Austin Pond Society

My wife and I started building ponds at our home back in 1980 when we lived in Saudi Arabia. A group of friends decided to have fun digging holes in the desert. We used concrete to line them, imported Koi from China, and brought in plants from the USA. From there every house we owned had a pond of some sort. We have now had 7 different ones and it grew into a hobby and obsession. 

We started building our current pond in Feb of 2009 that I designed and constructed myself with labor help from my landscaper friends. We bought materials, lilies and Koi from Hill Country Water Garden and took us 1 month to complete. We have added Koi from local pond enthusiasts and now home about 40 in total. The pond is the center piece of our backyard’s “hidden” garden. It is located in the middle of our patio and people who enter the gate often tell us they are hit by the WOW! factor… We decided to not have grass, just constant flower beds that are mostly roses. During hot weather I especially don’t mind taking a dip in the pond to clean it. The pond’s waterfall area has been redesigned recently where we made more of a bird bath area and added a bridge across the top. During the spring and winter months, we keep a net over the pond to keep Henry the Heron away until lilies are covering the pond’s surface which usually happens by June. The patio area is also an aviary with finches and button quail.