A Practical Guide to Creating a Garden Pond and Year-round Maintenance

This unique two tiered solar water fountain is a great addition to any garden. Constructed from resin with a grey weathered stone finish it creates a calming atmosphere on your patio, deck, balcony or garden. The two tiers help create the distinctive sound of running water. Use the power of the sun to run the water pump. There are no operating costs and the fountain is a breeze to set up. Solar water Fountain Features Lightweight maintenance free resin with weathered grey stone finish Constantly recycles water from a hidden reservoir Patented underwater integral solar panel & pump system Low voltage water pump with filter No wiring, simply install and enjoy No operating costs For additional information go to Solar Powered Garden Fountains Article

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Lots of people consider their garden as an extension of their home or living area; a place to doll up and refurbish with decorations, similarly like their home's interiors. The real beauty of the garden emanates from the well-designed layout, the greenery and the flowers, the trees, the lawn, and the terrace or patio. The birds and butterflies that come to visit just add more vibrancy and energy to the garden. Of course, such beauty can always be enhanced by the use of appropriate garden décor.

There are all sorts of garden décor to utilize when you want to improve or redesign your garden. Although "décor" itself is a traditional term used to describe the decorations and furnishings of an interior area, which includes the furniture, accessories, and even the wall treatments, I don't see why a garden cannot be treated in much the same way. In this article, we shall use the terms "garden décor" to signify the decorations that are included or added to the garden, both for functional and aesthetic purposes.

Statues - Statues go way, way back to ancient times as one of the most popular decorative elements for any area. There are classical statues that are created for adorning stately homes, mansions, public sites, memorials, etc. But there has also been a special niche for smaller statues that are used to beautify smaller, more modern gardens. These come in varied styles, such as cherubs and angels. Other popular designs include cats, dogs, lions, frogs, and other domestic or wild animals.

Waterfalls and Fountains - Experienced landscape artists know that a garden's appearance and ambience can be significantly enhanced by the addition of water elements. People just like and appreciate the look and sound of flowing water, which is also a big help if you want to relax. In fact, lots of people find it comforting just sitting near or strolling by water. You can add some artificial waterfalls and fountains to your garden to improve its overall look and feel. These can be incorporated into a water garden or just added as stand-alone elements.

Planters - The containers or planters used for some of your plants can be important decorative pieces in any garden, especially for those with terraces or patios. Some people even consider planter gardening as a specific type of gardening in itself. There are many helpful books on the subject if you want to learn what types of plants are best grown in planters. They come in a wide variety of designs and materials. You will easily find planters made out of concrete, terra cotta, fiberstone, fiberglass, or plastic.

Other Items - Don't let yourself be limited to what I have mentioned here. The possibilities and options for decorating your garden are endless. When special holidays come around, you can add ornaments and other items to create a relevant theme. You can also get pieces that play dual roles as functional and decorative elements, like garden lighting or bird houses.

Allow your creativity and imagination to run free while decorating your garden, and keep your eyes open while you visit public gardens, read magazines, and browse the Internet. Chances are, you will discover new ideas that will reenergize your garden and become the envy of everyone.

Syahrul Azlan Idris
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/types-of-garden-deacutecor-139041.html

Both purchasing a pond kit and installing a water garden yourself can save you a lot of money. Landscapers usually charge thousands of dollars to install professional liner ponds. In fact, even the supplies that the landscapers provide you with are marked up! Why not purchase the supplies online at significantly discounted prices? With the advent of the Internet, you can now gain access to the same pricing that the landscapers have access to. For further savings, all you need are some friends and family, and some time, you can even complete most, if not all, of the installation yourself.

Purchasing Your Materials

If you're thinking about a water garden for your backyard, the first thing you need to do is to layout your design. Take a good look at your yard and make sure that the location of the pond can be enjoyed from any decks and windows. Pull out the garden hose and create the shape of your pond right on the lawn. Experiment with it for a few days and observe how both the sun and slope of your yard will effect the space you have chosen. Most importantly, get your ideas on paper!

After designing your pond, you should take the materials required into consideration. Use your design to compose a list check-list of all the things that you require. Do you need a waterfall? How many tiers do you want in your pond? Do you want a stream leading into your main pond? Are you willing to install extra filtration to support your fish? How do you plan on landscaping the pond? Do you require underwater lighting? How powerful of a pump do you need?

Once you are sure about your material requirements, the most affordable way to proceed is to check online for professional pond kits that meet your requirements. Liner pond kits usually provide most or all of the basic materials required to install a pond, at a discounted price. Purchasing a pond kit also reduces the risk of mistakes that are often associated with purchasing the incorrectly-sized equipment. Have you ever tried to return liner, after it's been cut up? Or a pump, after you have run water through it? Good luck convincing a retail outlet that it came like that!

Installing Your Pond

After purchasing your pond kit, you may have to visit a garden center and/or a hardware store to pick up the items from your checklist that you still require. Keep in mind that one of the most highly recommended and comprehensive pond kits available is currently offered by Algreen Products. Unlike other kits, whereby extra filtration and lighting must be purchased separately, at retail prices, they include everything in one single kit for a low price. You cannot go wrong with their professional pond liner kits because they include everything you might possibly need, including liner, liner underlay, a skimmer, biofalls filter, all your charcoal/mechanical/biological filtration media, a properly-sized waterfall pump, underwater lighting, and all your tubing and construction materials.

After you've arranged all the materials together, it's time to get your friends together to start excavating a hole. At this stage of the game, a backhoe rental may be required for larger ponds. Ensure that the excavation is dug according to the dimensions that are laid out in your initial design. Make sure that a cavity for the biofalls filter and the skimmer are excavated on opposite sides of the pond, with the biofalls cavity being situated next to the highest pond tier.

After the excavation has been completed, the skimmer box can now be installed into the hole at the end of the pond, with the drainage hole facing out toward the pond. The skimmer should be set so that the top of its mouth is no less than 1 inch above your intended water level. Make sure that the skimmer is level and secure. The biofalls filter should be inserted into the hole at the opposite end of the pond.

Before laying the pond liner, cover the pond area, extending over the pond shelf, with underlayment and tuck it into pleats to conform to the shape of the pond. Cover the fabric with the heavy-duty (45-mil-thick) pond liner. Use caution, because even a small tear can result in a leak. You can use stones to weigh down the pond liner in the center of the pond.

Try to minimize the folding and pleating of the liner, because folds have the potential to trap dirt and debris. If you are worried about debris collecting in the folds, you have the option of sealing the folds with seaming tape. To do this, form each fold as a large triangle, and secure it with double-sided seaming tape. Sealing the fold makes it less obvious, keeps debris out, and prevents small fish from being trapped.

Cut a rectangular hole in the pond liner with sides that are 1" shorter than the rectangular opening of the skimmer. Connect the hole in the pond liner to the skimmer, using PVC tape.

The bulk of the pond installation is now complete! Now, all that remains to be done is to backfill around the edges of the pond with topsoil, and fill the pond with water. The pond is now ready to be landscaped.

As opposed to paying a landscaper for a pond installation, there are savings to be had from purchasing the supplies yourself. Since materials from landscapers are usually marked up, you are paying a premium for the materials right off the bat. You can obtain these supplies yourself, over the Internet, for significant savings (E.g. Algreen's Pond Pro Kits). And if you're really adventurous, you can even complete the installation yourself!

Congratulations on your first professional water garden!

Gerry Fung
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/installing-a-professional-water-garden-on-a-budget-98789.html

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Primrose Fountain Safe

Testing a micro solar pump (6Volt) to see just how much power is required to keep the wheel continuous. Once again its clear to see how little effort is required to move it!

Duration : 0:2:0

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This #1 in a series of 6 Videos on large Water Garden Fountains......
Future videos will deal with how to figure the pump sizing
and mapping out the internal plumbing systems.
For more clay works, visit us at WiltjerPottery.com

Duration : 0:2:15

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Our most popular water feature. As seen in many designer gardens, stainless steel spheres are stunning yet relaxing water features ideal in any garden, decking or paved area.

Visit www.ukwatefeatures.com to find out more about this water feature.

Duration : 0:0:37

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Hey, check out these auctions:
BOY CHILD PLAY STATUE ART GARDEN OUTDOOR WATER FOUNTAIN

US $75.50 End Date: Saturday Feb-04-2012 9:08:53 PST Buy It Now for only: US $75.50 Buy it now | Add to watch list

Powered by a solar panel and pump, this water feature is totally self-contained and requires no wiring - simply place it in sunlight, fill it with water and enjoy.

Duration : 0:0:26

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