Bob & Fran Hoffman

What size if your pond? I have two ponds, one contains goldfish and the other contains Koi. Both my ponds are about 1,500 gallons each.

When was it built? The goldfish pond was constructed over 20 years ago. The Koi pond was constructed 15 years ago. The goldfish pond has a barrel filter which flows into the two waterfalls that flow into the Koi pond.

Who constructed it? The goldfish pond was constructed by my family. The Koi pond was constructed by my son and a neighbor. I finished it with a liner, bottom drain, and filter. I also installed a turbo vortex pre-filter and I have not had a problem with green water for a number of years. Each year I add more plants to the Koi pond.

What is your greatest pond challenge? Challenges include shade, hail, blue herons, water loss, loss of power, cleaning the pond, cleaning the filters, and winter maintenance. We lost all of our Koi after a hailstorm a few years ago. Some of the Koi were 2' in length.

What would you do differently if you were to build the pond today? I thought I wanted a larger pond and maybe a bog to filter the water, but as I get older and wiser, the size of my pond seems just right. I should reduce the number of lilies I have, but this is very hard. I love tropical lilies, but they seem to take up more room then their hardy counterparts.

What do you love most about your pond? I start many water plants in my ponds, re-pot them, and then use them at Hudson Gardens. Water plants are like other garden plants I have in my yard, with one exception, they don't need weeding. Water plant season is mainly between June and September, but the work starts in April and ends in October. My ponds are an extension of all my plantings and I love the entire yard when my plan comes together.