Water features in the garden

Water features in the garden

One of the easiest ways to improve the look and feel of almost any type of garden, is to simply add a water feature to it. Water features come in a variety of different forms and sizes, and since they add a sense of serenity to a garden too, they’re wonderful to put close to sitting areas, or within private garden spaces.

Water features also draw birds, bees, frogs and other critters to the garden, and these can help you control pests on your plants and flowers naturally. Which type of water feature you put into your own gardens is a personal choice, so here we’ll look at the most popular options.

1. Simple Bird Baths - A bird bath can be a simple shallow bowl filled with water, and set out into your garden area. Bird baths do a wonderful job of attracting birds, and you’ll have fun watching them play and bathe. Bird baths can be sat onto the ground itself, but this makes it dangerous for the birds because cats can reach them easier. The best way to have a bird bath in your garden is to put it on a matching pedestal, and make sure it’s several feet away from any tall bushes or shrubbery that cats may easily hide in.

2. Water Fountains - Water fountains are one of the most enjoyable water elements to place in a garden, because the sound of moving water has a calmin and soothing effect on most people. That sound also has a white noise effect, which serves to help block out everyday noise from neighbors or street traffic. Water fountains can be stand alone elements you place in the center of your yard or nestle into a pretty perennial border garden. Water fountains also come as wall fountains, so they can be mounted near a garden bed or patio area instead.

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Garden Tip...

A smooth lawn is a great attraction of itself, even if there is not a tree or shrub upon it. When it is once made, a lawn is easily kept in order, yet we seldom see a good one. There are three things to be taken into consideration in securing a fine lawn. First, location; Second, quality of the soil; Third, the kinds of seed to be sown.
~ James Sheehan
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3. Garden Ponds - Garden ponds are another popular water element for your garden, and these too can be designed in a wide variety of ways. You may choose to create a tropical oasis pond which is surrounded by lush tropical plants and greenery, or create a fish pond which has plenty of activity to keep you entertained for hours on end.

4. Water falls - Water falls are another way to add water movement and sound to your garden, and they tend to work particularly well with garden ponds too. By keeping the water moving, you have all the benefits and pleasure of a water fountain, and they help keep your pond water clean and clear too. Wildlife usually prefers moving water as well, so a waterfall tends to attract many more birds and beneficial animals to your garden area.

5. Brooks and Streams - These work wonderfully in certain types of yards, but they can be difficult to create in others. If you have an existing area in your yard where water tends to run off naturally from the roof and rain gutters, then that may be the ideal place to put a small rock river bed. Then each time it rains, you’ll have a little bubbling brook running through your garden.
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Garden Tip...

Always water your plants in winter time with lukewarm water, if you would have a profusion of flowers, and thrifty-growing plants. The water should be of the same temperature as the room or place where the plants are. There is no theory about it, it is a practical fact.
~ James Sheehan
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