Show Us Your Garden: A water garden tucked away in Trophy Club

The sign on the entrance gate says it all: Kevin’s Water Gardens. Kevin Fuess has transformed his suburban Trophy Club back yard into an oasis. Flagstone paths wend around five ponds, a rain garden, a carnivorous bog, and a swimming pool.

Eighteen years ago, Fuess thought he’d give pond building a try, creating his first effort behind the pool. Soon, that led to more, he says, and it all started with a view of the pond’s lilies.

“The first time the lilies came up, [my wife Penny] walked over to the deck, looked down and saw it,” he explains. “What she said was, ‘I can’t see the lilies from the porch!’ But what I heard was, ‘Why don’t you start up here and build some more ponds.’ And that’s what I did!”

One pond system is actually two bodies of water connected by a stream that visitors cross via an iron bridge made by King Architectural in Dallas. Another pond is 28 inches deep with 1,500 gallons of water; a fourth is 3 feet deep.

Fuess explains that he starts a pond by digging the hole, and designs as he goes. He buys liners to fit, then installs a waterfall, pump, and filtration system. Decorative rocks from stone yards encircle each pond, and he adds bits of salvage — like an old red water pump at the most recent pond — to add character.

Planning is minimal, he says, noting, “I just do it.”

Of course, he does a fair share of research, online and otherwise, and says he continues to learn about it from the experiences of fellow members of the North Texas Water Garden Society, who are generous about sharing their knowledge.

As is Fuess, who affably explains that although a pond is typically filled with tap water from a hose, the water must be treated. It takes a pond six to eight weeks for bacteria to get established, he adds, and bacteria is necessary to break down waste from both plants and fish.

Fish should be introduced after the plants, and they should still be small.

Although Fuess builds his own ponds, professional builders are also an option. Either way, Fuess warns that homeowners with an interest in adding ponds to their landscapes should educate themselves about the process.

“You have to know how this pond went together because eventually there is going to be a problem,” he says. “If you know how it’s put together, you can [anticipate] those problems.”

A big part of the scenery in this yard are goldfish and koi, some 2 feet in length and adorned with frilly fins and tails. In addition, gambusia thrive in all the ponds and water features. Commonly known as mosquitofish, these small, gray minnowlike vertebrates dine on mosquito larvae and help keep pesky populations down. And unlike goldfish and koi, gambusia require no care.

A self-described “water gardener,” Fuess explains the difference: water gardeners have koi and plants adorning their ponds; koi gardeners strictly keep high-quality fish — no plants.

Water lilies thrive in aquatic environments and Fuess maintains four hybrid varieties and one species plant, discovered four years ago on the Indian subcontinent and propagated. To keep up a good show of flowers, Fuess heavily fertilizes once a month and trims the dead leaves. Once a year, he divides the plants.

Other water plants onsite include lotus, Texas Star hibiscus, thalia, ginger, water celery, arrow arum, pennywort and cattails. With the exception of the lotuses, all the plants grow from submerged pots to keep them from overrunning the ponds.

A recent addition to the property is a small bog that contains carnivorous pitcher plants. Because these unusual plants requires special acidic soil and rainwater only, Fuess keeps a rain barrel nearby.

A sweet smell lures insects into the plant’s cuplike mouth, where they slip down the plant’s long neck and are trapped. Fuess has found the carcasses of mosquitoes, ants, flies, and snails in the spent blooms. Because pitcher plants are protected in the wild, Fuess orders his from a breeder in California.

In a back corner, Fuess maintains a rain garden. He channels the yard’s runoff to this area, keeping it moist and providing a good habitat for horsetail rush, lizard tail, Louisiana iris, and taro.

Despite the home’s suburban setting and small yard, Penny has enjoyed watching her husband’s ongoing addition of water-friendly zones and — somewhere along the way — began calling it their “waterfront property.”

This story was originally published July 13, 2015 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Show Us Your Garden: A water garden tucked away in Trophy Club."