Southern Coast Home Design - Index

Southern Coast Home Design - southerncoasthomedesign.com - Index

ADD AN
ELEGANT
POND TO
YOUR
LANDSCAPE
STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY D. FRAN MORLEY
LLarge or small, filled with water plants or beautiful
koi, ponds and water gardens can add a beautiful and
unique sensory experience to your yard or garden.
“Having a pond or a garden is more than just having
something pretty to look at. They can actually be
calming, healing, and therapeutic,” said Kathy Barnard,
owner of Koi & Lilies, at 3350 Schillinger Road South
in Mobile.
“When someone comes into our shop planning to
build a pond or a garden, I want to know about the person,
their likes and interests, and what they personally
want to get out of this experience. I have them look
through books and magazines and mark the elements
that speak to them. A garden or pond is personal and
should meet the specific needs of the user.”
Barnard said a good garden and pond should speak
to all the senses. “We sell water lilies and lotus flowers
that have a wonderful fragrance, plants that are soft to
the touch, other plants like Black Bamboo that create a
soft sound when the wind moves through them, and
even edible plants, such as herbs and dwarf fruit trees
that can add an unexpected touch to a pond garden.”
Koi & Lilies can contract for the construction of a
pond, perform maintenance on all sizes of ponds, and
they sell all the supplies necessary for do-it-yourselfers,
including water plants and perennials, pond liners, UV
76 SOUTHERN COAST HOME DESIGN www.SouthernCoastHomeDesign.com
Photo courtesy of Koi & Lilies
lighting, pumps, decorative pond lights, stones, statues, and
benches, as well as the Japanese fish called koi and everything
needed to keep them happy and healthy. “Educating
the owner to care for koi is an essential part of caring for a
pond,” Barnard said, adding that special orders are always
welcomed.
Another Mobile pond shop, Pond Elegance, located at
3210 Dawes Road, specializes in the construction and maintenance
of fully functional ornamental water features,
according to Samantha King, office manager. “We design,
build, and maintain ponds and have a wide selection of
aquatic plants and beautiful koi. Plus we have a retail shop
with all of the materials necessary to keep your pond beautiful.”
At Pond Elegance, visitors may view several different
types of ponds on site. “Our clients can see exactly what
type of pond they will be getting,” King said.
Brightly colored koi are a popular addition to almost
any pond. The fish come in various colors, some with long,
flowing fins and tails, some with a metallic shimmer. When
properly cared for, koi can live for 15 years or longer,
according to Barnard. “They can become like pets, and they
add a peaceful, calming element to any garden pond.”
For more information, call Koi & Lilies at 251-533-
1256 or Pond Elegance at 251-639-2546.
Above: Some
of the many
varieties of Koi.
Left: A pond by
Koi & Lilies.