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Living Jewels
By Kelly Westhoff
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| Midwest Home and Garden, June-July 2005 |
While many backyard gardeners may balk at the thought of spending thousands of dollars on a fish, the Swanson family of Scandia, Minnesota, knows some are more than willing to splurge—on just the right one. The Swanson's business, Koi Acres, is happy to oblige with unusual, jewel-toned koi.
Landscape designers and pond-garden enthusiasts around the world know the value of these brightly-colored fish. Native to the Niigata prefecture of Japan, koi are called "living jewels" or "living art" by their breeders and collectors. Most koi sport marbled white, orange and red scales. Yet some of these elegant carp shine underwater with scales of platinum white, sky blue, or iridescent green.
"The platinum koi are all shimmery. They look like they have glitter on them," explained Janel Swanson. "People come here to buy fish, and they act like they are in a candy store. They say 'I want that one. No, I want that one!'"
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The remainder of this article can be read in the June-July 2005 issue of Midwest Home and Garden.