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or thousands of years, water gardens have been a focus of public and private gardens in a variety of cultures. The earliest planned gardens that employed water features were likely in Egypt around 2800 BCE. Although water is clearly the focus of life on LBI, creating intentional waterscapes in our backyards is a recent development here. For any one of us, a leisurely day off may mean a trip to one of our fabulous beaches or entertaining in our backyard, often around the pool, visiting family and friends. For some of the staff at Reynolds Landscaping and Garden Shop, a day off is also an opportunity to explore and dream about what’s in their blood—land and water plants. You could find such plants at Longwood Gardens (over 1,000 acres in Kennett Square, PA) or Grounds for Sculpture (just shy of 50 acres in Hamilton Township, NJ). Both are noted as landscape design landmarks with significant areas of water that are contemporary and classic. At Reynolds, the last 15 years have been devoted to developing custom landscapes. Many of the designs include a variety of water-based landscape features, such as waterfalls, koi ponds, and fountains. Inspired by the powerful dynamic that water is in larger environments, Reynolds has learned to create water features to scale that don’t compromise that experience. People love both the visual and auditory aspects of water,