Pond-O-Rama Garden Tour to Feature 29 Gardens in St. Louis Metro

Our Daily Show Interview! Pond-O-Rama Set for June 20-21st!

SAINT LOUIS - The St. Louis Water Garden Society will host their 25th annual Pond-O-Rama garden tour.

You can enjoy the two-day tour of 29 gardens around the St. Louis Metro area from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 21 and 22, 2025. Tickets cost $25 for non-members, while SLWGS members receive one ticket for free. Proceeds support the Jewel Box in Forest Park, which SLWGS maintains.

“This year, our tour is really special,” said Ginny Mueller, Pond-O-Rama co-chair. “Everybody is just excited to meet the people who come. I think our gardeners are absolutely the best people in the world.”

Mueller and her co-chair, Don Richardson, are eager to show off their own gardens on the tour this year. They noted that creating a water garden is “a labor of love.”

Some of the gardens are “teeny tiny,” while others are “astounding” in their size. The tour features gardeners who built their own ponds alongside those who had their gardens professionally designed. All of the featured gardeners are eager to share their space with the community.

“There are people who just don’t have the space in their backyard. A very small pond is just a delight for them, so they have a few fish, but they landscape it so beautifully, and it’s their peace, their tranquility of being there,” Mueller explained. “I don’t have a lot of time to do a lot of maintenance. But if you do it right like Don said, you can add plants, you can add fish, maybe you clean it out once or twice a year, give or take, and you’re good to go. You’re not spending day in and day out. You’re spending the time to really enjoy the beauty that you have, and other people can enjoy it, too.”

New this year, the ticket booklet includes a picture of each garden and the gardener’s email address. Mueller and Richardson hope this encourages people to reach out to the gardeners and ask questions. They said the gardeners are happy to share what they’ve learned with others and learn from each other.

“You put in so much work to it, and you want to share that and share that enthusiasm,” Richardson said. “I think that’s the hallmark of all these pond owners. They have something special that they’ve created, and we want to be able to share that with everyone else and perhaps inspire them to do something new and interesting in their garden.”

All proceeds from Pond-O-Rama will go toward the maintenance of the Jewel Box in Forest Park. SLWGS members spend every Saturday morning there, making sure the space is in its best condition.

SLWGS members meet on the third Tuesday of every month at Grace Episcopal Church in Kirkwood. Members socialize with each other, exchange gardening tips, and listen to guest speakers. Not every member has a water garden, but they all have an interest in gardening and learning more.

For more information about the St. Louis Water Garden Society, visit their official website at SLWGS.org. Check out the official Pond-O-Rama webpage to learn more about the event and purchase tickets online.

“It’s really a great tour,” Mueller added. “I think you just learn so much from everybody. We’re always learning.”

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