Water gardens
Water garden is a complex ecosystem, requiring right balance. It consists of water features, different groups of plants and aquatic habitats. Garden pond can be either natural or artificial, with certain amount of given plants species. The amount of plants depends on the volume of water that your pond will accommodate. The plants should perform two functions: apart from being ornamental elements, they should absorb carbon dioxide respired by fish and supply water with oxygen. During winter period plants should be removed to the basement.
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Garden water features
Artificial waterfallis a complex system which can function separately or be a part of watergarden elements. Gardenwaterfeatures consist of pumps, filters,reservoirs,cascades (made of stones or other materials) where water flows over a vertical drop, ponds or lakes, from which the water is recirculated. For small water features the height of the construction should be 0,5-1 meter; for big ones- more than 1 meter. Water falls of the ledges,stone tiles or concrete foundation serving as a support element. In order to avoid water leaking,waterproofingshould be taken into account. First thing to do is to choose the right place for the waterfall, at the bottom of which there should be a pond for the water to flow into. The size of water feature should be in balance with the size of the garden. The pump should provide for trouble-free service.
Water features look natural with stones of different shapes and sizes (pebbles, marble,granite, sandstone or slate).For this reason waterfalls are integrated nicely into the rockery garden setting. The following watersideherbaceous plants- day lily,lobelia, iris, loosestrife and narrowleafhawksbeard, as well asornamental shrubs, like spiraea and willow trees, are great perimeter plantings.
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Water feature design depends on chosen garden style. In formal gardens strict geometry is a dominant feature; waterfalls are decorated with sculptures and bas-reliefs; formal planters and pots with a geometric feeling are chosen for the plants. The ledges for water to fall off usually have rectangular shape. Raw natural stone in combination with aquatic and waterside plants is used in landscape gardens. The goal here is to imitate naturally eroded landscape, where the water appears to have carved its way through the rock face. These types of waterfalls work great for sloping sites with complex relief.
Pond waterfalls enhance the beauty of the pond; water can either gurgle or gently fall down. Moreover, waterfalls can take a form of cascades. Flat sandstone tiles or big boulders are perfect for these water features. Cascade is basically a series of small waterfalls. Basic waterfalls can be created from plastic or stainless steel basins. They are easy to install and are waterproof.
Garden pond design
Ponds transform the outdoor space and should be nicely integrated into the landscapedesign. Surrounding pond with decking allows to create nice recreation area in your garden. Once filled up with pebble-dash, common materials to use are wooden decks, tiles or natural stone (pavers or flagstones).
Image source: Flickr
Provide for safe and comfortabledescentto the pond. Different pond designs allow to shape the ponds to fit the particular landscape, design aquatic and perimeter areas. Landscape design, the architecture of the house and dominant materials used in the garden should be taken into account. Modern technologies and materials help to create stunning long-lastinggarden pond design. Ornamental pond can be installed even in small outdoor spaces. A thing to consider here is to avoid placing the pond near arboreousplants, the roots of which can cause damages on waterproofing membrane. Besides, the foliage and seeds can easily get into water reservoirs. Among numerous garden pond ideas are miniature waterfalls, decorated with slate flagstones with beautiful perimeter plantings ( filipendula, astilbe, thoroughwort) or odd-shaped ponds, framed with natural stone of different sizes, decorated with ornamental deciduous plants like hosta, bergeniaor fern. Recreation area with beautiful pergola and benches can be designed to surround the pond. Pergolas look stunning if you add a small bridge over the pond.
