Pond tour will benefit garden pools

Thousands of Southern California residents will visit more than 230 homes during this weekend as part of the largest Parade of Ponds self-guided water-garden home tours in the world. And this year Descanso Gardens’ is not only on that list, but it also benefits from the proceeds of events.

Sponsored by Pro Ponds, a distributor of water features, the program allows ticket-holders to explore various water gardens from Ventura to San Diego from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., said Rita Quinn, director of public relations for Pro Ponds West. All owners of homes in this tour have volunteered to open their doors to the public, she said.

There are 5,000 tickets, which cost $20 each, available for the event, Quinn said. “It’s a good opportunity for anyone,” she said. “Most people love the sound of water, they find it very relaxing, especially in high-stress areas such as Los Angeles. People get inspired and see what they can do to their own home.” Many of the designers and installers who are showing their work in this year’s tour have been featured in national home magazines and television shows, Quinn said.

Two Glendale cites are included on the tour, the Glendale Armstrong Garden Center and the home of Terry and Kathy Morrill, which features two waterfalls cascading into a 25-by-25 foot pond enclosed by a stone patio.

Proceeds from all ticket sales benefit the Descanso Garden’s Partnership for Ponds program, whose goal is to raise funds to restore the Gardens’ existing water features and return them to showcase quality. The water system at the garden was built 60 years ago in a circulating system which includes several different ponds connected together, said Avery Economie, director of public relations at Descanso. The trouble with circulating systems is that when a problem occurs within the system, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where it lies, she said. Descanso Gardens wants to isolate each pond so maintenance becomes easier and because modern technology will help clean the ponds and make them beautiful, Economie said.

Descanso Gardens Executive Director David S. Brown was thrilled that Pro Ponds chose Descanso for donating proceeds of their tour through 2010.

“We are by nature attracted to water,” Brown said. “And water, both still and running, can be both melody and counterpoint to the color, texture and structure of the landscape. Such practical generosity is an extraordinary gift to the gardens and the public we serve.” Glendale residents Terry and Chad Morrill, owners of Pro Ponds West in Los Angeles, formed the Partership for Ponds in the beginning of this year because they wanted to restore their local garden.

The partnership has already restored and donated the Mulberry Pond at Descanso Gardens earlier this year. Armstrong Garden Center and Aquascape Designs also support the program.