installation
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
There are many kinds of swimming pools and spas out there, and maybe even more specialized types of fountains. So it shouldn't come as surprise that there's also plenty of variety when it comes to ponds. From huge agricultural retention basins to the smallest birdbaths and everything in between, the broad spectrum
Competence is a wonderful thing - and that was exactly the problem with the pond we were called in to replace: The original installers had none, and kept on demonstrating their utter lack of it all through the six or seven weeks they were on the job site. Happily, competence is something my own crew has in abundance, and in two days we not only got rid of the mess our predecessors left behind, but also installed a brand-new pond and turned a shabby mess into a
This is a case where the client said it best: In describing his backyard pond as "a HazMat spill," he put it more bluntly and succinctly than I ever would or could have. And he was right: The little pond was a complete, total, unholy mess. For starters, the waterfall and skimmer had been placed within inches of each other in a hard-to-access corner, thereby obliterating
When a backyard has a swimming pool, homeowners generally want their watershape to be a key visual component in the overall composition. Too often, however - and this is particularly true of many of the older ones I see - the pool is unexciting both on its own and as part of the landscape. That's definitely not the style these days. Homeowners either want to make a statement by having a pool that is a visual knockout complete with big rocks and grottos and waterfalls; or they want it to play a more understated role but be a major part of a
Sustaining Sustainability