You can have a water garden of a certain size in your house/ garden. Have a luxurious open air water garden, if you have enough space or a miniature pond of a few feet diameter in your little garden or just create it in any large shallow container or even in an abandoned bathtub!
It doesn’t matter where you created it but how it was and how best you utilized your space and other resources. Outdoor gardens were best left to professionals to create on a turnkey basis, as per your ambitions, ideas and budget. On the other hand, if you and your spouse or son decides to involve in it from scratch, there are do it yourself kits.
Creating a natural looking outdoor artificial pond, or water garden, as some people and SEO junkies would like to call it, has many skill and labor intensive steps:
- Planning: Plan well in advance things like landscaping, statues, fountains, pond shape and size, waterfalls/ stream, pathways, islands and bridges, etc.
- Locating the pond: A level ground sans large trees with a little higher ground nearby, to create cascades or waterfall.
- Digging the pond area.
- Plumbing and Wiring: Pipe lines and optional pump with filters for pumping water and electrical supply to pump to be arranged carefully.
- Arranging fountains, statues, if any.
- Choosing a pond liner: A rigid liner for fixed shape or small size, flexible liner otherwise. Toxin free, durable, puncture proof liner has to be chosen.
- Preparing the pond, laying the liner: To prevent puncturing of liner afterwards, a layer of damp sand is laid before laying liner.
- Filling and allowing to set: water can be added to sagging liner, adjust it to correct kinks and allow water for a few days, to remove chlorine.
- Add Plant pots and Fish and snails: Pots of different aquatic plants for different depths can be added. Fish and snails be introduced.
Place a majestically towering statue in the front yard garden of house, if you have one, as a standalone in a lawn or flowerbed or in a cascade/ fountain pond, on a befitting ornate pedestal.
Marble statues of Cherubs, Little boy ‘peeing’ a water spout, Beautiful lady endlessly pouring from a pot, birds or beasts gurgling out spouts etc., can go anywhere in garden or water garden. Lion heads and such other statues fit well for spouts mounted on wall or statue pedestal.
The waterfalls, cascades, fountains or waterspouts can be installed as standalone units or integrated with garden statues.
Both the statues and fountains need to be selected keeping in view, the landscape, the building, the garden, the pond layout etc.
So, if you have initiative, it’s just possible to relax and ponder in nature’s lap in your own house. Happy gardening!
