Play Koi: North Texas Water Gardeners Have a Tour For You

This summer, Dallas residents will be invited to many home tours, garden tours, and even an upcoming playhouse tour — but this weekend is set aside for something truly special: the 31st annual Tour of Ponds.

The event is a two-day, self-guided tour featuring 39 ponds across the Metroplex. Starting at 9 a.m. June 11 and ending at 5 p.m. June 12, an “enchanted night tour” also will showcase several ponds until 11 p.m.

Lisa Herrick, president of the North Texas Water Garden Society, said the tour is just $20 per carload. Her personal pond is No. 14 on the tour, Garden Whimsy. 

“We’d love to see you; the more the merrier,” she said in a video on the Society’s Facebook page. 

Tickets can be purchased online and include a tour book guide of pond listings, descriptions, directions, and color pictures. 

Power Of The Pond

A pond increases one’s home value by up to 9 percent, depending on the size of the pond, according to American Forest Management. 

“A pond can provide recreational opportunities such as fishing, hunting, boating, or swimming,” writes appraiser Jason Lashbrook and wildlife biologist Shane Fuller in Forest Landowner Magazine. “It may also impact the monetary value of your property. There is a strong demand for properties with water features, but often, the supply is limited.” 

Excavation for a pond less than 20 acres costs about $3,000 to $5,000 per acre, and regulatory requirements are in place to protect human life and property downstream from the pond. 

The North Texas Water Garden Society offers many opportunities throughout the year to educate the public on pond gardening, installation, and plant life. The Society maintains the pond at Texas Discovery Gardens and also has adopted the stream at Dallas Zoo. 

Pond-spiration

The water garden tour can offer guidance and inspiration for residents thinking about embarking on a pond-venture. Eddie and Nanci Utay, whose pond on Thunder Road is featured on the North Texas Water Garden Society website, attended the tour several years ago and decided to create one of their own. 

The Utays now have a 2,200-gallon pond and offer their expertise to others who are just getting started. 

Hundreds of koi pond ideas and tips are featured on sites like Pinterest, and North Texas Water Garden Society has several corporate sponsors who sell tour guide books and offer expertise on pond protocols.