Robyn's Pond Book

By Joan M. Kasura



Owner of seven ponds, Marriottsville resident Robyn Rhudy, a professional chemist and avid water gardener, finally decided to yield to those who kept encouraging her "to write a book." The result is Robyn's Pond Book which MidWest Book Review called "a practical, Ôuser-friendly,' how-to manual for aspiring pond builders and pond keepers regardless of their previous skill and experience levels."

The book contains real-life advice on water gardening and pond maintenance which Rhudy learned from own her experiences in developing her seven ponds over the last 6-1/2 years. "I dug my first pond around August 1996 with shovels and wheelbarrows," explained Rhudy. "But, things really took off in May 1997 when I paid someone to come in with a backhoe and put my biggest pond in."

She has since built five more ponds. Her second largest was dug with the help of her brother, again using the shovel and wheelbarrow method. "In developing my ponds, I discovered that all the definites that exist for water gardening aren't necessarily true," said Rhudy. "I think the reason behind it is that most of those who are in the water gardening business just build them and leave. They don't actually maintain a substantial body of water like a true pond on a daily basis."

Rhudy had participated in various pond newsgroups on the Internet, and she began within those groups to relay the real-life advice she had learned. To do so, she put together "Robyn's Pond Page," a web site designed to tell those interested about her ponds.

"The web site just took off and became really popular. Folks who visited it kept saying, "You should write a book," said Rhudy. In 2001, she finally decided to do just that. The resulting book contains a wealth of information on ponds, and includes organic methods of establishing a pristine environment to sustain a variety of plants and wildlife both in and around the pond.

Robyn's Pond Book by Robyn Rhudy can be purchased for $16.95 from 1stBooks through either their web site, www.1stBooks.com, or by calling their toll-free number (1-888-280-7715). For further information on the book, Rhudy and her ponds, be sure to check out "Robyn's Pond Book Page," which is best accessed through an "advanced search/exact phrase" search with one of the Internet search engines such as www.Yahoo.com or www.Google.com.



The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Christie Lassen, marketing and public relations coordinator for Howard County Library, in preparing this article.