Welcome to Pondforum. This winter has indeed been a long one. Even as a write, on March 21st, the company pond is still resting under two feet of snow! The muffled silence and twilight in which our fish are moving around is of course in stark contrast to the fire raining down on Baghdad this day. How do ponds relate to war? They don’t. But they can help us relate to bigger events in their capacity as centers of contemplation and healing, out of which can come personal resolution and strength. When I am working in the garden, digging, pulling and planting, I often feel as if I am in that serene space occupied by the fish, as if my entire world were momentarily that small and peaceful. It’s important to have those moments.

The exciting news this season at Pondforum is our site re-design. Pondforum regulars will, I hope, be pleasantly surprised at the increased ease-of-use in the site. Many of our users tell us we’re "what they’ve been looking for" online for water gardening, and our goal is to keep it that way and make it so for all of our users.

Other changes relate to pricing. We have tried to consolidate our position as the best source for water lilies. We have lowered prices significantly on all 109 varieties. Now, when you buy three of any one kind of water lily, you pay only 18.99 each instead of 37.00 each when you buy just one. Check out our plant system to get the best savings.

Some people naturally want to buy just one lily, or three different ones, and every year I emphasize the importance of not doing that (unless you have a tub garden). One of the first things I learned about perennials was that you buy at least three of each thing, the better to make a strong clump with. Otherwise, plants become lost, and a perennial bed can become a cacaphony of small plants and different colors.

This applies to ponds too. But more important than aesthetics is the surface coverage that garden ponds need to stay healthy. Most garden ponds require 50-70% surface coverage by water lilies and plants like duckweed. If they don’t have that, so much sun in such a small pond will quickly lead to algae blooms. This is especially true when fish are present and adding excess nitrogen to the water. This important ecological theme is present throughout our information sections.

Pond liner pricing has also changed. Many of our users expressed frustration at having to calculate the per foot price and the shipping in order to come to a total per foot cost. Now we’ve done that for you: our EPDM sells for 64¢ per square foot, shipping included. Other sources may have lower per foot prices like we did, but check that shipping cost!

We are a relatively new company, and this season will only be our third, but with customer feedback and our continuing improvements, we’re confident it will be our best ever. Sales were up 30% in 2002 from 2001, and our goal is to see a 40% increase over last year. Water gardening continues to spread around the country as gardeners in the US discover what gardeners in Japan and the UK have known for decades: lilyponds make a garden great.

I hope you will use this site in making your garden great, whether by adding a pond to your garden, or by using our information sections to maintain your pond and keep your garden great.

For users in the Upper Valley area of New Hampshire and Vermont, we can help you first-hand with Pondforum certified expertise and efficiency. We’ve put together a talented crew to install ponds and perform other landscaping services, all in accordance with our company philosophy of building great ponds and gardens that are easy to maintain naturally. If you’re interested, check out our services page.

Happy water gardening!

Best,

Rob Sheldon and the Pondforum Staff