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Press Releases
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| Water gardens can be enjoyable year round
republished from September 29, 1998 issue of the
Brainerd Daily Dispatch
by Jodie Tweed, Staff Writer
Backus, MN | |
| | The two interconnected water gardens at the Daniel and Donna Dix home measure 21 feet by 21 feet and 5 feet by 6 feet and feature two waterfalls and a peninsula made of large flat rocks and sand. Daniel Dix built the water garden in the spring of 1998.
(Dispatch Photos by Jodie Tweed)
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Imagine drinking a tall glass of iced tea on a warm summer day, watching large goldfish swim in your own tranquil pond as hummingbirds flit from flower to flower and water flows gently over large rocks in your own private waterfalls.
For Daniel and Donna Dix, from Backus, their dream of owning a water garden became a reality this spring when they designed and installed one in their front yard. Daniel Dix, along with his brother, Thomas, own Superior Lake Home Services, a landscaping company that specializes in lakeshore property, using nature's own resources with minimal impact on the environment. | |
| | These large, flat rocks create a beautiful natural stone walkway to Daniel Dix's water garden. As a landscaper, Dix attempts to replicate natural landscapes, rather than using typical keystone or manufactured rock.
They have also started designing and installing water gardens for clients and will sell the kits so people can build their own. Dix recently put up a sign on Highway 371, about a block south of the Backus Corner Store, for people to stop by his house to sit for a while and enjoy his own water garden. | |
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While people tend to be fascinated by water gardens, Dix has found they are also apprehensive about putting one in their own yards. Most people believe a nice yard is one that is flat with grass growing down to the lake. Water gardens, said Dix, are a lot easier to maintain than people realize, and something that surprisingly can be enjoyed year-round. Water gardens allow anyone to own lakeshore property, he said.
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 | Daniel Dix, co-owner of Superior Lake Home Services, feeds the large Koi and goldfish in his water garden at his Backus home. Dix placed a sign at his driveway entrance on Highway 371 to encourage passers-by to stop and visit his water garden. | |
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"I'm trying to expand people's horizons," Dix said as he sat feeding his large Koi and fantail goldfish in his water garden.
The water garden, which includes two ponds and two waterfalls, was formed using a special rubber material that forms to fit the hollows he hand-dug. Different-sized rocks, culled from farmers' fields, line the base and shoreline of the water gardens.
A peninsula made of sand and large, flat rocks was designed close to the pond so the family can sit and watch the fish or even barbecue. At night the lights inside the pond are lit so the family can still enjoy it, even in the dark. The fish gather around the lights to try to catch the bugs that are entranced by the illumination. | |
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 | This handmade wooden bench, nestled among the exotic and native vegetation surrounding the water garden, is a perfect spot for a quiet moment for reflection. Daniel Dix, a landscaper who will build custom-designed water gardens to suit any homeowner, believes everyone can own lakeshore property with a water garden. | |
| All generators, hoses and pumps are well hidden, including one hidden by a 110-year-old burnt white pine tree stump Dix found in the woods. The water garden and surrounding vegetation, including a bog garden, look so natural it's hard to believe it didn't just simply exist there. Dix is even careful not to damage the lichen that grows naturally on the old boulders he finds in fields. In the majority of circumstances, property owners don't need a permit to construct their own water garden. It's a body of water they can build close to their homes and renovate rather than destroying the natural shoreline.
"If you want to manipulate something, this is the place," said Dix. "I'm always trying to do something unusual. It's a labor of love, actually. I could just work around here all day, not like mowing the lawn." | |
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Unlike the plastic pools available in stores, the rubber liner offers a more natural look and is safer. The plastic molds become slimy and slippery, and are more of a danger to children if they accidentally fall rather than the rubber liner, which can have a smaller incline. The liner isn't visible because of the rocks and vegetation.
The fish become dormant when the weather turns cold and can stay inside the water garden in the winter, said Dix. His brother, who also has a water garden, likes to watch the goldfish swim underneath the ice.
Dix also creates other interesting landscapes, using old stones and bricks rescued from demolished Twin Cities buildings that were over a century old. Back then the bricks and stones were hand-chiseled, markings that are still visible.
Next summer Dix plans to create a stone ruins garden at his Backus home, a garden that looks as if vegetation has taken over a crumbled old workshop. Antiques and old tools will complete the vintage look.
If you're interested in taking a peek next summer, just look for his sign along the side of the highway.
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