Two-day pond tour spans many Bucks neighborhoods
Silver Lake Nature Center’s tour of private bodies of water will take place July 19 and 26
For two weekends in July, the Silver Lake Nature Center in Bristol wants people to mill around other people’s backyards — they’ll even provide a map to the most interesting ones.
The center is putting on its 18th annual pond tour, split into two Sundays, July 19 and 26, which hits up several homes in different parts of Bucks County from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first leg takes visitors up the Delaware River, through Langhorne over to Yardley, ending up in the Washington Crossing and New Hope area. The following weekend takes pond-lookers into Bensalem, Trevose, Jamison and Doylestown. Silver Lake Nature Center Director Bob Mercer is on the pond selection committee, and said his number one criterion for the tour is variety.
“We try to have a nice mix,” he said. “We’ve had ponds as small as a barrel, from a woman who lived in a condo, and we’ve also had huge ponds. We want people to see things they could do in their own house, and also ponds that you only dream about.”
The tour raises funds for the nature center’s programs. It’s not a competition, but it is juried. Of the 24 ponds considered, 19 made the cut. Mercer said the committee finds ponds by asking nature center visitors if they have a pond worth showing. The committee also works with the Delaware Valley Water Garden Society to find pond exhibitors, and asks for recommendations from contractors who have recently built water gardens.
Those taking the tour meet at the nature center, are given a registration packet, a map and very detailed directions, and are sent on their way to visit the ponds at their leisure. Mercer said people like to go at their own pace, sometimes lingering and chatting with the home owners. Going inside the houses is a no-no, though.
“We don’t allow people into the homes — we’re very clear about that,” Mercer said. “They’re not allowed to even let people in to use the bathroom. Homes are private. But when you stop and think about it, when you garden, you do all that work, you look at it all day and it’s beautiful and gorgeous, and you love to share it — you’d love for somebody to say, ‘Wow, that is gorgeous.’ So we find that people are more than willing to do it, and delighted to have people come in and appreciate the hard work.”
Bob Hendrickson, of Levittown, put a lot of work into his pond, and it’s a stop on the tour. He’s also been a part of the selection committee for six years, and has shown his pond on and off for about 10 years — if it were displayed every year, the tour would get stale, he said.
Important for Hendrickson when he’s considering a pond is the owner’s willingness to chat with the visitors. Most of those on the tour ask Hendrickson about his pond’s filtration system, and what he’s feeding his fish. He has two ponds: one is just a water garden, filled with what he calls “junk fish,” the other pond is more impressive, filled with koi and 8,000 gallons of water.
“I like speaking to the visitors, and my wife enjoys it,” Hendrickson said, “and we put out refreshments. It’s just the kind of people we are.”
The cost to take the tour is $18 per person for one day, and $25 for both days, before July 15. The day of the tour, the cost is $25 for one day, and $35 for both.
Mercer said he will be showcasing his ponds, as well — the three at the nature center. For more information on the Silver Lake Nature Center Pond Tour, visit www.pondtour.info.
The center is putting on its 18th annual pond tour, split into two Sundays, July 19 and 26, which hits up several homes in different parts of Bucks County from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first leg takes visitors up the Delaware River, through Langhorne over to Yardley, ending up in the Washington Crossing and New Hope area. The following weekend takes pond-lookers into Bensalem, Trevose, Jamison and Doylestown. Silver Lake Nature Center Director Bob Mercer is on the pond selection committee, and said his number one criterion for the tour is variety.
“We try to have a nice mix,” he said. “We’ve had ponds as small as a barrel, from a woman who lived in a condo, and we’ve also had huge ponds. We want people to see things they could do in their own house, and also ponds that you only dream about.”
The tour raises funds for the nature center’s programs. It’s not a competition, but it is juried. Of the 24 ponds considered, 19 made the cut. Mercer said the committee finds ponds by asking nature center visitors if they have a pond worth showing. The committee also works with the Delaware Valley Water Garden Society to find pond exhibitors, and asks for recommendations from contractors who have recently built water gardens.
Those taking the tour meet at the nature center, are given a registration packet, a map and very detailed directions, and are sent on their way to visit the ponds at their leisure. Mercer said people like to go at their own pace, sometimes lingering and chatting with the home owners. Going inside the houses is a no-no, though.
“We don’t allow people into the homes — we’re very clear about that,” Mercer said. “They’re not allowed to even let people in to use the bathroom. Homes are private. But when you stop and think about it, when you garden, you do all that work, you look at it all day and it’s beautiful and gorgeous, and you love to share it — you’d love for somebody to say, ‘Wow, that is gorgeous.’ So we find that people are more than willing to do it, and delighted to have people come in and appreciate the hard work.”
Bob Hendrickson, of Levittown, put a lot of work into his pond, and it’s a stop on the tour. He’s also been a part of the selection committee for six years, and has shown his pond on and off for about 10 years — if it were displayed every year, the tour would get stale, he said.
Important for Hendrickson when he’s considering a pond is the owner’s willingness to chat with the visitors. Most of those on the tour ask Hendrickson about his pond’s filtration system, and what he’s feeding his fish. He has two ponds: one is just a water garden, filled with what he calls “junk fish,” the other pond is more impressive, filled with koi and 8,000 gallons of water.
“I like speaking to the visitors, and my wife enjoys it,” Hendrickson said, “and we put out refreshments. It’s just the kind of people we are.”
The cost to take the tour is $18 per person for one day, and $25 for both days, before July 15. The day of the tour, the cost is $25 for one day, and $35 for both.
Mercer said he will be showcasing his ponds, as well — the three at the nature center. For more information on the Silver Lake Nature Center Pond Tour, visit www.pondtour.info.
