Making Garden Pools and Fountains Part of Your Landscaping

Water in almost any form enriches a garden and delights the senses, Modern home owners are bringing garden pools right into the patios and terraces. Moving water is ideal, such as a splashing fountain or a narrow little brook running through the grounds and between flowers over clear stones. But even a spigot with a wooden bucket below it or a tub to fill with water can be used to bring water into the garden. Cut flowers can bring a verdant cool feeling into the garden.

Using the sound of running water and the evaporative qualities of a fountain or pool to bring relief from the heat is a trick we have learned from the gardens of Japan, Spain and other countries in hot climates. A pool in the garden highlights the good features of your garden setting. It should be placed so that its surface will be seen from several points or at least from the most frequented spot in the garden.

The shape and materials of the coping around the pool have much to do with its appropriateness in the setting. Flagstone, brick and tile are all good depending on the degree of formality of the pool. Sometimes the best solution is no visible coping at all. You can make fountains with only a small supply of flowing water that can be used over and over again. You just have to install a small motor and pump to have an electrical pumping system.

Essential Landscaping Equipment

Whether the grounds around your home are large or small, having the right tools and equipment can speed up routine tasks for successful gardening. Taking good care of your tools and keeping them in one place will pay dividends in time and effort. If you do not have a tool house or room where you can keep all your tools together in one place, you should arrange to have some space in your garage. You will need to have insecticides, fertilizers, stakes, wire, paint and other equipment in addition to a selection of gardening tools.

You can also build a locker in the corner of your carport. A tool shed is like a giant kitchen cabinet and you can add one to your garage in the form of a lean-to. There are basic tools everyone needs. These include a metal shank spade or even better a spade with an easy to use handle, a spading fork, and a planting shovel. Then you need a box or basket in which you can carry them to the area of the grounds where you will be working, so they will be handy when you need them.

The tools that you should have in this box or basket include a steel shank hand trowel, a hand fork and a hand cultivator. An iron or bow rake is fundamental, of course, and so is the bamboo or broom rake. A weed spud for hand removal of weeds is a favorite instrument, and a good pair of shears or hand pruner is indispensable. The other musts are your hose, hand mower, roller, watering can and wheelbarrow.

Whether the grounds around your home are large or small, having the right tools and equipment can speed up routine tasks for successful gardening. Taking good care of your tools and keeping them in one place will pay dividends in time and effort.