Susan Shea feeds the fish in her water garden, which was part of the Sunflower Water Garden Society's annual tour this weekend. Shea and her family enjoy sitting in the garden because of its relaxing atmosphere, she said.

A friendly sign greets guests at Susan Shea's west Lawrence water garden, which includes a waterfall and pond filled with fish.

Goldfish and lily pads stole the show this weekend across Lawrence and Douglas County.

Sixteen sites that included private homes and two public schools were open to visitors Saturday and Sunday for the Sunflower Water Garden Society’s annual tour.

In the heat, volunteers opened their gardens, which include a pond in some format, to visitors for two days. Several said they encountered a steady stream of people who were eager to exchange ideas and learn more about different water garden styles.

“This is showing what can be done if you are an avid gardener,” said Susan Shea, while walking through her backyard at 4700 Moundridge Court.

Shea and her husband, Pat, were on the tour’s circuit four years ago, but this year they showed off their new house and backyard that they moved into two years ago.

Half of it is shaded with plants that surround a corner willow tree. Their pond, constructed last year, includes a waterfall that sits under the deck.

The fish are at home and fed well, Susan Shea said. Her family also loves to sit outside in the early mornings and on cool evenings for meals or just to relax.

“This is kind of our living room,” Susan Shea said.

At 4607 Cherry Hills Drive, Dale and Patricia Denning, both Lawrence doctors, also showed off their backyard patio pond.

The pond was completed in August, and it includes both a waterfall and a small spring.

“It just makes it a little bit more natural because it’s a spring-filled pond that way,” Dale Denning said.

The tour guides were constantly busy through the weekend as were visitors, including many who went to various stops. Several sites were spread across west Lawrence.

Other featured gardens were in the central part of the city, in North Lawrence, in the county north and south of Lawrence and two places in Eudora.

“There are a lot of different styles,” said Susan Davis, a chairwoman for the tour’s organizing committee.

Two sites on the circuit were the community project at Deerfield School, 101 Lawrence Ave., and at Lawrence High School, 1901 La.

The LHS Latin Club for three years has worked to re-create the garden from the “House of the Vettii” in Pompeii in the school’s courtyard. Sunflower Water Garden Society donated $2,500 of proceeds from the 2006 water garden tour for that project.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the amount of money donated by the Sunflower Water Garden Society from the 2006 water garden tour