Valley Water GardensCreating Beauty, Tranquility & Conversation

3094 John Wayland Hwy
Dayton, VA 22821

(540) 879-2555



2011 Seminar Schedule

(Descriptions of the seminars are farther down the page)

April 9, 2011 @ 9:00 AM - Spring Preparation for Ponds
April 23, 2011 @ 9:00 AM - Spring Preparation for Ponds

May 14, 2011 @ 9 AM - Pond Construction
May 28, 2011 @ 9 AM - Stream Construction

June 11, 2011 @ 9 AM - Pond/Lake Aeration & Management
June 25, 2011 @ 9 AM - Pondless Construction

July 9, 2011 @ 9 AM - Pond/Lake Aeration & Management
July 23, 2011 @ 9 AM - Boulder Fountain Installation Techniques

August 6, 2011 @ 9 AM - Pond Construction
August 20, 2011 @ 9 AM - Stream Construction

September 3, 2011 @ 9 AM - Getting Ready for Fall/Winter
September 17, 2011 @ 9 AM - Getting Ready for Fall/Winter

Our Seminars are free of charge and no registration required. If bad weather, please call to see if still scheduled. Please bring a lawn chair.

Seminars are a must for the beginner. If you are an established water gardener, come and share your experiences with the group. New Topics this year will include Boulder Fountain Installation and Pond/Lake Aeration and Management.

Come and enjoy an hour of fun, learning the techniques and information needed to make your water garden experience more enjoyable on a number of topics.

All participants receive a 10% discount coupon you can use anytime in 2011. This is a great way to create your own personal sale at your convenience. (Some restrictions may apply so please review your coupon..

Charles is also available to present programs to your garden, Ruritan, or other club at no charge. Please call to check Charles' availability and to schedule a presentation if you are interested.

"Spring Preparation for Ponds"

Dates: April 9 and April 23 @ 9:00 AM

Learn how to properly clean your garden and prepare it for the coming season. We will be discussing:

  • Maintaining pump and filtration system
  • Proper pond stocking of plants and aquatic life
  • General maintenance
  • Dividing, repotting, and fertilizing plants

" Pond Construction"

Date: May 14 and August 6 @ 9:00 AM

I will take you through the necessary steps to build a pond. We will discuss different designs and layouts. This seminar is a must for the beginner!

"Stream Construction"

Dates: May 28 and August 20 @ 9:00 AM

Come and learn the techniques of building an actual waterfall and stream! We will discuss:

  • Flow requirements, sizing pump and plumbing
  • How to head the stream
  • Placement of stones to create different water sounds

"Pond/Lake Aeration & Management"

Dates: June 11 and July 9 at 9:00 AM

We will be discussing the many advantages of aeration. Whether you have a small water garden or a large pond/lake, the benefits far outweigh having aeration than not. Various sizes will be shown and installation techniques explained.

Various treatments will be explained with control applications explained, targeting individual water plants, weeds and algae.

"Boulder Fountain Installation Techniques"

Date: July 23 at 9:00 AM

What a fun seminar! The materials and techniques for basin/fountain will be shown and discussed.

This is an incredible exhibit of various stones that speak for themselves! A few adjectives - unique, beautiful, simple, easy, different and the list goes on.

Each are hand selected, looking for various colors, unique shapes and sizes that will be enhanced with water flowing over, down, up and around each one!

The inventory of stone changes weekly, so visit often to view new stone fountains.

"Creating a Stream / Pondless Waterfall"

Date: June 25 @ 9:00 AM

Come and learn how to build a stream and waterfall with a pondless basin. We will discuss:

  • How to size a basin in relation to stream size
  • Learn various techniques of basin construction and materials needed to do so
  • Flow characteristics of stream and waterfall

"Getting Ready for Fall/Winter"

Dates: September 3 and 17 @ 9:00 AM

Wintertime is a very stressful time for aquatic life especially if needed preparations in late fall have been neglected. We will be discussing:

  • General pond preparation
  • Plant preparation
  • Fish feeding program
  • Temperature variations
  • Netting and net framing of pond
  • Different ways to establish and keep a vent hole