About Us
April Dugan, The Pond Girl
I had the privilege of growing up in the garden. My mother, a fairly avid gardener, let each of us have our own gardens when we were just 3 or 4. I often joke that gardening is just the first thing that I did really badly that I wanted to do better.
That first year I pulled up all the plants that sprouted and left the weeds-not knowing any better. The next year I planted my seeds and left everything to grow-weeds and all-so that I would know what was growing in my garden.
Several mentors in my early teens filled my mind with the knowledge of both traditional garden cultivation and wildflowers/ folklore. The mix of these two seemingly opposing styles (formal and wild) is what I believe defines me as an artist.
After college I installed my first little pond- a preformed plastic tub. It came with a weird plastic waterfall I was frustrated I couldn't make look natural. My boss at the time, Sean Frost, stopped by to drop of a paycheck and offered to help me with it. The long and short is I was stubborn and didn't want his help, but ended up working with him on some ponds that spring.
From that point on I've been building waterfalls alongside some of the greatest pond builders of our time: Sean Frost, Ed Beaulieu the Pond Professor, Greg Wittstock the Pond Guy-owner of Aquascape Inc., Brian Helfrich, John Adams, Jaak Harju and so many others. I've worked on three continents and in 18 states building ponds, waterfalls and rainwater harvesting systems for private residences as well as commercial applications like the Lincoln Park Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Iguanaland and the St. Augustine Alligator farm to name just a few.
The greatest joy of my life, however, has been building not the amazing waterfalls, but rather RainXchange drinking water systems for villages in third world countries with the Aquascape Foundation. To date we have provided drinking water for some 70,000 people.
Having traveled the world building waterfalls I have also been inspired by the beauty of the natural waterfalls we encountered in our travels. I try to mimic what is natural and native in each project wherever I may be. In all my travels I have not come across anything so beautiful as our own White Mountains. The incredible pristine rivers, waterfalls, lakes and ponds that surround us are a constant source of inspiration. There is a magic that happens where the water meets the earth, a space where one creeps subtly to the other. This riparian habitat is the place where the largest diversity of life occurs on our planet. It is humbling to be able to bring a little piece of such majesty and diversity to life in a backyard setting.
Whether large or small being entrusted to tear up an outdoor living space and bring a dream to life is such an honor! The process is messy, but the results are well worth the hassle.
It is my hope that you find the information and inspiration in the pages of this website to make your watergarden dreams a reality.
That first year I pulled up all the plants that sprouted and left the weeds-not knowing any better. The next year I planted my seeds and left everything to grow-weeds and all-so that I would know what was growing in my garden.
Several mentors in my early teens filled my mind with the knowledge of both traditional garden cultivation and wildflowers/ folklore. The mix of these two seemingly opposing styles (formal and wild) is what I believe defines me as an artist.
After college I installed my first little pond- a preformed plastic tub. It came with a weird plastic waterfall I was frustrated I couldn't make look natural. My boss at the time, Sean Frost, stopped by to drop of a paycheck and offered to help me with it. The long and short is I was stubborn and didn't want his help, but ended up working with him on some ponds that spring.
From that point on I've been building waterfalls alongside some of the greatest pond builders of our time: Sean Frost, Ed Beaulieu the Pond Professor, Greg Wittstock the Pond Guy-owner of Aquascape Inc., Brian Helfrich, John Adams, Jaak Harju and so many others. I've worked on three continents and in 18 states building ponds, waterfalls and rainwater harvesting systems for private residences as well as commercial applications like the Lincoln Park Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Iguanaland and the St. Augustine Alligator farm to name just a few.
The greatest joy of my life, however, has been building not the amazing waterfalls, but rather RainXchange drinking water systems for villages in third world countries with the Aquascape Foundation. To date we have provided drinking water for some 70,000 people.
Having traveled the world building waterfalls I have also been inspired by the beauty of the natural waterfalls we encountered in our travels. I try to mimic what is natural and native in each project wherever I may be. In all my travels I have not come across anything so beautiful as our own White Mountains. The incredible pristine rivers, waterfalls, lakes and ponds that surround us are a constant source of inspiration. There is a magic that happens where the water meets the earth, a space where one creeps subtly to the other. This riparian habitat is the place where the largest diversity of life occurs on our planet. It is humbling to be able to bring a little piece of such majesty and diversity to life in a backyard setting.
Whether large or small being entrusted to tear up an outdoor living space and bring a dream to life is such an honor! The process is messy, but the results are well worth the hassle.
It is my hope that you find the information and inspiration in the pages of this website to make your watergarden dreams a reality.
