Gregg shares his ideas of their ponds with us. Sharing
your thoughts and ideas will only help us grow as a society. Contact Linda or Dr. Dave and share your pictures
and experiences on your website also.
Gregg and Beverly Lolley’s Water Garden (See pictures below)
The site of the water garden was originally a raised flower bed.
The only thing missing in the bed were flowers or anything that was of interest or attractive. The
unsightly mess was a regular point of conversation by Beverly. One unknown day in August of 2004, and after
much discussion and studying, the shoveling began. Objection to the digging came from several swarms of
yellow jackets which made their home in the bed. Several bee stings later, the water garden took on its
final shape, the following spring.
Our water garden starts like a spring flowing out of the side of a vertical rock wall.
The water maneuvers a stream bed that falls into a tear drop twenty-two inches deep, 1200 gallon pool.
The far end of the larger pool is a vertical rock wall. A soothing trickle of water falls five feet
to the water below. These different groupings of moving water form a small island in their center.
The island is planted with grass, hostas and ferns. The areas surrounding the pools are planted
with vegetation such as: elephant ears, oriental iris, and several types of ferns. The pools contain a
variety of water vegetation, including papyrus, water lettuce, and lilies.
Two Cal pumps keep the water flowing.
One, 1200 GPH pump feeds the filter system at 450 GPH. The remainder of the pumped water is used
to agitate the bottom of the smaller pool, keeping debris better suspended to allow the particles to be moved to the filter
system. The main flow is supplied by a 5500 GPH pump located in the larger pool. This
pump also feeds the trickle falls and keeps the water moving at a fast pace.
We enjoy many peaceful hours sitting quietly
by our water garden. Our time is passed by sipping coffee, looking for new fry, or simply enjoying the
melodic sounds of the flowing water.
Gregg and Beverly Lolley
Members – Springfield Water Garden Society
