Landscapers say small ponds have become the biggest thing in the business. Hundreds of people toured a dozen Linn County backyards this past weekend to view some spectacular ponds, including Deb Walser’s. Her kids gave her the pond as a Mother’s Day gift 11 years ago.
“Birds love it and nature loves it,” she says. “It’s just wonderful.” As a safety precaution, Walser installed a fence around her yard to keep kids out of the water.
“I also invite my neighbor kids over with their parents and say: ‘You are not allowed by the pond unless you have an adult with you,'” Walser says.
Walser’s next-door neighbor, Kurt Suchomel, finished his pond Saturday night. “A lot of hand-labor: digging, shaping, moving rocks,” he says. It took him months to complete. “The good side is I lost 20 pounds doing it,” he says. Landscapers and garden supply centers say ponds are becoming so popular that it’s getting hard to keep some supplies, and water plants, in stock.
Backyard ponds can cost as little as a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. It all depends on how high-tech you want to get.