A little water please! (no joke honest )

Hello all
I have a little place in the side garden next to the decking where I wish to put a water feature.

Don't want a pond with fishes in it etc. just something nice to look good next to the decking, it's in a shaded area.

Not sure if I want to get a pump but if the ideas sound good I will try one.

Any advice/ideas would be great, pictures would be brilliant! Many thanks Helen.xxx.

 

I would suggest a pump, just to keep the water moving, this will help stop it being a stagnant green feature. Even a small waterfall would then add some sound which is good. Just my opinion, but bigger the better, friends last year installed a small pond and now they wish they had gone bigger.
maybe not the scale you are thinking of, but...



[ 15. July 2007, 10:07 PM: Message edited by: Keving ]

 

Many thanks for you reply Keving not sure I want to go with a pond as such as it's only a small area that I have set aside, but thanks for the wonderful picture. Can't get enough of gardening pictures! Helen.xxx.

 

sorry but putting a pump in water to keep it moving does NOT stop it from turning green.
Water turns green becuse the sunlight causes photo synthasis and turns the micro organisms green.
putting in a pump only moves the water round and aerates it.

You can make a simple water feature from almost anything. There is a bit more to it than just a sump and pump, but it really is easy.

 

No need for apologies water-garden, you are correct.

 

I don't know if this is any help but we put this water feature in at our old house. It was just a plastic box sunk into the ground with a pump connected to a stone jar. The box was covered in wire mesh and then pebbles with the jar placed in the middle.We were quite short of room but it was nice to listen to the water on a summers day.

 

Thats commonly known as a "pebble pool" I too have one, quite common is the "top hat sump" which is designed for this very purpose, but if you do get one, dont put a fountain in it that is too tall. you may want to see this construction info is here

 

Thanks guys a pebble pool might just be the thing although Bob keeps looking at small ponds...but I really don't want one!
Any more ideas? keep them coming.Thanks again.Helen.xxx.

 

The smaller the pond, the more maintenance it requires.

Garden centres have all kinds of small water features, but I think they are overpriced, and the types of garden they suit are very limited.

A pebble pool is one of the best values for money, then rather than having the standard fountain, you could adapt it to your own taste. For example you could fix an old watering can at an angle and pump water into it using the spout as an outfall.

 

Thats not as easy as it sounds. (watering can)

First you have to get the can at an angle and stay there.
The can's spout must be above the catchment area, the problem is water can and does sometimes run back down the outside of the spout down the edge of the can and not back into the sump.

I found out the hard way when i did it wilth a wellington boot.
yes you did read that right, a wellington boot. The toe of the boot turns upward slightly and water ran back down the underside of the boot.
it did look good though.

 

Thanks everyone for your ideas and also to the very wonderful glenw who was so kind to offer me a pebble pond FREE!
I was going to stick with the pebble pond because that was what I wanted ,shame on me!

But as my hubbie Bob has just had a few bad days (he's at stage three of kidney failure) I'm thinking of having a pond for him instead he would so like that, so on his "bad days" he can sit out by it and relax.

Thanks once again Glen you are indeed an angel
Helen.xxx.