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Home 
Better Living
Gardening
Water Gardens
Water Gardens
Many of you know I am
addicted to water gardening. There is nothing like the sound of a waterfall
to relax and destress you. One day last summer I was lying on the bridge
over our pond, feeding the fish. My son says "Mommy you feel better
when you are out here by the ponds, don't you?" He was absolutely
right. I can lose myself in the sights, sounds, and smells and temporarily
forget my pain. I highly recommend it to anyone with chronic pain.
Although I am far from an expert at ponding, I do consider myself a
knowledgeable amateur! Here are some photos of my ponds a couple of years
ago, http://members.aol.com/krissyjo/ponds.html.
They don't look like that now! In that spot now is a muddy hole, we're
currently enlarging the ponds. Once you start you'll find that what you have
is never big enough-almost. Here are photos of the pond I designed for my
parents' last year, http://www.fadedjeans.com/pond/.
This is one pond that I think is large enough! No need to expand that one!
Granted, not all of us have the space or a hubby with a shovel, not to
mention the money, to put in a large pond. But there are inexpensive, easy
ways to get the same therapeutic benefits with a much smaller project.
Last year I placed a galvanized metal washtub I had gotten at a garage sale
outside my bedroom window. Using a small, inexpensive pump I had the water
flowing from an old metal watering can back into the tub. It was home to 3
baby goldfish and two floating pond plants. I fell asleep every night to the
sounds of the splashing water. Nothing puts me to sleep like the sound of
water! Total cost of the whole project? About $30. Saved me 10 times that
much in the cost of sleeping pills and pain pills!
The possibilities for small, inexpensive water features are endless. I've
seen fountains made by stacking clay pots; I'm going to try that myself this
summer. I've seen kiddie pools sunk in the ground. A plastic container, sunk
in the ground, filled with gravel and a tiny pump creates a wonderful
bubbling fountain. Whiskey barrels, feeding troughs, plastic storage
containers, and large flower pots-I've seen them all used. I bet if you look
around your house, you can find all the makings of a great water feature,
except for the pump. A $20.00 pump and a dollars worth of tubing and you
have yourself a piece of garden paradise, right in your own yard. Your mind
will thank you for it!
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