Almost every garden has a pond. And he definitely enters the frame. And so, we continue the article Pond in the Garden: Typical Mistakes of Amateurs (Part 1).
Attempts to adapt the old bath
Speaking of finished forms, it should be mentioned that fans often try to dispose of enameled cast iron baths. Once, in times of chronic shortage and lack of available materials, this uncomplicated way to create a garden pond was welcomed by many. However, few people managed to decorate the white bath so that the enameled pond looked more or less attractive.
Often this structure looks shabby: green with white walls, hills of garbage at the bottom (because the background is bright and can see everything!), round cobblestones artlessly laid out on the edge, and planted next to the collectible beauty of the host. Unattractive sight…
But there are ways to embellish and such a body of water, you only need to move your imagination. The easiest way is to paint the bath with any dark or black paint. Visually, the capacity will look deeper, the reflectivity of the water will increase, and the edges will almost merge with the ground. In the presence of all kinds of plasticizers and modern mixtures, the inside of the bath can be coated with a layer of 1-3 cm, give it a texture, tinted with the addition of mineral powder or liquid colored pigments or finely chopped brown peat. If desired, if this image will fit into the overall picture, on top of the cement can be laid mosaic of colored stones or glass, mirror pieces or just stick pieces of crushed stone of different sizes.
If you have an Arsenal of used electrical baths, they can dig close to each other in a chain or square-cluster method, depending on the amount of internal surface finish as described above, and stacked on top edges to mount a decorative strip of tiles, clinker, wood, etc. will Turn the channel or pool with separate cells, each of which can be decorated in a special way: some plants, somewhere hitting a key or a small fountain, where some fish or light – field for the imagination.
Such a structure can be made partially raised over the entire area, and it is possible to arrange the cells at different levels, and even arrange the flow of water from one block to another. So the old primitive idea can be applied in a completely new way and achieve a wonderful result.
Conclusion: old, old tanks can be successfully used to create reservoirs, you only need to be creative and never leave in sight the wrong side.
Stone beads
The most common mistake in the decoration of the garden pond-is laid out around the edge, like beads, rounded cobblestone. Most of these beads lie in a row, but some people manage to stack two rows on top of each other.
Never such a method of laying stone will not look natural, not to mention the fact that it is absolutely impossible to decorate the film or Board rigid structure. Here are the colorful “monists” on the monstrous black shores, and no matter what beauty you arrange around, this Aqua garden will serve as a mute reproach to the owner.
Resting on the banks of rivers and lakes, try to pay attention to how nature “lays” the stones, and what you like and remember the most. Usually fines are the backdrop, and the larger textured contrast panels stand out.
Conclusion: the stone for the decoration of the reservoir must be carefully selected. It is advisable to use the stone uniform in breed and color, but varied in size. This does not mean that the pellets are absolutely not suitable, just that they “play”, you need to work with them even more carefully.
Toys around the pond
Another typical drawback that can spoil the most beautiful, carefully thought-out design: the simultaneous presence in a small area of a large number of decorative figures and various garden accessories.
Nobody is arguing that some bright dwarves really can decorate any corner of the garden, to bring a smile. But if plastic frogs, ducks made of papier-mache and clay mermaids are already enough, and you have presented a “tilted” pitcher with a painting for the Mayans for the fountain, white bent Rococo furniture and black lanterns a La Montmartre-will inevitably be too much. Any of these items in itself can be very attractive, but gathered together in the line of sight, they are likely to do you a disservice, turning the garden into a haberdashery shop.
Conclusion: the Reckless use of decorations will disrupt the garden’s harmony. Try to look at the garden as if from the outside, and if you tend to get involved in “decorating”, at least spread the decorative “gadgets” in space and time.
Next time we will finish the analysis of the most common mistakes that gardeners make when creating ponds and think about what kind of pond – pond, stream or fountain – will suit your garden.