The Water Garden Society of Greater Kansas City's annual Water Gardens Tour helps fund our community service and educational projects. Listed below is a small sample of the many projects we fund each year. If you would like additional information about donating to our organization, or just want to lend a helping hand on one of these great projects, simply call or email us. Listings are located on our Contacts Page.

Science City / Union Station - Kansas City , MO

Science City at Crown Center is developing many new scientific projects for learning and entertainment. They have science classrooms set up for schools and camping sessions for scouts to earn badges in science areas. Now, Science City would like to add a water garden so they can offer water and plant ecology to school students. They have already planned many lessons and experiments connected with the new water garden. WGS is proud to be a part of this new addition to Science City . We will build a pavestone wall underground 2 feet deep to hold the rubber liner. This is necessary since the area is made up of sand and gravel fill instead of solid ground. Then we will install the liner and fill with water. The pond will be finished by installing a natural Kansas flagstone edging and waterfall. There have been may companies interested in donating materials such as liner, pumps, pavestones for this project. If you would like to help support WGS in this project, you may want to come and help in the construction. If you are interested in learning to install a water garden at your home, although this project is built a little different, you will still be able to learn the basics of installing a liner pond.

Grandview High School- Grandview, MO

The ecology teacher at Grandview High, learned about WGS from a member when he was on the public tour a couple of years ago. She then contacted us to see if we could help them with a water garden in their enclosed courtyard. The ecology class has already started classes at the Discovery Center on water ecology. In addition, the art teacher and science department all have many plans for educational study involving the pond.

On March 23rd about 20 students and teachers helped dig this pond. On the 30th, we cemented the stone edging and waterfall. We cleaned the pond and installed the pump on April 7th.

WGS paid for the liner and hose for the pond. Grandview High Seniors purchased Kansas Flagstone and Moss Stipple rock for their pond. A parent of one of the students donated a very nice pump and helped set is up and adjust it for a very nice waterfall effect. The pump will also be the winter bubbler for this pond.

Overland Trail Middle School - Overland Park, KS

A teacher from Overland Trail Middle School called to say her school had a water garden, but it hadn't been in operation for a few years. The pump didn't work and there was a hole in the liner. Could we be of any help? The school was also interested in having lotus and other bog gardens in their courtyard. We taught them the finer points of bog construction while others helped their 20 volunteers rebuild the pond.We took out the old liner, used cement blocks to build up the plant ledge to a proper depth, and put the new liner under the rock ledge instead of over the rocks. We then built a waterfall and finished the capstones with existing and a few new stones.

Overland Trail Middle School paid for the materials for the reconstruction of their pond from sales of their concession stand.

Hope House, Lee's Summit

Recently, the new director of Hope House, Independence, said the courtyard is greatly used by the staff, residents, and children of the shelter. The preschool visits the pond regularly and the child therapist says children seem more relaxed and willing to share feelings with her when they are near the pond. They were in the courtyard during the warm days in late November. As much as we wish this sort of facility were not needed, it seems a new Hope House is under construction in Lee's Summit. The director would like a courtyard of butterfly gardens, benches, picnic table, and a water garden - as it would be as beneficial to the new facility as the one in Independence. The preschool plans to have more studies about water garden plants and fish, as well as a peaceful place for residents to visit. This water garden will be a 13X18 foot pond with a waterfall edged with Kansas Flagstone. We will dig the pond and install the liner on March 2nd from 9:00 a.m. to about 1:00 p.m.. On March 9th, we will build the waterfall and finish the stone edging. If you would like to help with this pond or just come out to see how a liner pond is built, call Jo Hanson at 913-381-3354 for directions.

Need help or advise concerning your watergarden, any other question(s),?  or additional information, visit our contact area.