New England Water Gardens

I started out just thinking I needed crumbling concrete coping around my round koi pond replaced, but Mike persuaded me that the garden would be much improved by a more naturalistic treatment, tying the parts of the garden together by a stream and small waterfalls. He was right! Yes, it was more expensive than I had thought, but I regard the extra money as more than worth it, because it solved a number of design problems that I had struggled with for years. He understands pond maintainance and planting, and built plenty of places to put marginal plants and water lilies, and enough depth for koi to overwinter safely. He diagnosed my frequent koi losses over the winter as a product of an inadequate aerator and unstable electrical connection. Mike does not work from drawings, and it was a leap of faith for me to give him a free hand once we had established the general shape of the garden, but it worked so well that I did not miss the extra step of contemplating drawings. He was very flexible in the design process, incorporating my ideas without compromising the essential design conception. Do listen to Mike, and trust his skill. If you must micromanage, he can do that, too, because his people skills are excellent, but the project will take longer.