Water Garden Designs
Good water garden design planning is essential for beautiful water plants. The selection of flowering and green water plant sis so large that nearly all your preferences can be met in either an ornamental or nature pond.
Even though you are just longing to get started on the physical work, your new pond will turn out far more successfully if you plan it carefully beforehand. The finished pond will be made to measure and any additions, such as a running stream or a marginal marshy area, can be designed in from the very start. One of your chief planning aids will be nothing more sophisticated than a garden hose.
Nature pond or ornamental pond?
If your aim is a pond filled with frogs, newts, and other amphibians living together peacefully with colorful goldfish and gleaming ko amid beautiful display of exotic water lilies by a fountain, you are doomed to disappointment. It is just not possible to combine these three ambitions in one single pond. You will only gain the maximum benefit and pleasure from your pond if you take into consideration the very different basic requirements of individual plants and creatures. This is not very difficult. If your aim is an rna-mental pond containing goldfish,ko, and other fish, but you also want to coax plenty of wild visitors to take up residence, make sure you plan and build your pond bandits surroundings in a way that will meet the requirements of all these creatures. This means that:
•Ornamental fish, which require clear, oxygenated water,
will need a larger area of water sr-face than other creatures.
•Visitors to your garden pond will appreciate an additional habitat in the shape of a marshland or margin al area beside the pond or a stream.
On no account should goldfish be introduced if you want to create wild pond which will offer the opt i-mal living conditions for amphibians,dragonflies, and countless tiny water creatures, like diving beetles,pond skaters, or water fleas. Other fish, like sticklebacks or Lucas, are better suited to the life cycle of a nature pond. Some nature pond enthusiasts are of the opinion that no fish at all should be allowed in a wild pond. My own opinion is that a small stock of fish can be kept in a pond that is more than 160 sq ft (15 sq m) in area.
My advice is to observe how life develops in your nature pond,check in specialist literature regard-in the requirements of those creatures that have established them-selves in the pond and then decide on the issue of fish.
A wild or nature pond is an individual bio tope which should remain-undisturbed, if possible. Only a min-i mum of care will be required and any work should be carried out with some thought.
Both types of pond have one thin gin common: they can accommodate
The size of your pond
Right from the start, you should give some thought to the approximate size of the finished pond and check carefully whether the posit ic-you have chosen is suitable for the installation of a pond.
The area of water: It would be almost impossible to give a mini-mum recommended area.
The basic rule must be that the larger the pond is, the less sends
it will be to interference. However.let me stress that even a small ga–den pond, which is all that is ge”leally feasible in most gardens due
lack of space, will still work perfectly well if you design and bi -properly and look after it should hardly have any problems with a rounds pond that has a-area of about 64 sq ft (6 sq m) -120 by 80 in (3 by 2 m). This size appropriate for ornamental and nature ponds. For any pond with area of less than 64 sq ft (6 sq the possibilities of designing it attractive way, stocking it wi thor providing a habitat for octahedron are fairly restricted. Depth of the water: One sec:the pond – an area of about -(1 sq m) – needs to be at leas:28 in (70 cm) deep.
This area of deeper water mistrial for fish and other creatures for over wintering. If you wish to insert assoil or gravel at the bottom ac:pond, the pit will have to be
8-12 in (20-30 cm) deeper, s: –the necessary depth of waste√ɬ¢√¢‚Äö¬¨√Ǭ¢ -still be attained later on!
The shape: This has no bearing on the life processes within the pond. Basically, you can choose whatever shape you wish providing it is suitable for the available insulating material.
A pond can nearly always be built, even in the smallest of gardens. If you have very little space, you may still be able to build a terraced pond, which will enable many beautiful water plants to flourish.
The ideal position
If you are keen on watching online enjoy growing water plants, it is probably a good idea to choose apposition close to a patio or much frequented corner where you often sit. You will, however, have to take into consideration certain factors that are prerequisites for the existence of a healthy, flourishing community of pond creatures and plants.
Take a long garden hose and lay it out at the chosen site in the shape
of the pond you are intending to build. Then take a good look at your design with the following points in mind:
Length of exposure to sunlight:light, warmth and, of course, shade are important factors for the growth of plants.
•Note the number of hours during which the site you have chosen will be in shade.
•Ideal: shade during the midday period; exposure to sunlight duringthe rest of the day.
√ɬ¢√¢‚Äö¬¨√Ǭ¢The pond must have a minimum eight hours’ exposure to sunlight per day.
•If the chosen position is in intense sunlight all day long, you will have to erect shade providers(hedges, tall-growing edge, or bank plants).
Weather influence: The pond should be protected on the side exposed to the prevailing wind(specially if this is to the north or northwest).
The installation of some kind of protection against weather must be designed close to the pond if the wall of a building or other existing plantings do not already offer protection. Good weather protection devices are:
•an earth wall, which can be built with the soil excavated from the pond basin;
•a dense planting, approximately16-20 in (40-50 cm) tall, around the edge of the pond.
Weather protection can also have a favorable effect on the mini-climate (the climatic conditions in the immediate vicinity) that will develop around the pond. This is important for the growth of the plants and for the living conditions of wildlife in and around the pond.Tres: If possible, a pond should not be built immediately under trees. If too many leaves and conifer needles are let drop into the water during the fall, they may alter the quality of the water to a point where it begins to endanger the well-being of water plants pandowdies. At a sufficient distance from the pond, however, trees may become welcome providers of shade.
Soil suitability: A trial trench will:Ave you some idea of the prevailing conditions and tell you whether you will be able to dig down deep enough in the chosen position to provide a depth of at least 28 in
f-70 cm).
If you come across large pieces of-o ck or stone, the problem can be solved with the help of some prospective material.
• If the subsoil is very rocky, told be better to construct a pond with a raised water level.
Vain conduits, pipes, etc.: Make sure there are no electrical cables
water or drainage pipes near the hole that you dig for the pond. Either our own building plans or the re le-ant planning office will be able to give you information on the course of main supply lines.
The installation of a garden::-J does not normally require
planning permission. What you ar e-.squired to do, however, is torque safety provisions for the:protection of children and to make sure that water is not to penetrate a neighboring property.
Room for extending the pond: In my experience you would not be
first gardener who, after completing the construction of a pond, suddenly decided that an area of—assailant or a running stream was7e one thing they needed to com-pete their design, and then found Tare was not enough room for your Dens. This is why I recommend give some thought to this possibility-g fit from the start, so that ethereal be room, later on, for an attracted extension.
You may also need room for soak which can accommodation if the water level rises to snowing level during periods of heavy rain
Water and electricity
Usually, the pond will have to be supplied with water and electricity from the house. Check before you start whether this is feasible.
Fresh water supply: The simplest solution is to have a sufficiently long, sturdy garden hose to supply water from the house to the pond,laid at about a spade’s depth underground.
Electricity and oxygen supply:You will require two PVC pipes for this purpose, with a diameter of about 1 in (2.5 cm) (obtainable from builders’ merchants or electrical suppliers). These pipes will accommodate electrical cables and an air hose from an air pump.
The pipes should be buried at a spade’s depth and so that they run slightly downhill from your house. This means laying the pipe few inches (centimeters) deeper at the pond end, so that any moisture in the pipe will run away from the house.
My tip: There are a number of possibilities for conducting electricity to your pond or for installing electrical output units near the pond. The
best plan is to obtain advice from professional electrician.
Warning: Remember that all electrical installations should only be car-reid out by an expert! I would warn any layperson against installing their own cables or against any do-it-yourself connection of electrical devices. Liability for accidents arising from the use of electricity rests with the person who carried out the work. If you use electrical gadget sin your pond, which would probably be the case in an ornamental pond or a running stream, please read and take note of the safety advice in the section on “helpful gadgets”.
Insulation materials
It is best to decide during the planning phase which insulation material you intend to use in your pond. The most frequently used materials nowadays are PVC lining material or ready-molded ponds.
However,instead, you may wish to use clay as an insulation layer in a nature pond. If you have not already made your decision on this, it might be ago od idea to read through the instructions for carrying out the work in the following chapter, so that you have some idea of what is involved. Any mistakes will probably prove expensive to correct and may also spoil your enjoyment of the finished result.
From my own experience, I can offer the following advice:
The easiest materials to work with are various types of pond insulation material. Even those of you who have not had much experience with do-it-yourself projects will find it easy to handle. Using this PVC lining, ponds of any size or shape can be constructed with ease. Using ready-molded ponds is equally problem-free;fiber-glass molded ponds can be obtained in a wide range of size sand shapes.
Clay will involve more work handsome skill. I would not
recommend insulating a pond with roofing felt or fiber-glass reinforced polyester resin. From my own experience of using them in garden ponds, these materials have not proved themselves to be very durable.
You will need the help of an expert if you decide to use concrete.
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