Water Garden Society Pond Tours offer serenity in digital age

By Kendra Simpson

The St. Joseph Water Garden Society held its 2024 Pond Tour over the weekend to create a sense of calm for St. Joseph residents.

11 homes in St. Joseph opened their garden gate doors to the community for their viewing pleasure.

Eclectic gardens housed not only a vast collection of flowers and plants, but also animals such as fish, chicken and even macaws.

“You don’t have to have your full plan, you just start a little space at a time and then another idea falls into place and you just keep expanding,” Water Garden Society member Cynthia Brownfield said. “Then you end up completely overwhelmed, like I have created here. But it’s still wonderful and I love doing it.”

Members of the Water Garden Society, like Brownfield, believe the serenity of their gardens’ natural beauty is a good way to encourage kids to put down their phones and enjoy the outdoors.

“I think it’s really important to realize what nature can be,” Brownfield added. “And the only way that we can really change this electronically driven society is to do things like this and really let people know what they can create.”

But along with exposing the family to nature, the gardening also serves as a stress relief.

“It’s just really wonderful to come out and listen to that running water, see the fish and experience wildlife,” Brownfield said.

Along with the tour, the Society also offers scholarships for high school students, recipes, gardening tips and more.

To learn more about the Water Garden Society and how you can get involved, visit the group’s website at https://www.sjcgardens.org/.