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What is it that draws us to water?

Since the beginning of time man and beast have been drawn to water's edge. Be it for food, drink, irrigation, transportation or some other magical and magnetic effect, the attraction of this elements undeniably there. We can not avoid it. Civilization has always thrived around water. Well, lake, pond, river or ocean, instinctively we know that we must have this element present in our lives. Water draws the eye, the ear, the mind and the soul. It has been depicted in paintings and photography, contained in formal fountains, and gardens. We can not get away from the fact that we like, love, need, yes crave water in all of it's manifestations.

To satisfy that inbred need we are often inclined to add a water feature to our gardens. You might choose a large water garden, a water feature, a waterfall or a small short water filled stream or pond, what ever you choose to put into your yard, it will make you smile when ever you see or even hear it. It will bubble merrily to cheer you and when you are stressed it will sooth you. You might choose to have a contractor put in your water feature, forgoing the stresses of instillation, or you might decide against the cost of help and do it yourself. Which ever route you take there are a few tips you should heed.

First choose the best and toughest liner that you can find, it will give your water feature longevity. A leaky koi pond is not going to do the koi any good.

The second is to put in the best filtration system you can find. This will save you hours of scooping out leaves, wind tossed scraps of paper and silt. You will not smile when you see the pond if it is clogged with leaves and silt, demanding, calling you, stealing even more of your precious time. A good filtration system will also reduce the algae that you need to deal with. A shallow layer of rocks in the bottom of the pond will help to filter out much of the occurring algae as well as adding visual interest to the pond floor. If you place one large rock, submerged on the bottom, it can act as a shelf to place potted water plants on. Those water plants act to add oxygen to your water which will help any wildlife that live in or around the pond, they filter the water too.

Thirdly a good pump is necessary. Without a strong pump the water will stagnate and foul.

The plants that you choose for your pond might include water lilies, lotus or some horse tail ferns, to skirt the edges. A few Irises or cat tail reeds would do well on the rim. Try to pick plants that will return year after year so that you do not need to replant each year. Flowering annuals are nice because the blossoms will increase each year adding more and more beauty with time.

Placement of your pond is important. Keeping your water feature mostly in the shade will reduce the algae buildup, any fish that you add will be happy for this.

When If, for what ever reason, we can not add a water feature we can still mimic water by suggesting it with loose river rock paths that flow over the landscape. They take on the appearance of out of season river beds.

Some towns are zoned so that any ground water feature needs to be placed inside of a fenced in area, check with your local zoning board before you begin so that you are not surprised by having to build fence when you are done with your water feature.

Learn more about this author, A. C. O'Brien.
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