By Duane St. Clair

 

Jerry Girardi is intrigued and relaxed by the sound of falling water and the beauty and grace of large fish in a pond that’s an integral part of the two-level stone and paver backyard and patio of his Upper Arlington home.

 

The feature is part of a 1-acre, wooded lot in Northwest UA and was installed as Girardi, and his wife, Sue Smudz, were planning their marriage and moving into the completely remodeled home.

 

Girardi’s fascination with a significant backyard water feature inhabited by fish came a couple of decades ago when he was having Columbus’ Ken Helmlinger Co. design and build a patio area at his previous home.

           

Owner Ken Helmlinger suggested adding a very small water feature to add to the imaginativeness. It was a small black, plastic pond with a falls. A few goldfish were added, but the pool sides didn’t hold up to his two, then-young boys. The feature eventually was replaced with a larger, self-contained feature with an approximate 1,000-gallon reservoir.

 

That’s when Girardi first added multi-colored koi, a Japanese fish that can potentially grow up to 3-feet long. They are a form of carp, are hardy in various climates and can live many years. Goldfish also remained a part of the feature.

 

“The kids named them all. We had a great time with it,” Girardi says.

 

The fish faced natural hazards, however. He awoke one morning and found blue heron consuming the last of 13 expensive koi. One of the koi he had for five years was worth several hundred dollars.

 

“They (herons) make the rounds to backyard pools and ponds,” Girardi explains. He began protecting the pricey fish by covering the pond with a net and has kept it covered since.

 

Despite the heron setback, Girardi was hooked on the pond and fish and had Helmlinger, his long-time landscaper, plan and build the one he enjoys now. It’s also self-contained and holds about 2,000 gallons of water with falls running down a stone façade. The pond is populated by seven koi – two were added in May – and seven common goldfish, plus a large number of goldfish minnows.

 

 

Helmlinger says the original backyard had some timber-lined steps and a wall around a patio, little planted material and no care. Girardi adds that shoulder-high thistles were the prominent lawn feature.

 

Helmlinger rebuilt the yard with pavers, stacked manufactured stones and stepping-stones. Rocks surround the pond with various plants between them. “The whole back yard was transformed,” he says.

 

The project also involved adding another water feature in the form of an unusual fountain off the patio at the top of the steps to the pond. The fountain is a naturally formed cylindrical chunk of basalt, a lava-based formation found variously around the world, including in the Northwestern United States.

 

The couple and Helmlinger went to a supplier and picked out the piece as it was being unloaded. Someone had flatted the bottom, so it could be seated, and drilled a water hole from top to bottom. Helmlinger built a low-level square wall, placed the fountain in it and filled around it with more rocks of various sizes and colors. He calls the fountain a “piece of art.” The running water, audible from inside the home, is a pleasant addition to the ambiance, Girardi adds.

 

Previous owners had completely remodeled the home inside. Its features, Smudz notes, include large windows to afford a view of the backyard and pond that are bordered by a ravine and a wooded area.

 

Although running water is less likely to freeze, the fountain is turned off in the winter. A floating heater, similar to those used for livestock water supplies, is used in the fish pond. Girardi says the pond can be seen easily from inside and from the deck but he prefers to spend time enjoying the moments up close.

 

The busy obstetrician/gynecologist – he’s also medical staff president at Mt. Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital in Westerville where he delivered the first baby born when it opened 1984 – derives much pleasure, usually daily, in the solitude and privacy of the beautified area.

 

“I find that it’s the sound of the water. That’s very relaxing to me to be out there at night by the pond that is beautiful to look at, nice to hear,” Girardi says. “I find it is one of the most relaxing things I can do.”

 

Duane St. Clair is a contributing editor for Upper Arlington Magazine.

 

The Girardi’s home will be one of 13 homes throughout Central Ohio featured on the Inaugural Central Ohio Garden Tour, presented by the professional landscapers of the Columbus Landscape Association, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 28. Proceeds benefit the Ohio State University Medical Center. Visit www.columbuslandscape.org .