Annual Vendor Trade Show

Meeting Date	Thu, Jun 12, 2003 7:00 PM - Thu, Jun 12, 2003 9:00 PM

is the third meeting of the year. Note the special time, this meeting will start at 7:00 P.M. Local water garden vendors will be on hand to display their wares. Ask them questions and examine new and exciting water garden products. PPWGS will be providing pizza and soda for all in attendance.

The Pikes Peak Water Garden Society meetings are held every 2nd Thursday from April to September.  Most meetings start at 7:00 PM and wrap up around 9:00 to 9:30 PM.

This year our meetings will once again be held at the Mountain View Church of Christ located at 1080 East La Salle Street.  This is at the west end of Constitution Avenue on the southwest corner.

Enter through the east door on the north side of the church.

To see a map for the meeting location, click on the Link Below

Mountain View Church of Christ

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Meeting Minutes

Pikes Peak Water Garden Society
General Meeting Minutes
May 13, 2004

Meeting called to order at 7:32 PM by Bob Pollock, President, at the Holy Cross Church. 64 people were in attendance for the meeting.

Dick presented the treasurers report, currently the club has $543.20 in checking and $3,785.68 in savings funds. This includes 1 Honorary membership, 92 Family and 57 Single paid memberships.

Bob Pollock started the meeting with "Things to think about when putting in a new pond". This slide presentation gave some very helpful pointers in the process of building a pond. You should lay out the outline then drive stakes to determine the depth using a water level for edges. Level points around all sides before starting to dig. When digging your new pond you should keep the top six to eight inches of topsoil. This dirt can be used to pot your plants. Do not order your liner until you have the hole dug because the depth will affect the overall size. The liner should be 35 to 42 mil EDPM and should be protected by a layer of old carpet or layers of newspaper or cardboard. Your pond should include a plant shelf that is 10 to 12 inches below the projected water surface. The shelf should be a foot wide to hold your marginal plants. When you place your liner you should lay it in the sunshine to warm and soften. Be sure to have help to laying the liner so no overlaps exist. You should avoid horseshoe shapes that can have dead areas with poor water circulation. The edge can be finished with rocks that hang over 3 to 6 inches to cover the liner. Be careful if you have grass to close and have a slope to avoid water draining into the pond. Chemicals and grass clippings can cause water quality issues. Some other things to consider are trees, their shade is not good for the pond and their leaves can cause problems. Tree roots from willow, cottonwood and bamboo can grow through the line and cause leaks.

"Giving your pond a face lift" was then presented by guest speaker Suzy Oligmueller, owner of Waters Edge and longtime club member. Suzy suggest that something needs to change from the same way it was years before. Study your pond on areas where you would like to see changes happen. Make sure materials are available. Pond line showing can be hidden by a rock ledge or spreading plant. Panty hose can be used to hold hardy plants in place. Rock shelves as a step into and out of the pond. The theme of the pond or landscape can be incorporated into the other so they can compliment each other. Add a small water tower to move water and add visual to your current pond. A low laying area is a good place to add a bog. Floating islands can add a new visual focal point. Use a foam ring from a hobby shop covered with strips of shade cloth and fill with pea gravel so that it does not sink but is down in the water. Now fill with marginal plants to complete your floating island. These islands can be purchased from Maryland Aqua or Safehaven. Skimmer boxes can be hidden using ground cover. Skimmers can help to clean the pond surface by pulling floating debris to the filter. A bog filter will work great to filter using hardy marginal plants that can remain year around. You want to be careful of the plants you select as some like cattails can be very aggressive. Adding lighting can also change the look of your water garden and allow you to enjoy it later in the evenings.

Door prizes were given to the following:
AquaMat tickets to Ralph Jensen Plants from Suzy to Dotty Hume
Salvinia to Lynne Rozema Salvinia to Ken Gray
Mosquito bits to Ron Bissonette Underwater Light to George Price
Miniature Hyacinth to Nancy Corbett, Jody Corbett, Nancy Wright and Rudy Herrera

Thanks to Rudy Herrera for collecting notes in my absence for the preparation of these minutes.

Respectfully submitted
Steve Carson
Secretary