Water Garden Idea Book

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 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

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.