Garden Ponds are a great way to enjoy your California backyard
Garden Ponds - A California Favorite
Using Garden Ponds
Almost any type of garden can be improved by the addition of fountains, waterfalls, water features, or garden ponds.
The purely formal garden laid out symmetrically may be enhanced by a Cast Stone Water Fountain of a strictly
geometrical design; the nondescript garden
that looked so well on paper but did not turn
out as expected simply asks for a shapeless
sort of garden pond to put it right.
The garden pond may be the centerpiece of the outdoor space or it may be used to fill a barren corner that otherwise was an eyesore. Then again, a strip of land may lie alongside a house the owner of which, rather than it should be built on, would like to purchase, if he only knew what to do with it. Here is an opportunity to make a large ornamental garden pond, which, if the inclination is there, can be used for fish breeding, which can be a profitable hobby if you know what you are doing.
The Many Varieties of Garden Ponds
The tiny ' backyard,' provided there is a
certain amount of sun, can be converted by
tubs, etc., into an attractive water garden.
Without either garden or backyard, even, it is
possible to have a garden pond; one of the most
delightful ponds I have seen was built in the
hall floor of a mansion in Kansas City.
Commercial buildings, too, improve their foyers with marble
pools containing lilies and fancy fishes.
Thus it will be seen that, given ingenuity
and a modicum of knowledge, no house of any
size need be without its ornamental garden pool.
Very interesting, too, is the hobby of caring
for an aquatic garden with its great variety of
plants and fishes; there is a decided thrill on
seeing, for the first time, baby fishes in the garden pond; it is a greater thrill, even, to watch the
buds of your first Water Lily gradually open
out into glorious blooms, spilling across the fringes of your garden pond.
Two Key "Dont's" When it Comes to Garden Ponds
1. Don't have trees overhanging the water;
small shrubs are better. Some trees have
leaves that definitely are poisonous, laburnum
is the greatest offender in this respect. In
any case the fallen leaves foul the garden pond, and
set up poisonous bacterial growths which
eventually harm the fish. All this apart
from the leaves making the pond water unsightly.
2. Don't have the water right up to the edge of the garden pond, particularly if the edge is level with the surrounding ground. Cats will sit for hours, generally very early in the morning before the household is astir, endeavouring to scoop the fishes out of the garden ponds with their paws; even if they do not manage to land any their talons may pierce the fish's skin and puncture the swim bladder.
