Water Garden Idea Book
Ponds, Pools,
Fountains, Waterfalls, Water Gardens
and Other Outdoor Landscaping Ideas
By Lee
Anne White
Over 300 Creative Examples for Any Type of Landscaping with Water
Features
Want to make a big splash in your landscape? Add
a water garden -- a bubbling urn, soothing fountain, naturalistic
pond, or cascading waterfall. Water Garden Idea Book brings
these ideas to life, with more than 300 creative examples for any
type of landscape. Sage advice on design and placement ensure your
water feature will look at home, either as a striking focal point or
subtle addition in the landscape. Instruction on how to install
simple water features makes this a complete visual sourcebook.
About the Author:
Lee Anne White is a writer and photographer
specializing in landscape architecture and garden design. Her work
has appeared in many home design and landscaping books, as well as
in Garden Design, Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living
Gardener, AQUA, Traditional Home, Sunset and Home
magazine. She is a former editor of Fine Gardening and the
author of Outdoor Kitchen Ideas That Work, Outdoor Living Idea
Book, Backyard Idea Book and Pool Idea Book, all
published by The Taunton Press.
Introduction:
Among my earliest and fondest childhood memories is feeding the
goldfish with my grandmother in her small backyard pond on Sunday
afternoons. I had never seen such large goldfish in an aquarium, and
watching them swim around was probably one of the few things I would
sit still for as a child. These days, I take equal pleasure in
watching my nieces feed the goldfish in their grandmother's pond.
And I can still sit for long periods watching the fish as they dart
about the water, hiding beneath ledges or lily pads, and kissing the
pond's surface for air and food. Often, it's these simple pleasures
that bring us some of the greatest joys in life.
Of course, it's not just children and grownups that enjoy water
gardens. All creatures need water for survival, and the addition of
a water feature to any landscape is a sure way to attract birds,
butterflies, bullfrogs, and other wildlife to the backyard.
Water features of all kinds -- with or without fish, in the house
or out in the garden, filled with plants or little more than a basin
of still water reflecting the sky -- add a soothing element to any
setting. The sound of a trickling fountain or cascading waterfall is
a compelling element in the landscape -- beckoning you to explore
and inviting you to relax, if only for a few moments, to forget the
day's worries. Gentle gurgles and soft splashes can help mask the
sounds of a modern world filled with ringing phones, rumbling
traffic, and roaring mowers. If we close our eyes, we just might be
transported to a quiet spot beside a mountain stream or to the
crystal clear pools beneath a tropical waterfall. A wall spout or
tiered fountain can make a courtyard seem 10 degrees cooler on a
blistering hot summer day, and a tiny tabletop fountain can bring
the atmosphere of the garden indoors.
Although water gardens can take the form of striking
architectural waterworks or expansive naturalistic ponds complete
with recirculating streams and waterfalls, what I appreciate about
water gardens is that anyone can have one, and at little or no
expense. It's truly as simple as filling any interesting nonporous
container with water and placing it thoughtfully in the landscape
where it can reflect the spring flowers, summer skies, and fall
foliage. A single floating plant or cut flower can add the perfect
finishing touch.
Or a small, inexpensive fountain can be added for the sound of
running water. Often, restraint is the key to designing the most
attractive water features.
Thanks to advances in technology that have made submersible pumps
smaller, more affordable, and easier to operate, many water features
now can be assembled in an afternoon or come ready-made from the
store shelf -- just fill them with water and plug them into a nearby
outlet. Preformed and flexible pond liners have, at the same time,
simplified the construction and maintenance of garden ponds. Plant
breeders have introduced a plethora of garden plants in compact
sizes ideally suited to the home water garden. And specialty
nurseries and water gardening stores have sprung up throughout the
country offering a wide variety of plants, fountains, pumps, and
other water gardening supplies.
The goal of this book is to provide inspiration. While there are
many how-to books on the market, Water Garden Idea Book is
about creating a relaxing environment with water features -- where
to place them in the home and landscape and how to complement them
with appropriate plantings. In addition, we have provided a series
of drawings that show how basic types of water features are
constructed so that you can design plans that suit your style,
environment, and budget. Most of all, we hope that the photographs
of hundreds of different water features from across the country will
spark your imagination. Whether it's a simple water-filled basin, a
quiet reflecting pool, a dramatic courtyard cascade, or a fishpond
for the grandkids, there's a perfect water feature for every home
and garden.Table of Contents:
Introduction 2
Chapter 1
Simple Basins 4
Bowls and Basins 6
Waterproof Plants:
Tropicals 9
Controlling Algae 10
Waterproof Plants:
Lotuses 12
Birdbaths 14
On the Wild Side: Luring
Wildlife 17
Container Water Gardens
20
Nuts and Bolts: Staging
Plants 23
Mosquito Control 24
Chapter 2
Soothing Fountains 26
Spouting Fountains 28
Nuts and Bolts: Statuary
Fountain in a Trough 31
Creating a Garden Room
32
Waterproof Plants:
Floating Plants 35
Nuts and Bolts: A Simple
Spray
Fountain 36
Cascading Fountains 38
Altering the Sound of
Water 41
Winterizing a Fountain
42
Nuts and Bolts: Running
Water Spigot 45
Tiered Fountains 46
Wall Fountains 50
Nuts and Bolts: Hanging
a Wall
Fountain 50
Spot-Lighting a Fountain
53
Japanese Fountains 54
The Symbolism of
Japanese Fountains 54
Nuts and Bolts: Japanese
Deer Scarer 57
Bubbling Fountains 58
Fountain Maintenance 61
Nuts and & Bolts:
Bubbling River
Stones 65
Wiring Basics 68
Indoor Fountains 72
Chapter 3
Naturalistic Ponds and
Streams 74
Garden Ponds 76
The Bottom Line on
Gravel 79
The Flexibility of Pond
Liners 81
On the Wild Side: Fish
83
On the Wild Side: Ducks
84
On the Wild Side:
Keeping Critters Out 87
Streams and Waterfalls
88
Nuts and Bolts:
Designing a Waterfall 91
On the Wild Side:
Turtles 92
Waterproof Plants:
Marginals 95
Visualizing the Flow of
Water 96
Playing with Boulder
Placement 100
Dry Streams 104
Nuts and Bolts:
Designing a Streambed
106
At the Water's Edge 108
Nuts and Bolts:
Designing a Bog
Garden 111
Waterproof Plants: Bog
Plants 114
Invasive Aquatic Plants
117
Waterproof Plants:
Floating Island
Planter 121
Chapter 4
Architectural
Waterworks 122
Large Fountains 124
Waterproof Plants: Water
Lilies 131
Nuts and Bolts: Raised
Pools 135
Creating Ambience with
Underwater
Lighting 136
Wall Fountains 138
Nuts and Bolts:
Structural Wall
Fountain 140
Nuts and Bolts: Sunken
Concrete
Pools 144
Waterproof Plants:
Submerged Plants 149
Cascades 154
Building Codes and
Regulations 155
Swimming Pool Features
158
Nuts and Bolts: Sheet
Waterfalls 159
Watercourses 162
Nuts and Bolts: Floating
Steps 165
Resources 166
Credits 168
Soft-cover, 9-3/16 x 10-7/8 in., 176 pages, with
302 color
photos and 18 drawings
ISBN: 978-1-56158-877-0 |
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