Original design documents from the architect Robert Rodes McGoodwin, March 1916.
In 2020-2021 PondWorks was involved with a renovation of an historical Step Fountain designed in 1916. We worked with the Morris Arboretum and along side the conservator for the project Kreilick Conservation, LLC.
Here’s a blog post from the Arboretum explaining the project and the Step Fountains history in more detail.
Pondworks has recently teamed up with Otterbine Barebo, Inc. and are we now a local source for the sales, service, parts, and warranty of Otterbine Aerator and Fountain systems. We're very pleased to be involved with and working alongside this local company that provides exceptional quality decorative aerating fountains, surface aeration, and subsurface aeration systems.
An Otterbine Fractional Series Aerating Fountain with Gemini spray pattern
Whether you are looking for a functional solution to a problem with algae in your pond, or a way to increase the aesthetic beauty of your water body, Pondworks and Otterbine can team up to offer you the solution you need.
Please don't hesitate to contact our office to discuss the variety of aerator and fountain systems available as well as the benefits these products provide your pond, stormwater basins, or water features.
An Otterbine Equinox Aerating Fountain provides a symmetrical framework to this natural scene
An explanation of Bioaugmentation for ponds and how aeration from Floating Fountains and Subsurface Aeration systems helps water bodies.
Q: What is the recommended amount of plants to put in the pond?
The recommended amount of plants is to have 30-50% of the surface covered. You should have a good variety of plants. Put in a mix of marginals, oxygenators, and water lilies.
Q: What happens to the plants in the winter time?
In the winter, most hardy plants (plants that naturally occur in this region) will die back and go dormant. The tropical plants will need to be brought inside or treated as annuals.
Q: Why do I need plants in my pond?
Aquatic plants are a major part of your pond’s ecosystem. Think of them as a living biological filter. Plants use nutrients from your water (fish waste, pollens, etc,) and keep it clean. Without them your pond would be murky and smell.
Q: Will plants reduce the amount of algae I have?
Generally yes. The more plants you have in your pond, the more nutrients are being used up, the more surface area is covered, which means less algae can use the sunlight to grow.
Q: How do floating plants help my eco-system?
Floating plants like hyacinth and water lettuce are quite vigorous growers, and shade quite a bit of your pond and can provide protection for fish. Their large root mass acts like a screen to filter and absorb nutrients from the water as they float along. Be careful though, left unchecked, plants like water hyacinth and water lettuce can completely cover the water surface and choke all the light from shining in the water. Floating plants can do great in stream beds acting as a filter in the faster moving water.
Q: Do underwater plants help my eco-system?
Underwater plants are great at producing oxygen in the deeper parts of your pond. They also use up a lot of nutrients because they absorb through their leaves along with their roots.
Q: In the winter time my plants' leaves turn brown; what should I do?
Some plants are not hardy in your area. You must trim back all the decaying foliage, and sometimes remove the whole plant. Decaying plant mass just adds more nutrients in the pond.
Q: Can some aquatic plants live out of the pond?
There are many types of plants that are both aquatic and terrestrial. Some take a little time to get acclimated to the other setting. There are some vine plants that do great outside the pond, as long as the original root is still in the pond.
Q: What are these little bugs eating my plants?
They are probably aphids. The best way to get rid of them is to get a herbal aphid control spray (make sure it is safe for fish and aquatic gardens). Or you could always get a bunch of lady bugs, which eat them right up.
Q: Can I plant my aquatic plant in the gravel?
Most aquatic bog plants can be planted directly in the gravel at the bottom of a shallow bog or pond, but it may be better to build a planting pocket with extra gravel for the taller plants like cattail. Planting in the gravel is very advantageous to the overall eco-system, but you might have a problem trying to contain the plants, without a pot constricting them, they can grow fast and out of control.
Q: What is the best way to plant aquatic plants?
You can place aquatic plants right in a gravel bottom pool, but it’s better to use an aquatic planter basket, which are usually plastic basins with holes to let water and nutrients flow through, sort of like a laundry basket. Rinse out the plants root mass and fill the planter basket with small gravel. Then bury the plant in the basket,fill with aquatic plant media, and cover the top of the basket with gravel. The gravel on top helps keep fish from rooting through the planting media and uprooting the underwater aquatic plants.
Q: How many underwater plants should I have in my pond?
For smaller ponds you should have about 20 plants per square foot, for mid sized ponds roughly 10 plants per square foot, and for large ponds use around 5-6 per square foot.
A House & Home article featuring PondWorks that discussed Finding Peace in your own Backyard
Pond and Lake Management services offered for natural and man-made water bodies.
After collaborating with Hess Landscape Architects and speaking with a few quarries, a specific stone type was chosen and we acquired a delivery of boulders in order to have a kit-of-parts to work with, and to make the designer’s vision a reality. We used an off road fork lift as a crane to start standing up the stones and see how they fit together at our materials yard. This process had a very Stonehenge-like feel.
We staked out an area and made sure all the boulders fit within the space we will have at the actual project site. After the mock-up was created, we got final approval to proceed with the on-site installation.
A 200 ton crane was scheduled and we showed up to the site with our boulders staged, tagged, and ready to be picked from the street all the way into the rear yard - right in the corner of the new pool deck and next to the gorgeous sand dunes. The boulders were blocked up, shimmed, and mortared in place at their base. The installation went smoothly thanks to the mock up and pre-planning.
After some on-site stone coring and creative plumbing routing we wrapped up our portion of the project by getting the shower head & controls installed and flowing.
This was a quick turnaround, multifaceted build that tapped a number of the unique skill sets that PondWorks offers and enjoys showcasing. We look forward to the next challenge and appreciate the opportunity to take part in a custom design and installation like this.
Our latest truck - a custom built vacuum system for premium pond maintenance services
Our fleet continues to grow in 2018 with the addition of a new custom vacuum truck system.
With spring quickly approaching it is time to start thinking about projects for your landscape. Maybe you have been thinking about building a pond for your backyard, but don’t know where to start? Have no fear Pondworks is here to help! In this post we wanted to discuss the differences between garden ponds and koi ponds. While these water features might look similar, there are quite a few differences that distinguish these ponds from one another. This discussion could help you get closer to creating that pond of your dreams or renovating an existing pond…
PondWorks is excited to launch our updated website. The site has a fresh new look for 2018, with updated project pages, photos and much more! The URL remains the same, so check us out at: www.pondworksonline.com
As fall temperatures set in, don't forget to maintain your water features and ponds so they stay healthy over the winter.
It's National Talk Like a Pirate Day!
PondWorks Owner & Founder is chosen as to be a judge in the 2017 POND Trade Magazine's 2017 Water Artisan of the Year contest.
Final site layout and wetlands designation verification for our first Natural Swimming Pool construction project.
We are honored to announce that PondTrade Magazine awarded us as the winner of the Most Naturalistic category for their Water Artisans of the Year competition. PondWorks was also awarded Runner Up in the Best Overall category. Look for our spread in the March / April edition or see the following links on the PondTrade website:
The pond is starting to take shape and look more like a pond. We are adding the finishing touches to the boulders and have added the layers of filtration stones to the bogs. The bogs will help with the natural filtration of the pond. We use layers of three different types of stones to help with the filter the bog. Eventually we will plant aquatic plantings in the filtration medium, which will also help with the filtration process. Just a few more days of final touches and the construction of the waterfall and then we will add the water! Stay tuned...
The koi pond construction continues to run smoothly and we are continuing the boulder placement process. We recently added the bridge to the pond, which was constructed out of of old granite slabs. Concrete pillars were formed to anchor the slabs and give the bridge support. The granite slabs will be added to the landscape so that the theme of the linear pieces will be found throughout the garden. Lots more to look forward to, stay tuned!
We have made a ton of progress at our new koi pond construction job. By a ton, we mean a whole lot of boulders for this pond! The filtration and the liner have been laid out and now we are onto the boulder placement. The boulders not only help secure the liner down, but they also help make the pond look naturalistic and as if it were formed naturally. The boulders are native to Pennsylvania and come from a quarry that we like to keep secret. Our owner Brian Buchholtz takes a lot of pride in his boulders and is exceptionally great at boulder placement. He takes every boulder into consideration and even takes the time to hand select most boulders at the quarry for every project he does. We feel that this attention detail, that most would overlook, helps set us a part as pond builders. The boulder placement takes time and we have learned a lot from many mistakes and successes. We feel very lucky to have the resources and people that we have, on our team. This project is well under way and we look forward to more progress and updates...stay tuned for more!
In December, we wrote about and exciting design project for a new koi pond. After a lot of planning and coordination with all project parties and township permitting we are finally breaking ground in Bucks County, Pa! This week we visited the site and measured out the pond. Thanks to our drone we were able to check our measurements and the layout of the pond was right on point. You can see in the image below that we super imposed our site plan on-top of a photo of the site from our drone and everything is lining up. The first step to this construction process is the construction of a retaining wall due to a slight grade in the backyard and we need to a level site to construct this pond. Once the grade is level and the wall is constructed we will start digging the pond. Stay tuned for more project updates!
PondWorks was asked to survey a fountain in NYC with specifications for heating an existing outdoor fountain. The fountain is not only outdoors, but also home to Noguchi statues. The owner of the fountain would like to heat the fountain so that it can function all year round, while also preserving the valuable art. Our team made the trip to Manhattan and took measurements and specs in order to properly asses the necessary equipment. We were given an extensive tour of the fountain and the impressive equipment room. We hope to help steer the client in the right direction in order to properly preserve this work of art for everyone to enjoy.
