Sun, Jul 05, 2009
 Elizabeth Good watches as her granddaughters Piper, center,1, and Abby Wolf, 2, play in the pond where Good's array of plants includes waterlilies, pennyworth and Cyprus grass.
A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star
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ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.24.2008
It's a different kind of desert oasis, one with waterlilies and koi fish instead of palm trees and lush grasses.
Elizabeth Good said her water garden is a backyard sanctuary, one her guests gravitate to almost immediately when they visit her Central Tucson home.
As president of the Tucson Watergardeners, Good, 66, enjoys sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with nearly 200 club members.
Water gardening also harkens back a bit to her homeland, the Netherlands, where both water and gardens are plentiful.
This year, the Tucson club is holding its 10th water garden tour, said JoAn Stolley, the editor of the organization's monthly newsletter.
Stolley said there will be eight gardens to tour this year including homes in Central Tucson as well as on the Northeast and the Southeast sides.
Water gardens can be made in just about anything, from a pail to an in-ground pond, according the organization's newsletter.
Some people use poured-concrete ponds, while others use wooden barrels or a watering trough.
Good moved to the United States when she was in her 30s and has lived in Tucson since 1978. At both of her Tucson homes, she's put in a water garden.
"I have to have water in my garden," said Good, laughing.
She's passing her love of gardening on to the next generation.
"My grandchildren love the garden. It's the first thing the 2- year-old asks for, to feed the fish," she said. Good has five koi in the pond as well as Gambusia fish, which eat mosquito larvae.
Good said she first learned about Tucson Watergardeners about 10 years ago when she went on one of the club's tours. She immediately became excited about joining.
"I thought, 'This is a nice group that I could learn a lot from,' " she said.
And she said she has learned a great deal, and she also enjoys sharing her ideas.
"We bring a lot of plants to our meetings that we share with other club members," she said.
Renee Shane-Boyd said she inherited a water garden when she moved into her new home, and loves it. She had always enjoyed gardening and found this new way of gardening with water plants rewarding.
"I just enjoy the variety of plant life that you can have in the desert with a water garden," said Shane-Boyd, 47, a band teacher with Catalina Foothills High School.
She said meeting other water gardeners through the club has been enjoyable.
"It's just a great way to spend your time and you get to know a lot of people," she said. "It's a nice break from whatever your regular life entails."
Tucson Watergardeners meet from February to October, and then break for a few months while the ponds are dormant during the colder months. The club costs $15 for single members and $20 for a family membership.
Money raised during the tours supports the club and provides grant money for local schools and organizations interested in water gardening.
Desert View High School at 4101 E. Valencia Road is a recent recipient of the funding.
The club also recently funded a project at Collier Elementary School, 3900 N. Bear Canyon Road, and helped with the installation of a pond at Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte.
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● Contact reporter Patty Machelor at 235-0308 or pmachelor@azstarnet.com.
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