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Garden Ponds and Pools - Their Construction, Stocking and Maintenance
Garden Ponds and Pools - Their Construction, Stocking and Maintenance
Garden Ponds and Pools - Their Construction, Stocking and Maintenance
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Garden Ponds and Pools - Their Construction, Stocking and Maintenance

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“Garden Ponds and Pools” is a vintage guide to large garden water features, with chapters on designing, constructing, populating, and maintaining them. Written in simple language and full of handy tips and hints, this volume is perfect for those wanting to make the most of their garden with the inclusion of an eye-catching pond or pool. Contents include: “Site, Construction and Design”, “Fountains”, “Light and 'Balance'”, “Aquatic and Marginal Plants”, “Fishes”, “General Maintenance”, “Unwelcome Visitors”, “Fish Diseases and Remedies”, and “Addendum—Useful Appliances”. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 31, 2018
ISBN9781528783484
Garden Ponds and Pools - Their Construction, Stocking and Maintenance

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    Garden Ponds and Pools - Their Construction, Stocking and Maintenance - A. E. Hodge

    CHAPTER I

    SITE, CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN

    SITE and soil are important factors to be considered before starting the construction of a pond. Often some odd corner of the garden which is useless for growing flowering plants proves suitable for a pond, as it is essential that this be not fully exposed to a maximum of direct sunlight (unless intended specially for the cultivation of water-lilies), or Algœ (microscopic plants) will develop so excessively as to render the water opaquely green. But as a water-lily is very desirable for ornamental purposes and the leaves of this queen of aquatics provide their own shade, it would be well to fix upon a site where some portion of the pond receives full sunlight whilst the other portion is shaded—if not by a wall or fence—by the provision of bordering bushes or a tree. A fully exposed spot, particularly with a N.E. aspect, will have to bear the brunt of the rigours of winter, and this may result in the water of a small pond being frozen through solidly and the cracking of the cement by expansion of ice.

    Do not select a site beneath a deciduous tree or the pond will be choked with falling leaves in winter, necessitating a raking out in spring, and this is not easy to do without uprooting the aquatic plants and thus handicapping their early development. Unless excessive, dead leaves—especially of natural water-side trees, such as Willow and Alder—may be disregarded for they serve as natural manure to the aquatic plants. But an excess of decaying leaves causes a preponderance of carbonic acid gas which is harmful to fishes and diminishes the number which the pond will support.

    One should avoid surface drainage entering the pond as far as possible as this may carry with it noxious matter. So, if the pond be formed on an incline, the rim should be raised so that, during heavy rains, the water will be deviated around it.

    Before starting work on the pond, it is necessary to decide whether it is to be of formal (geometrical) or ornamental design or natural (irregular). For a formally arranged garden a formal pond is appropriate, but for an average garden one more ornamentally contrived is preferable, whilst for a garden of the wild type an irregular pond edged by rockwork on natural lines is recommended. The last mentioned is somewhat more costly owing to the amount of stone required, but, personally, I do not think that one can do better than strive for as natural a setting as

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