pring once stated, “Nymphaeagigantea blue is the finest tropicalwater lily of any in cultivation,including my own hybrids.”

Toward the end of GeorgePring’s career, a newspaper articleshared his “three loves.” The arti-cle told of Pring’s work withorchids, water lilies, and his lovely

wife. It went on to say that these were the “threeloves of George Pring.” Well, Mrs. Pring “did notlike that very well” as she was listed third after theorchids and lilies. This remained quite the joke foryears to come. Although these may have beenPring’s loves, it is not the complete picture.

Pring was the President or vice-president of anumber of local plant societies. He was a popular

H. C. Haarstick.—Flower very large (10-12 inchesdimater), similar to Frank Trelease, but perhaps fullerand lighter-colored, exceedingly striking. Leaves verylarge, unusual in their copper coloration, the marginsindented. Perhaps the best red water-lily. Tower GrovePark hybrid. (1922) Missouri Botanical GardenBulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March, 1949, “Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring. Photo by Perry D. Slocum

Mrs. George H. Pring.—Flowers numerous, pure white except forthe yellow stamens, very large (up to 13 inches), shallow, thin, fragrant.Leaves very large, faintly mottled with reddish brown, lighter green suf-fused with pink beneath. Adapts well to pool size, with correspondinglylarge or small flowers. Not viviparous. (1922). Missouri BotanicalGarden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March, 1949, “Water-Lilies” byGeorge H. Pring.

Pink Platter. – Flowers large, wide, flat, moderately full,the petals long and narrow, the stamens golden below, pinkabove; buds green. Leaves moderately large, light green pre-dominantly flecked reddish brown, underside light greenflushed red. Viviparous. (1934). Missouri Botanical GardenBulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March, 1949, “Water-Lilies” byGeorge H. Pring.

N. ‘St. Louis Gold’. George H. Pring 1956. Parentage: N. sulfureax N. ‘African Gold’. Free-flowering, stellate, deep yellow flowers,5-6 inches across, with yellow-orange anthers and stamens, theanthers tipped with deep yellow, bearing a slightly sweet fra-grance. 20-22 petals; 4 sepals. Oval-shaped, olive-green leavesare bronzy with small purple blotches, 8-10 inches across andspreading 4-5 feet; new leaves are light purple with prominentlight green veins. Nonvivparous. “Flowers of ‘St. Louis Gold’open late and close late. A magnificent lily for any size pool andan especially good choice for the small pool due to its restrictedleaf spread.” Perry D. Slocum , Water Gardening Water Lilies andLotuses, Perry D. Slocum & Peter Robinson with Frances Perry, Timber Press, Portland, OR 1996. Photo by Perry D. Slocum

57“Creating backyard havens.”

accomplished in Calcutta.” Missouri BotanicalGarden and the world now benefit from whatPring accomplished in St. Louis. After their deaths, Missouri Botanical Garden estab-lished the “PringMemorial Garden” tohonor Mr. And Mrs.George H. Pring. Locatedin the Japanese Garden,this special MemorialGarden is near where thecouple lived. Also, “The Pring Water LilyPool’ is dedicated to forever honor the manand his work, showcasingthe beauty of only Pring’stropical water lilies therein. Two plaques near the memorial pool share his historywith visitors.

56 Pond & Garden

George Pring made manydecisions in his life that benefit-ed many of us. He himself said,“If I had my life to do overagain, I wouldn’t change a thing.I’d marry the same girl, noregrets at all.” We can only hopethat we each can say the same ofour life decisions.❧

Joe Summers is a ProductionGreenhouse Horticulturist withMissouri Botanical Garden. Aquaticplant production is one of his duties.

Joe is also the president of the St. Louis WaterGardening Society. Much thanks to Jon Sweeney, theMBG archives, and Perry D. Slocum for their help inbringing this feature to you!

St. Louis. – Flowers very large, 10inches in diameter, star-like, fuller thanYELLOW STAR, pale Viridine Yellow.Leaves pea-green faintly spotted withreddish brown when young, pale below.Not viviparous. (1932). MissouriBotanical Garden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII,No. 3, March, 1949, “Water-Lilies” byGeorge H. Pring.

Bagdad.—Flowers broad, flat, borneclose above the leaves, the many petalsWisteria Blue, the stamens golden; budspurple striped. Laves ancillium, light greenmarked with reddish brown splotchesabove, purple striped beneath. Stronglyviviparous. (1941). Missouri BotanicalGarden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March,1949, “Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring.Photo by Perry D. Slocum

A memorial plaque is sited near the Pring Memorial Pool at MBG. Photo by Joe SummersPersian Lilac.—Flowers moderately large, pink (Ridgway calls the color Persian Lilac), full,rounded with broad petals, the golden stamens tipped pink; buds green. Leaves smallish, lightgreen sparsely flecked brownish, red beneath. Not viviparous. (1934) Missouri BotanicalGarden Bulletin, Vol. XXXVII, No. 3, March, 1949, “Water-Lilies” by George H. Pring.

Adorned with several bronze statues, the George H. Pring MemorialPool at MBG displays only cultivars from the MBG Pring Collection.

N. ‘August Koch’. August Koch andGeorge H. Pring 1922 An extremely free-flowering, fragrant, rich blue, cupshaped,4.5-5.5-inch, flower with lilac-purplesepals, and inner anthers brownishorange, tipped rich blue with outeranthers lilac-purple, tipped rich blue andorange-brown inner stamens and lilac-purple outer stamens. Nearly round,unevenly serrated with some convolu-tions along edges, 12.5 x 12-inch leavesare olive green on top and mostly greenwith pinkish lobes with prominent greenveins underneath, spreading 4-6 feet.Viviparous. “‘August Koch’ is excellent forsmall or medium pools and will alsobloom well in tub gardens. It can with-stand crowding.” Perry D. Slocum ,Water Gardening Water Lilies andLotuses, Perry D. Slocum & PeterRobinson with Frances Perry , TimberPress, Portland, OR 1996. Photo by PerryD. Slocum.

an AAS in Horticulture. My family’s first water garden was a tradi-

tional in-ground pond. Like so many first-time water gardeners, we made the mistake ofmaking it too small. The next spring, out itcame, and in went a larger pond, but this onewas unique.

With a little creativity, my parents, grandpar-ents, and I came up with a plan to make the newpond handicap-accessible. The site where weput the pond had a slight slope to it. We startedat the lowest point and dug back into the hill.This gave us a three-sided hole about twelvefeet by sixteen feet by about two feet deep. Wewanted the pond to be three feet deep, so wetook out another foot in the center.

The next step was to build a retaining wallon the open side of the hole. We used pressure-treated, tongue and groove 1 x 6’s with 4 x 4posts set in the ground at each side with a 6 x 6post in their center. These 6 x 6 post and the 4x 4 posts on the west side of the wall were usedto construct an arbor. The finalstep was to finish digging theplant shelves and install the liner.

I am able to pull right up tothe retaining wall with my wheel-chair and hand feed the fish orwork with any plants that arewithin reach. Because the pond isbuilt into a small hill, the wallisn’t visible unless you are at thatend, and the rest of the pondlooks very natural, like any otherin-ground pond.

If you don’t have a hill on yourproperty to build a partiallyraised water garden, you can

59

build a completely raised water garden on anyflat area. Instead of just one retaining wall,you will have four. Depending on how largeyou want the pond, you should have a 4 x 4 or6 x 6 post in each corner and possibly one inthe center of each wall for extra support.Water is very heavy and exerts a lot of force!Landscaping timbers and railroad ties are twomore wood options.

If wood doesn’t fit with the rest of yourlandscaping, other alternatives for construct-ing the retaining wall exist. Though more cost-

ly, brick andretaining wallblocks also makenice, sturdy wallsand have theadded bonus ofcoming in a varietyof colors.

So far, theaccessible water

“Creating backyard havens.”

by Josh Spece

Creativity is the key to water features for the physically challenged.

Ask any water gardener what the bestpart of having a back yard pond is,and I bet most will say the peaceful,

relaxing atmosphere it creates. The soothingmusic of running water, the lushness of floatinglily pads with their rainbow-like flowers, andthe playful movement of the fish are just whatthe doctor ordered after a long day at work.Not only is it beautiful to look at, but being ableto get down close to the water to feel the dif-ferent textures of the plants and “play” with thefish while you feed them is also a very reward-

58 Pond & Garden

ing part of water gardening.For most people, getting close to the water is

no problem, but for many it’s just not that easy.Millions of people, both young and old, havephysical limitations due to aging, injuries, or asin my case, diseases. Are we just not supposedto feel the softness of parrot’s feather or let afriendly Koi nibble our fingers? NO!

I have used a wheelchair my entire life (all20 years of it!) because I was born with a formof Muscular Dystrophy. My interest in plants

goes back as far as I canremember, and I havebeen fascinated bywater gardens almost aslong. The fascinationwas so strong that mymother and I opened asmall nursery specializ-ing in water gardens andhostas in 1998, and Igraduated in 2000 with

Water Gardens ARE FOR Everyone!

(inset) Originally sold as a whiskey barrel liner, Josh found this container attractiveenough to stand on its own as a small aquatic garden.(above) Josh recommends tub gardens as a way to add handicap-accessible watergardens to your landscape.

By incorporating a thin retaining wall across one end of his pond, Josh is able to pull hiswheelchair up next to the pond where he can feed his fish and work with the plants nearby.

Josh’s goldfish have beentrained to come to his specialfeeding spot at the pond’sretaining wall edge.

lotus varieties should work well, too, but theyare a little harder to come by. Unless your con-tainer is large, the lotus will probably be aboutall that it will hold. A nice combination that Idiscovered by accident is under-planting a lotuswith parrot’s feather. They grow together peace-

fully and the parrot’sfeather eventuallydrapes over the edge ofthe container. Animpressive display for apatio or deck!

In all but the small-est container water gar-

61

dens, a fish or two will add a little movement.Use common sense when stocking a containerpond – nothing very large and no more thanone or two.

Water gardens are more than just beautiful tolook at. They are a retreat from every day lifethat no one should be without. Water gardeningcan be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of phys-ical ability. The possibilities are endless with alittle imagination and creativity!❧

Josh Spece lives with his family on a dairy farm nearIndependence, Iowa. He has three ponds and hasbeen water gardening for about ten years. He and his mother, Sue, operate a garden and gift shop, spe-cializing in water gardens, hostas, garden art, andhome-spun crafts. Josh can be reached by e-mail at jspece@sbtek.net. His web address is http://www.pal-metto.com/jspece/ Watch for Josh’snew column in future issues of P&G!

“Creating backyard havens.”

gardens I’ve discussed have been pretty labor-intensive to install and would probably requirethe help of others. Many people who live on asmall city lot or in an apartment simply don’thave room for such an extensive, permanentstructure. The solution? A container water gar-den or patio pond.

Container ponds are becoming increasing-ly popular with everyone, not just with thephysically challenged and those short on

60 Pond & Garden

space. Containers allow youto add a little bit of paradiseto any corner of your yard orpatio. Any container willwork as long as it will holdwater. Some that I have usedinclude differently sized plas-tic flowerpots, granite bowlsand pans, Rubber Maid stor-age containers, and, of course,lined whiskey barrels.

The plantings are just asdiverse as the containers them-selves. Upright plants that I liketo use in my containers includedwarf umbrella palm, dwarf cat-tails, water iris, corkscrew rush,and, for larger containers, taro.For variety, I also like to use alower, spreading plant. Parrot’sfeather (both the common andminiature forms), watersnowflake, floating heart, pen-nywort, and variegated watercelery are great choices.

The stars of most traditionalwater gardens, lilies and lotus-es, are certainly not out of the

question when it comes to container ponds.There are many small to dwarf growing waterlilies that will work just fine. Two of myfavorites are ‘Little Sue’ with 2-3” rosey-apricotflowers, and the tiny ‘Helvola.’ This cheery littlelily with its purple-splotched leaves and quarter-sized yellow flowers is small enough for all butthe tiniest container ponds!

The small lotus ‘Momo Botan’ will also livein a patio pond quite happily and the new bowl

Josh’s grandparents built a semi-raised pond similar to thebuilt at Josh’s home. The pond-accessible retaining wall ispartially hidden by the large boulder.

Using strong support posts,one end of his grandparents’pond is constructed with astrong, wooden retaining wallthat allows Josh to get up closeand personal with the pond.

From the back of his grandparents’ home, you can hardly tell the pond is a partially-raised con-struction.

Josh’s pond is chock-full of plants! A stream and waterfall system provide additionalvegetable filtration and aeration, besides aesthetic beauty, to the pond.

mini-drought, no problem with the date, or sowe thought. Our chosen date arrived with omi-nous gray clouds layered across the rising sun.Turning on the television, I heard the weatherman say, “ A 70% chance of rain today.” I gri-maced at the thought of 175 club membersrunning between raindrops…but, neither rain,nor thunder, nor lightning would postponethis event.

The members’ convoy started at 7:00 p.m.,with scheduled arrival at the first pond at 7:30p.m. At 7:15 we heard the first rumble of thun-der in the distance, and, of course, lightningtore through the heavy clouds. Slowly, veryslowly, drop by drop, the rain began.Splat…splat…splat

We arrived promptly at the first pond – Billand Jackie Reynolds. One by one we huddledunder umbrellas. Then, by some stroke of luck,

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it stopped raining. Bill and Jackie’s pond is gor-geous with lush landscaping everywhere —annuals prevail, along with the most wonderfulsumac tree you have ever seen. Don’t knowwhat to do with an old bicycle? Do what Billand Jackie did – lean it up against the houseand let flowers grow through it. Bill andJackie’s pond is only one year old, but it seemsto have been there forever.

The rains held off as we loaded back into thecars to head to Pond Number Two.But…splat…splat…splatsplatsplat. Frantically,my windshield wipers swatted at the delugingraindrops. Undaunted, we converged on Katie,Jennie, and Sam. Some sissy members sat intheir cars, while the brave ones waded throughthe water. And then…it stopped raining. Alongcame the sissies.

Kate and Jennie have a 3,000-gallon pond

“Creating backyard havens.”

by Linda Siler, Springfield Watergarden SocietyPhotos by Jim Lersch

The Springfield Watergarden Society

has established an annual tradition

– a nighttime pond tour!

The Springfield Watergarden Society hascreated an annual tradition. This pastSeptember 23rd, we had our 2nd annu-

al Tiki Tour. You might ask, what is a TikiTour? Well, my pond-loving friends, it’s anafter-dark pond tour!

All ponds are quite wonderful during the

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day, but imagine those same ponds after dark–with tiki torches, illuminating candles, fireburning chimineas, landscaping lights — allsurrounding the ponds, lighting up waterfalls,highlighting the plants and fish… with subtleshadows and reflections cast upon the water’ssurface. Sound great? Well, it is!

We had been planning this event for anentire year as one of our two members-onlytours. Four members volunteered to host usthis year. Jim and Lyle owned the last pond onthe tour, deserts and drinks to be served attheir home. Think about it: trekking togetherwith friends to see wonderful ponds and gar-dens, and then being rewarded with food!

Since it had been dry all summer, kind of a

Tiki Tour

Bill and Jackie Reynolds have decorated their garden as much for their grandchildren’s enjoyment as their own.

The Reynolds’ pond and garden were featured in P & G’s November/December 2000 issue!

green topiaries, banana trees, cannas, orna-mental grasses, taro, yucca, and the mostspectacular Cedrus atlanticus tree you haveever seen. It must be 25 feet tall. Decorativegarden art takes the form of a Grecian-stylebench and concrete angels watching over theflower beds.

Then there is the pond. Surrounded bybanana trees, cannas, butterfly bushes, andassorted annuals, along with a huge containerof green sweet potato vine at one end, the pondholds 2500 gallons with a 150-gallon bio-filter.The plants inside the pond are botanical treats,as well – both hardy and tropical lilies andlarge clumps of mature marginals, all nuzzledby colorful Koi and goldfish.

there is the roofed arbor. It’s an old satellitedish. Dr. Dave turned the old dish into a star-bright arbor draped with small, white, twin-kling lights. Nothing short of magic.

With only a sweet-smelling breeze toremind us of rain, we were off to see PondNumber Four at Jim and Lyle’s home. Thereare no words to describe it. Walking into theback yard, a kaleidoscope of flowers sur-rounds you. Annuals line brick pathways thatconverge around the pond, the paths takingyou to different areas in the garden.Fountains and flowing water abound. Ahuge, overflowing jar sits in the middle of asix-foot-wide concrete basin centered on anelevated, brick, open courtyard, amid ever-

65“Creating backyard havens.”

with two arms forming off the main body ofwater. Tables and chairs near the pond’s armsinvite close enjoyment of the pond’s threewaterfalls. The primary waterfall is in the cen-ter of the pond with two smaller falls feedinginto the arm areas. The waterfalls and a 150-gallon bio-filter (stock tank) are powered by a1200 GPH Diamond pump. Hardy water lilies,numerous marginal aquatics, and goldfish andKoi claim the five-month-old pond as home.Oh, by the way, Sam is a Boston Great Dane.He’s jet black with a white muzzle – a true gen-tle giant who enjoys lying beside the pond andwatching the fish.

With the rain abated for the night, we head-ed off to Dr. Dave and Helen’s home. Dr. Daveis very clever. You’ve heard of a hog’s ear anda silk purse? Well, Dr. Dave can pull it off. Asyou walk into their yard, you follow a narrow

64 Pond & Garden

walkway with three small ponds that feed oneinto the other on one side and Japanese deerscares on the other. Landscaping art decoradorns every nook and cranny of this narrowpond area — including handmade tufa andLaffs (Scandinavian leprechauns) watchingover the ponds. A bubble bead filter allows theKoi and goldfish to swim happily among thepond plants. Dr. Dave and Helen say theseponds belong to the grandkids.

Walking further into the yard, your mouthdrops to your knees. It’s Hawaii in Missouri!Oh, can’t be, but it’s true — huge banana trees,head-high cannas, begonias by the hundreds,and a lush, lotus pond. Winding pathways leadyou to surprise after surprise in this one-of-a-kind garden. Morning glories and clematisblanket the perimeter fences. Taro towers overyour head. Grasses sway in the wind. And then Dr. Dave Simmon’s creative arbor, tucked amidst the tropical garden, comes alive after dark with a myriad of twinkling star-lights.

Katie Knapp and Jeannie Buckmaster have used a variety of lighting treatments to make their garden enjoyable at night.

awesome gardens, and our #1 passion, ponds. In future years,come rain or starry skies, theSpringfield Watergarden’s TikiTour will continue.❧

Linda Siler is the president of theSpringfield Watergarden Society inSpringfield, Missouri. She also managesO’Quinn’s Orchids and Water Gardens inSpringfield. She can be reached at 417-883-2399. Jim Lersch, a fellow clubmember, is a professional photographer.He can be reached at 417-724-8637.

67“Creating backyard havens.”

With the food for our eyes sating our souls,it was tummy time. Dozens of different desertsawaited. Imagine, warm hearts with friends, asoft breeze whispering through an incrediblegarden, and chocolate!

Splat. Oh, no, no, no! I saw lightning; Iheard thunder; and I (splat) felt rain. 175people ran under the porch and into thehouse. One intelligent person suddenly

66 Pond & Garden

yelled, “Hey! We’re ponders. We love thewater. What’s the big deal?” You know, hewas right. When you think about it, we hadMother Nature’s lights, and the rain on theplants made them shine like diamonds. Thewhole garden shimmered and glowed. So aswe sat, eating our deserts and drinking hotcoffee, we all agreed this was a perfectevening: fine conversations, great friends,

Jim Silzell’s and Lyle Severson’s pond area is set close to the house for enjoyment in any weather.

Looking over Jim and Lyle’s wrought-iron gate that separates an elevated, more open landscaping from the lush gardens nearerthe house, lighting + gardens = sheer magic.