Arborsmith Studios How to Clean Up a Nasty Water Garden - and Keep it That Way! In my previous post I dove into the myth about water gardens not needing filters. Many people subscribe to the theory that mother nature will take care of their backyard ornamental manmade water garden or koi pond or goldfish pond but I have proven in my last post that these types of ponds are nowhere near being natural bodies of water. I think many ponders now are convinced that a koi pond or goldfish pond requires a filter because extra biological filtration is needed to keep the water free of ammonia and nitrites and healthy for the pond fish. What very few people consider is that a water garden void of fish would be a lot cleaner and prettier with a filter system tough enough to filter out all the junk a water garden creates.Like I said earlier: There's nothing uglier than a dirty, neglected water garden. I'll add to that. There's nothing smellier either!
DIY Outdoor Garden Chandelier Round-up I am eager to get home (on a red-eye flight tonight) and back to some projects and normal life. I have a patio project going on that should be nearing completion this week. Once finished, I am excited to start adding features — like a beautiful garden chandelier. I have lots of great, inexpensive, DIY options that I have rounded up for your inspiration and my own. Here’s a simple DIY garden chandelier tutorial from Ecologue. The full tutorial for this basket variety is at sunset magazine. This outdoor chandelier was made from beads found at the dollar store and the full directions can be found at dollar store crafts. These elegant glass Bubble Chandeliers can be made from directions found over at Re-Nest . It’s not lit, but still a beautiful concept. It’s just a simple pot rack….but stylishly mixed candles and succulents create quite a pretty scene. And finally, this branch fixture seems easy enough to recreate and would be perfect over a garden table.
Nelson Water Gardens and Nursery | How to Install a Disappearing Fountain A Disappearing Fountain is a great way to add the sound and movement of water to your garden! Water is pumped from a hidden reservoir buried in the ground, through the fountain piece and then seemingly disappears back into the ground. With our NWG Pre-molded Reservoirs, installing a Disappearing Fountain is easier than ever! Disappearing Fountains can be created from nearly anything. Traditional choices are decorative pots, statues, fountains or waterfalls. We even created a Disappearing Fountain from a trash can just to prove our point.Pot or Piece Choices Granite, Basalt, Onyx, Travertine, Calcite, Petrified Wood, and other stone pieces will last virtually forever. install reservoir backfill around reservoir install grating & netting connect tubing cover with rock topping Dig your hole about 11”-12″ deep and fill the bottom with 2″ of sand. We’ve learned this the hard way; always connect the tubing to the piece and then to the pump not the other way around.
How to Build a Pergola - DIY Building a Pergola Here's a structure that won't provide shelter from wind or rain, and is only marginally better when it comes to the midday sun. So, why build it? Because in the absence of walls and a roof, it defines an outdoor space without constraining it. It's a unique architectural blend that places you both inside and out at the same time. The structure is called a pergola, and it's just the thing to bring backyard landscaping to life. Pergolas were common features of Italian Renaissance gardens, often covering walkways or serving as grape arbors. Our pergola fits on an 8-ft. square, but it's easy to modify it to suit your site. Model designed in Alibre Design Xpress. Download a larger animated PDF of this project with a printable step-by-step guide (Requires Adobe Reader). Installing the Posts The posts are composed of pressure-treated 4 x 4 cores that are sheathed with 1 x cedar. Lay out the post positions and mark the screw locations [1]. We used 1/4-in. Then secure each end with four 3-in.
Fire Fountain How I build a Fire Fountain by Paul G Russell The first idea I had was to create modern fountain but didn't have room in the back yard. The second idea was to create Zen like fountain that had a hidden fire pit. Went looking at other ideas on the web. Next step was to determine how much and what kind of materials. I wanted low cost easy to source. Basic materials Cinder blocks Bricks 2 mortar mixing basin (one for the fountain and one to mix mortar) Fire pit ring (example) Gas line supplies Stage 1 - lay out the foundation - here you can see I'm using 2x4 to make sure everything is square. Brick foundation to make the base strong and to allow drainage of the pit. Here is the fountain water basin which uses one of the mortar mixing tubs. Fountain fire pit base foundation mortared in place. Flexible gas line and on/off valve is behind the fountain wall zone. Fountain wall foundation build up. The fire ring is supported by 4 half cinder blocks and one full block. Filling the fire pit lava rocks
Welcome to Swimpond Landscape Design Inc ... where lifestyle is in harmony with nature On the surface, our swimponds look like a natural garden pond but they are specifically designed so people can swim in clean, pure water with absolutely no chemicals. A swimpond actually consists of two zones: a deep, central swimming area and a shallower surrounding area with plants which are specially chosen to purify the water. A traditional swimming pool uses chemicals such as chlorine to kill bacteria whereas a swimpond cleanses the water naturally. It uses the natural purifying properties of plants and our proprietary filter technology to provide natural, chemical-free clear water. Tommie Award Winner - Gold Georgie Award Winner - Gold
DIY backyard fountain- complete with tutorial! | Hip House Girl Posted by Hip House Girl under Yard[44] Comments We made this: Well okay, we didn’t throw that pot. I just mean that we made this pot into a fountain. It’s a little subtle and hard to tell from pictures, but the water bubbles up in the middle and runs down the sides. Materials: Ceramic pot of your liking (base of pot must be smaller than the diameter of a 5-gallon bucket)5-gallon bucket (we used plastic but are now thinking a metal one would be better)Aluminum L-bracketsScreen material cut about 4-5 inches bigger than a 5-gallon bucket, and with a hole in the middleSubmersible pumpThe kind of hose that goes with a submersible pump (technical term). Step one: find an ugly spot in your yard that needs some beautification, and where your pump could be plugged in. Done. Step two: Dig a hole for your 5-gallon bucket. *Note: If we were to do it again, we would have done all of the following assembly steps before putting the bucket in the ground. These L-brackets are super strong. Like this:
Kitchen Gardens: Your Own Potager Kitchen gardens have been around since people first decided to grow plants for their use rather than simply gathering them from the wild. It's the ultimate in practical gardening—growing fruits, veggies, herbs, and edible flowers right outside the kitchen door. Step outside, harvest the freshest and most flavorful produce, then cook and serve. What could be easier or better than that? In England and France, where kitchen gardens are called potagers (poh-tah-JAYS), a lot of planning goes into making sure these humble gardens are as attractive as they are practical. Whether you design a simple kitchen garden or an elegant potager, here are some basics to get you started. Choosing Plants Because space in a dooryard garden is always at a premium, reserve your kitchen garden for delicate crops you want to pick a bit at a time—lettuces and other salad crops, scallions, radishes, edible-podded peas and cherry tomatoes. Include some perennial crops and containers in your kitchen garden, too.
Frogs and Ponds - How to Share your Garden and Pond with Frogs Please Note: never add captive frogs to your pond or release them to the wild. Non-native species can wreak havoc on local ecosystems, carry foreign diseases, and become invasive species. Even native frogs could carry diseases that could cause death in local wild frogs. The spread of Chytrid fungus is a major factor in the amphibian extinction crisis, and the movement of frogs in the pet trade is a possible contributor to the spread of this devastating disease; be a responsible owner and never release your pets. Attracting Frogs to Your Garden - Build It and They Will Come Having frogs in the garden is definitely a worthy goal: frogs will help keep down insect populations as well as serenade you with their songs. Why Native Frog Species are BestBy building a frog-friendly pond, you will be limited to native species, and this is for the best. It is also relatively effortless to meet the needs of a native species, especially when it comes to dealing with local weather conditions. Patience!