Free backyard pond and garden tours on Aug. 19

If you enjoy Aquascape's display gardens each year during the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, you'll love their upcoming summer outdoor event in Chicago-area communities, where you can escape to beautiful gardens with lush water features without ever boarding a plane.

The Water & Garden Showcase, presented by Aquascape Construction, is a close-to-home, relaxing and fun getaway out-of-doors for singles, couples, children and families. The show includes walkable residential properties with beautiful gardens and water features, and complementary food and beverages.

Visit at your own pace locally from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, in Barrington, Barrington Hills, Elgin, Dundee and Lakewood. This free event will be held rain or shine.

Finish off the water gardening season at Aquascape's corporate headquarters for an evening in bloom with music, food and a nighttime viewing of our several indoor and outdoor water features Saturday, Sept. 16, in St. Charles.

Meet at the "Pond Central" location, where experts share inspiration, tips and design ideas. Visitors to the area's only exclusive outdoor Water & Garden Showcase can enjoy the multisensory effects of water, beautiful plants in bloom and other new landscape elements. A freewill offering at each event supports the Aquascape Foundation, developed to promote awareness of water as one of our most precious resources through environmental, educational and philanthropic efforts.

Visitors will marvel at the transformation of ordinary patios and yards into Eden oases, and dream of ways to incorporate water features into their own surroundings, from simple bowls, basins and fountains to showstopping waterfalls and ponds. A family-friendly event, kids will love finger-splashing in a bubbling urn, feeding a koi or playing eye-spy with a turtle or frog. Couples will find the day an enjoyable time to be together in the summer outdoors, meeting new people or just holding hands while crossing a footbridge or meandering path.

"It's mind-blowing to visit a typical back or front yard and experience the 'wow' of an Eden oasis in a place you would never expect," says Aquascape's Brian Helfrich. "The summer Water & Garden Showcase is a fun, relaxing opportunity to experience the unique beauty and serenity of a water view right 'at home'."

For information on the Water & Garden Showcase, including destinations, mobile maps and descriptions, visit www.aquascapeconstruction.com.