GREEN RIVER – What better way to find out what could be created in your own yard than seeing beautiful ponds, waterfalls and fountains with your own eyes.

The annual Green River Pond Tour kicks off Saturday, Aug. 8 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. This year’s tour will feature 12 garden homes in Green River, Jamestown and Rock Springs. Pond Tour organizers said start early so you will have time to visit all garden homes.

The tour allows people to take a look at how others have incorporated water into their landscape by going on a self-guided tour of spectacular properties that showcase stunning water features. Get up close and personal with the fish and enjoy the beautiful calm as you experience “The Water Feature Lifestyle” for yourself.

“Get a feel for how you want to live the water feature lifestyle,” Organizer Lyneen Murphy said.

 See the magic of vegetable gardening and the color burst of thousands of blooming plants. Don’t forget the creativity of garden statues and the use of old and new in every garden.

“Come enjoy the sights and sounds of a backyard oasis. You won’t ever want to go home!” – Lyneen Murphy.

The best thing about the Pond Tour is that it is 100 percent free. All you need to do is pick up a tour guide for a list of all gardens homes on this year’s tour and guide yourself through a complete garden experience.

So, get out there and have some fun on us,” Murphy said. “Pond and garden culture combines gardening, fish-keeping, bird watching and vegetable gardening which become a source of delight for owners and visitors alike.”

Those who are thinking of taking the backyard pond plunge will enjoy the colorful sights of water plants and fish and the crashing and babbling sounds of moving water that blend into this type of landscaping. A water garden is its own “living and breathing” ecosystem, combining gardening, fish-keeping, bird-watching.

The 2015 Green River Pond and Garden Tour is  an exhibit of some of Sweetwater Country’s finest gardens and backyard ponds. The pond owners share their experiences in building ponds, selecting various water plants and choosing from many species of fish.

Ponds on the tour demonstrate the many possible shapes and sizes and fit to all sizes of pocketbooks. Pond owners tend to be enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge with people who want to learn how to build or manage water gardens.

Desert Water Gardens will be at a garden home with water garden items for sale. They will have water plants, water lilies, koi and goldfish and much more of those hard to find pond items. Have any tricky questions, give Shieda, botanist/manager of Desert Water Garden, a try. Desert Water Gardens offer the largest selection of aquatic plants in the state of Utah.

While the event is free, donations are accepted. Each year, donations made to the Pond Tour go to help different causes around Sweetwater County. This year, the pond tour is raising funds to help Sweetwater Hospice. 

To help raise donations, the tour will feature a raffle with tickets being sold at all the garden homes. Items on raffle are 1022 Ruger rifle with a bucket of 22 shells, garden basket, handmade garden stone, horse print framed, case of oil, monster high basket, basket of computer games, four $50 chamber bucks and more will continuously he added.

“I would like to personally thank all those businesses and individuals who have donated raffle items. Without you we would not be successful in helping thoses in our community,” Murphy said.

Check our website greenriverpondtour.org for more information or where to pick up tour guides.