Pond and garden tour, free water-feature workshop and more

Ponds, streams and waterfalls offer many ways to go with the flow in landscaping. Next weekend, 13 local examples will be open to visitors for the Minnesota Water Garden Society's 16th annual Pond and Garden Tour.

The tour is self-guided, and all featured sites have gardens in addition to water features. Sites are grouped together to facilitate touring, with locations in Crystal, Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Anoka, Blaine and Shoreview.

Many of the ponds were DIY projects, and their homeowners will be on hand to offer tips and advice about installation and pond maintenance.

The water gardens will be open for touring 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on July 27 and 28.

For more information about featured sites or to purchase advance tickets ($15), visit www.mwgs.org or call 612-803-7663. Tickets also can be purchased on-site on the days of the tour for $20.

Looking to add a water feature to your landscape? Gertens is offering a free planning workshop. You'll learn which features are available, from large waterfalls to small bubbling pots, plus how to choose a site, plan and install a water feature.

The workshop will be offered at noon July 21, at Gertens, 5500 Blaine Av., Inver Grove Heights.

If you were to rank your home-decorating projects, chances are that new bedding is low on your list. But your bedroom is your sanctuary, and it's up to your bedding to set the tone. Let's check out six hot trends in bedding.

1. Flowers. Today's florals are blooming with new hues and patterns. Because many floral fabrics mix a multitude of colors, they offer a great basis for pulling a rainbow of colors into your bedding ensemble. When you pair a color like coral, for example, with soft neutrals like cream and taupe, it feels lively but serene.

2. Stripes. We're seeing it all right now — fat stripes, skinny stripes, in-between stripes and a combination of all of the above. We used the still-popular chevron stripe as our inspiration for one bed because we adored this fabric, which weds the graphic elements of a chevron with the romance of a floral.

3. Geometrics. Designers are getting playful and reinventing the neat graphic patterns of old. We're seeing lots of newly interpreted imperial trellis patterns, Greek key, polka dots, diamonds, all in vibrant, saturated colors.

4. Ikat. The ancient pattern that has been reinvented by today's designers is still immensely popular. We're seeing the Ikat effect, creating an image by clustering parallel lines very closely, being used to create a variety of shapes like stripes and polka dots, not just the standard Ikat shape. Even though it embodies an Old World, global feel, Ikat looks right at home with today's trendy patterns.

5. Animal prints. Animal prints still show strong in textiles because they bring with them an understated yet interesting graphic pattern. Zebra stripes are a great way to make a bed look a bit funky.

6. Bright solids. People are opening their hearts and home to bright colors, including yellows, blues, greens, reds and oranges. Solids do a lot to bring balance to a cluster of exciting fabrics, so they are always a good pick for a duvet cover, quilt or set of accent pillows.

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