Gardens

Creating A Water Feature In Your Garden ? How To Start

There are, of course, many ways of featuring water in a garden so it is crucial to establish at the outset the type of feature that you want. Essentially there are three general types:

1. Feature with moving water (fountain, cascade, and stream)
2. Still pond for fish and wildlife (and plants)
3- Self-contained water ‘container’ (barrel, wall, fountain, raised pond) waterfall header

Whichever feature you choose, consider very carefully how best it can be designed into the context of your garden so that it feels and looks right. In this way you will ensure that the feature – and therefore the whole garden -is pleasing aesthetically.

Firstly, decide on the mood or style of your feature, and how it will look as part of the overall garden: it could, for instance, be informal, with curving sides and associated planting to make a natural setting. Or, it could be very formal, comprising a water feature with lots of straight edges and very little planting.

If you are planning a feature that is more complex than a simple hole in the ground filled with water, then it would be wise to produce a scale drawing or plan of the area. This must include all of the garden’s ‘fixtures and fillings’, i.e. the house, greenhouse/shed, immovable and desirable trees and shrubs, paths/driveways, paving and walling, drains and sewers, electricity poles, and so on. Consider also whether you might want to extend your home at some stage in the future; it would be a shame and a great waste of time, effort and money, to install a major water feature only to dig it out eighteen months later when an extension is built.

It is tempting to try to minimize the overall effort when designing a water feature, but it may be necessary to alter or move fixtures to accommodate it, so don’t compromise the garden just to save on effort. If the pond really needs to go where the greenhouse is currently sited, and there is somewhere else for the greenhouse to go, then do it.

The best way to start a paper plan is to conduct your own ’survey’ of the garden. Walk around the house (and any fixed outbuildings) and make a large sketch of the layout, in plan form but not necessarily to scale.

A long, flexible measuring tape is useful, and a good starting point is a particular part of the house, say the back door. Measure the distance from the door to your proposed water feature. This gives you a mental picture of distance combined with an actual measurement.

One stage further would be to prepare several plans, each incorporating a pond of a different shape and size, located at different points within your general garden scheme, but always in accordance with the rules of where not to site a pond. If you don’t want to prepare a new garden plan for each design, simply produce one and then move cut-outs of different shaped and sized ponds within the layout until you are happy with a particular grouping. Alternatively, if you have access to a computer there are a number of excellent Garden Design software packages that will offer you much versatility in drafting a plan.

The final act, prior to acquisition and construction, is to lay a hosepipe on the ground to form the outline of your proposed pond site. Few people bother to do this, but it can resolve a number of issues and avoid future regrets. Live with this for a few days. You will then be able to make adjustments, and satisfy yourself that this is absolutely the best place, the best size and the best shape for your water feature.

About the Author

Working with garden requires creativity. You might want to learn how to add water features in a small garden. Japanese theme gardens look quite attractive and you can learn how to build Japanese themed water features in your garden

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EARTHSCAPES Curb appeal makeover with landscape design software

Garden Stake – Rosemary $21.95 Garden Stake by Kelly Gardens Art™ Art Inspired by Nature. Adorn your garden with these decorative garden stakes. White 4 ¼” tile is set into an 8 ¼” x 8 ¼” holder atop a 20” stake. All solid iron with black powder-coated finish. Generous size will stand out in your garden, or in pots on your deck or patio.

Fiskars Phone & Garden Pocket $14.95 Strap it around your waist to carry your phone, beeper, pruner, seeds, even bottled water – conveniently while you do your yard work. Padded pocket protects your phone as you work; hear-thru mesh means no more missed calls. Second pocket can hold a variety of garden tools; also features a key latch and pencil loop. Attractive and durable nylon material.

Homeport Marine Planning Software Microsd/Sd $26.94 Homeport Marine Planning Software Microsd/Sd Marine Planning Software – HomePortThis new marine planning software is a must-have tool for mariners heading out on the open water. HomePort enables the use of existing BlueChartr data from your preloaded chartplotter or preprogrammed card to help plot a course on your PC. You can then transfer this planned route back to your chartplotter and head out on your adventure. In addition to managing waypoints, routes and tracks, the HomePort application will also help predict fuel usage, tides, depth profiles, and more. It can plot a course to avoid hidden underwater hazards and keep your vessel away from shallow or rocky shorelines. You can easily create point-to-point routes, determine distance and bearing measurements between checkpoints, and calculate your estimated travel time for each leg of the journey.After the HomePort application has been installed on your PC, this 2 GB microSD/SD card can also be used to transfer the preloaded BlueChart maps from your chartplotter to your PC for use with HomePort.Compatible units: GPSMAPr 400 series, GPSMAP 500 series, GPSMAP 600 series, GPSMAP 3000 series (trip planning only), GPSMAP 4000 series, GPSMAP 5000 series, GPSMAP 640 chartplotters preloaded with BlueChart mapping.Compatible maps: BlueChart g2 Vision, BlueChart g2 and BlueChart (both microSD/SD and Garmin data card formats).System requirements: Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista or Windows 7, 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent, 250 MB disk space, 1 GB RAM, 1024 x 768 display, video card that supports DirectX 9.0, microSD/SD card reader, USB port.Special Features Include:Displays both fishing charts and navigational charts from BlueChart g2 VisionAllows user to measure distance and bearing on the chartsDisplays gridlines for longitude/latitudeDisplays route/track depth profileConverts tracks into point-to-point routes and specifies speed for each leg of the routeProvides ETA and arrival times for each legCalculates fuel consumption Displays celestial information such as sunrise, sunset and moon phaseDisplays photos and point of interest detailSupports vector chartsIncludes worldwide basemap

Owl with Rotating Head $34.95 Chase away garden nibblers with this life-size replica of a Great Horned Owl. So realistic looking! Head bobs and turns in gentle breezes. Startles birds and other critters who try to snack on your garden’s delights. 18″ tall, it’s an imposing presence in your garden. Perfect for the garden, on decks, boat docks, rafters, barns, open porches, and patios. (Pole not included).

OXO Good Grips Gel™-e Fork $12.95 Comfort comes to the garden! These innovative garden tools have soft, non-slip, flexible handles for a comfortable grip. Handles have oversize holes for easy hanging. Those with the blue-tinted Gel™-e feature provide extra cushioning when you dig in hard soil.

OXO® Good Grips® Gel™-e Weeder $12.95 Comfort comes to the garden! These innovative garden tools have soft, non-slip, flexible handles for a comfortable grip. Handles have oversize holes for easy hanging. Those with the blue-tinted Gel™-e feature provide extra cushioning when you dig in hard soil.

Assembled Mantis Electric Tiller $379 Weighing only 21 pounds, the incredibly powerful but lightweight Mantis Electric Tiller / Cultivator tills even the hardest of soils. The secret is the patented Mantis serpentine tines! Use the Mantis Electric Tiller to easily break new ground when you’re ready to start your garden. Once your garden is established, use the Mantis Electric Tiller to cultivate and weed. Maintaining your garden has never been easier!

Mantis Electric Tiller $349 Weighing only 21 pounds, the incredibly powerful but lightweight Mantis Electric Tiller / Cultivator tills even the hardest of soils. The secret is the patented Mantis serpentine tines! Use the Mantis Electric Tiller to easily break new ground when you’re ready to start your garden. Once your garden is established, use the Mantis Electric Tiller to cultivate and weed. Maintaining your garden has never been easier!

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