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Landscape Ponds Add Focal Point To Exterior Design
Homeowners wanting their yard to be a showplace strive to work their landscape around a focal point with plantings, sculptures and walkways. One of the fastest growing trends are landscape ponds that can be created from scratch or with the help of pre-designed kits. The sizes available vary from tabletop size fountains to dimensions reaching 20, 30-feet or more. For smaller landscape ponds, pre-formed plastic is a simple alternative, however for larger, more elaborate designs liners or concrete is often used.
While large yards are usually the target for larger ponds, many smaller yards are beginning to present ponds in a variety of fashions. Using tiered grounds to simulate waterfalls and ceramic fountains to maintain water movement, the addition of landscape ponds can create interesting designs in a variety of areas.
Landscape ponds can take a variety of shapes, including a wall of water cascading down into a pool of rocks designed to resemble a spa. If the pool at the bottom remains open, it can house numerous styles of decorative stoneware or even live fish. However, the climate will help choose if landscape ponds are ripe for housing natural wildlife.
Aeration Important To Health Of Landscape Ponds
All landscape ponds will need to have a pump to move water through a filter to maintain its cleanliness and is often used to supply water to a fountain or to the top of a waterfall. Fountains help keep the water aerated, minimizing the habitat for mosquito growth as well as providing air for fish or underwater plants.
Maintaining a clean pond will not only add to the attractiveness of the feature, but also the health of surrounding plants and animals. No matter how hard a homeowner tries, wild animals such as birds and rodents will quickly identify landscape ponds as a source of drinking water. If the pond is not well maintained it can cause harm to the wildlife as well as any vegetation that is made part of the fountain showcase.
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Continuous filtering will also be necessary in landscape ponds, even if there are no fish being kept. Leaves, dirt and other materials will find it way into the water and can quickly clog filters. This necessitates cleaning or changing filters frequently, as dictated by the amount of foreign material that gets into the pond.
As a rule of thumb for landscape ponds, keeping the water moving and filtered will allow it to function properly for years, providing the look wanted in exterior decoration. |