June 2021
St. Louis Water Garden Society 21st Annual Pond-O-Rama Garden and Pond Tour
6/27/2021 -

For more information, contact Virginia (Ginny) Mueller, 2021 Pond-O-Rama Chair, Publicity (314) 808-7000, vcmueller16@gmail.com

2021 Pond-O-Rama Tour

The St. Louis Water Garden Society (SLWGS) is celebrating 31 years as a society, sharing information about fish, ponds, and gardens. This year is the Society's 21st annual water garden and pond tour, 2021 Pond-O-Rama, Saturday, June 26, and Sunday, June 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The 2021 tour will feature private gardens owned and maintained by Society members. Tickets covering both days of the tour are $15 each (18 and older) and will be available at local retail shops and garden centers throughout the metropolitan area or on our website. A special 2021 Discount: Groups of 10 or more are only $10 each.

The gardens are located throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, including in Illinois. This self-guided tour is arranged each day by geographic location. Even during this pandemic our members have been outside gardening and making their spaces quite spectacular. Last year the water features were "over the top" and many of our members were new on Pond-O-Rama and excited to share their new ponds and waterfalls. Because so many people in 2020 were at home, our creative contractors were working more than ever enhancing the spaces of so many new clients. This year those beautiful ponds and streams will be on tour. There are always so many varieties of water gardens, bubbling rocks, small ponds to massive ones. Regardless of size, all our members love to share their ideas and projects with the visitors who come to their gardens each year. There is so much to learn from each of our hosts about their gardens, water plants, koi fish, goldfish, design, water features, and landscaping. There is something for everyone to enjoy safely outside and social distancing. Many members are master gardeners, and many water gardens have been featured in St. Louis Homes and Lifestyles Magazine and local newspapers and magazines.

This event, each year, is the only time many of our over 200 St. Louis Water Garden Society members—as a group—open their gardens to the public. This year, even in the midst of a pandemic, we want our hosts and visitors to be safe. Last year all our visitors complied wearing masks and social distancing, and we had record-breaking numbers. We hope this year will bring some joy and beauty to nature to those who visit our water features. In addition to their water features, most of our hosts are avid gardeners who maintain beautiful landscapes filled with perennials, annuals, and shrubs. Our hosts will be available and delighted to share information and answer questions about their gardens, their water features, their fish, and their beautiful plants. If you are thinking of adding water to your own garden—or you can simply just enjoy the beautiful landscapes and a weekend filled with beauty—this is the tour for you!

This event provides funds for the St Louis Water Garden Society to continue their civic project to plant and maintain the reflecting pools at the Jewel Box in Forest Park. Society members for over 30 years work each Saturday at the ponds from May-October to keep lily ponds looking beautiful.

The tour ticket booklet provides location addresses, descriptions, and driving directions. For more information on where to purchase tickets, call (800) 945-7217. Tickets are available by mail order from the Society’s website in May, www.slwgs.org, and at many of our retailers and garden centers.