Vortex International Launches Watermark Display Systems
Vortex International (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) has introduced Watermark, a fixture that forms patterns and words…
Crystal Fountains Releases 2015 Catalog
Crystal Fountains (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) has published its “Fountain Idea Book” for 2015. The 262-page,…
Ripples #104
'Touch the Wall': Missy Franklin, Kara Lynn Joyce Swim on Film
The Aquatic Quiz #15
In Hot Water: High School Teacher Drags Screaming Student into Pool  
Burying Masterpieces
When I listen to people as they stare at a fountain, I often hear them say, "How wonderful!"  In witnessing that praise, however, I know for a fact that what they find appealing is the gracefulness of a sculpture or the beauty of the stone or tile finishes or the way the water flows - what I refer to as the fountain's "façade."   In many cases, what's behind that façade can be pretty mundane:  maybe a small pump, some simple plumbing, a cascade head or sconce and little more.  In other cases, however, what's going on behind the surface is
Ecosystem Design
As mentioned previously in this video series, one of the key points distinguishing frog ponds from most other modern backyard ponds is the fact that there's no circulation system of any kind - no pump to keep the water moving, no skimmer or filter to help keep it clean.  That fact puts quite a burden on the frog-pond designer to make certain the water will be safe for tadpoles and attractive to the
Channeling Insights
WaterShapes has been privileged to publish countless beautiful photographs through the years, and many of the best of them ended up on the printed magazine's cover.On a few occasions, however, great images weren't available for cover appearances.  There were several possible reasons for this, but most often it had something to do with
Spa Strategies
For almost as long as I've been in business, people who are interested in swimming pools have also usually been interested in having a spa or hot tub to go along with it.  It's always been a natural combination, and as watershapers we've found myriad ways to meet thegeneral demand. In the video linked below, I offer a quick discussion of two key factors homeowners need to consider in
2014/12.1, December 3 — Buried Artistry, Frog-Friendly Planting, Spa Finesse and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS December 3, 2014 www.watershapes.com CASE STUDIES…
An Eye on Aesthetics
The fact that frog ponds are so shallow offers the pond installer some special challenges with respect to making them look completely natural. As you'll see in the video linked below, there's an obvious temptation to take the easy way out by lining the edge with rocks of similarly large sizes and settling for the dreaded "string of pearls" look, where stones hang out like some sort of lumpy