Garden Maintenance and Landscaping

How To Build A Beautiful Fountain – All It Takes Is Three Garden Pots

Even though the idea of garden fountains being made from pots is not new, I happened upon a method of building one that I hadn’t seen before. I think this fountain would make a wonderful addition to any garden and its so easy to build that anyone can do it. The first thing you need to do is choose the appropriate pots. One will be used as the basin to catch the water coming down. The next is a base and then the largest pot is used for the main fountain. When you are choosing the shape for this pot, keep in mind that the function is just as important as how it looks. A slightly tapered pot that is smooth will be very quiet as the water tends to cling on to the sides of the pot as it falls. Pots having ridges or rings will cause the water to splash into the basin causing more sound.

Start with the large terracotta (or stone) bowl as the basin for your garden pot fountain. This will be the foundation for your fountain where the overflowing water will fall into. Using a power drill and masonry bit, drill out a hole from the center of the bowl (if necessary). Now you can run the cord from the pump out through the hole. Cover this hole with duct tape and fill it in with a car body filler. When its dry, use silicon to fill in around the cord. You should now be ready to place the pot in your desired location. Try to place this as level as possible, but its not crucial for the fountain to run properly.

The pump is housed inside the base pot that is turned upside down. The diameter of the base should match the diameter of the main large fountain pot. Cut out three or four notches around the top rim of the pot. Its easier to do this if you soak the pot in water overnight. The purpose of the notches is to let water pass in to the base to the pump.

For the tubing, cut a piece of pipe about a foot longer than the height of the main fountain pot and attach to the pump. Now you must feed the pot used for the base down over the tube through the hole in the bottom. Apply silicon around the gap between the tube and the bottom of the pot. The whole set up at this point will be the basin with a pump inside an upside down pot sitting in the middle of it and the pipe sticking out the top of the base pot.

Test fit the large fountain pot by sliding it down over the pipe and onto the top of the base pot. Don’t apply any glue just yet. If it all looks good (the pot is plumb and level with the pipe sticking out past the top of the pot), then you can take it back off to run a couple of thick beads of silicon around the top of the base pot. The bead on the inside closest to the hole will keep water from running in between the pots while the bead on the outside helps hold the two pots together.

When everything has dried, you should test it out by filling with water and running the pump. You will have to adjust the height of the tubing by cutting off the excess to achieve the desired effect you are looking for. Finish by filling the basin pot with decorative rocks.

Donald Rickerby has been working in gardens since his early childhood and has always been interested in educating others on garden pot and landscaping techniques. If you’d like to know more about garden pots, visit AllGardenPots.com

How To Design And Maintain A Water Garden

A water garden can add a distinctive look to your home and make stand out from the rest. A well designed water garden and envy onlookers and attract many spectators. The size of water garden should be proportionate to your home to give it the perfect look.

Choose the exact location and construct a unique water garden.

It is not necessary to have flowing water in the garden. Even if you plan to have flowing water, make sure the force is less or it will hamper other aquatic plants. However, flowing water has its advantages as well.

A fountain will certainly add more style to your garden and if you plan to have fish, they stay well in the moving water. Just attach a pump and filter that can make the flowing of water easy and also remove the dirt.

Depending upon the style of your water garden, you could choose to have either a fountain or a waterfall. A waterfall goes well with rocks, so if you have used stones to design your water garden you can develop a waterfall.

You can also opt for statue fountains or metal ones, as they enhance the look of your garden. The pipes and pumps can also be fitted in a proper manner to give it a good look.

You can also go for fabricated waterfalls and fountains that simply need to be installed in your garden. There are several designs and patterns available in the market and you need to pick the one that goes well with the design of your garden. If you are artistic, you can make one and place it in the garden.

When it comes to choosing a pump, you need to select one depending upon the amount of water you require to keep in motion. For fast moving water, you would require a forceful pump. You can always take the help of the storekeeper prior to choosing one. The size of the pump, however, should not be more than the pond, it should proportionate to it.

Choose your plants carefully. You should have enough knowledge about the plants and flowers that grow in water. Do not fill the place with too many plants, as it can make it cumbersome to clean. When using electrical pump, make sure that the currents are not very strong or it harm the fishes and plants. Let there be a gentle flow of water.

When it comes to maintaining the water garden, make sure you inspect it regularly. Remove all the dead plants or leaves. Leave the water garden free of debris. Change the water regularly so they it stays free of dirt and does not attract insects. You need to clean the pump and filter on a timely basis. When it comes to cleaning, unplug the pump and then carry on. After cleaning, fix all the parts properly and read the instructions in order to make sure you are doing it in the right way.

Daily care and cleaning of water garden will help you keep it clean and healthy. Water garden will require more attention than the normal garden. Anything that stays in water for long can get decomposed or deceased causing a problem to the other plants. Therefore, pay timely attention and you can easily maintain your water garden.

How To Install And Maintain Your Water Garden

A water garden is a beautiful landscaping feature that adds beauty and tranquility to your backyard.

Apart from providing aesthetic pleasure water gardens are also great for the environment and are miniature ecosystems in themselves. As water flows through a water garden it releases negative ions that are great air purifiers in the atmosphere.

You must have experienced the freshness in the atmosphere after a rainstorm or felt the difference in the tingling fresh air near a waterfall. This is the effect of the negative ions. Similarly, your water garden is a continual source of negatively charged ions that constantly act for removing toxins and impurities from the air.

Your water garden is home to gold fish and a variety of aquatic plant life. While installing a water garden you must take a variety of factors into consideration. For example the climate of the place where you plan your water garden will impact its size. In temperate climates the minimum depth of the pond should be two feet. In cold climates the depth of the water should be at least 12 to 18 inches below the freeze zone. Your water garden is one part of your overall garden structure and should be commensurate to its size. A large pond will look out of place in a small sized garden.

Sunlight is another factor that needs consideration because water plants need sunlight to survive and grow. It is therefore best to install your water garden where it receives a good amount of sunlight otherwise the choice of plants for the water garden may be severely limited. The water garden should not be built near trees as falling leaves, twigs and other debris may fall in the water, which will harm the aquatic plants of the water garden.

A beautiful water garden is like a piece of art to be enjoyed by all who view it. You should install it at a place where it can be viewed easily from the windows and terrace of your home

The water garden will also need regular maintenance, as it will contain plant and animal life. Maintaining a water garden will require pumping and filtering the water to clean it and prevent algae formation. Algae reduce oxygen in the water, which can lead to fish dying. Pond pumps supply oxygen-enriched water to the garden to allow plant and animals to thrive. You must also install pond filters to remove impurities that include metabolic remains left behind by the animals living in the pond. These pollute the water and make it dirty. Installing ultra violet clarifiers or UVCs will prevent algae formation.

Exposing pond water to the UV light source contained within the UVC will make the algae in the water clump together to form larger particles which can then be filtered out as they pass through the pond filter. Other than reducing the oxygen content of the water, algae also dirty the water making it green and murky. UV treatment of the pond water will also reduce fish disease causing organisms in the water.

Proper installation and maintenance of your water garden will keep it in top shape making it something to enjoy for a long time.