Water Gardening - How To Design Your Own Water Garden

Water gardens have become a fashionable must have for many homeowners. They are building elaborate waterfalls and other formations in their yards to get a sense of charm and calm of a beatific country creek or a Japanese Koi haven. You too can have the joy of discovering the warmth and serenity that water landscaping has to offer. Read on to find interesting ways you can get the same effects without having to hire a team of designers and builders.

The first thing you have to decide is what type of fish you are going to have living in this new area. You will want to have brightly colored fish and nothing that could possibly eat a small child. Koi ponds are very popular since the fish are deemed to bring about peace, harmony, love, friendship and good fortune. Then again you could decide to build a waterfall with no living occupants. Once the decision is made then you will know how best to proceed. The number of fish or other occupants will dictate the size of the pond.

Koi Ponds Are Great

If you are set on having a Koi pond, there are a few rules to know. Ponds can be purchased as Kits that require only that you dig the Hole and assemble the rest of the parts. Koi grow to be very large and you must account for these growths even though the fish you purchase will be quite small at the beginning. The pond kit should be for at least a thousand gallons on total volume. The depth should easily be around 4-5 feet to give them adequate water coverage. 

Standard Water Garden

This is your typical goldfish pond that has the room for all the plants that you may want to decorate the habitat with. These ponds do not need to be as deep as the Koi pond. If you live in an area that experiences freezing temperatures the water level must be deep enough to allow a the top layer to freeze and a bottom layer to remain fluid for the fish to survive the winter. Kits can be found for this type of Pond as well.

The Waterfall Or Fountain

Waterfalls and fountains add their own brand of serenity to any setting. Garden fountains that have a trickling waterfall or the sounds of rushing water are ideal for outdoor setup. You can combine the waterfall effect with a fountain that use light and color to make a paradise in your yard. Water fall and fountain kits can be purchased and installed very easily. This can include vegetation and fish or can be set up without them. Add a nice garden bench next to your garden fountain to enjoy the charm of your garden water feature.

Ponds, waterfalls and fountains allow you to harness the beauty of the natural and make it a part of your home and life. You can have this done professionally or as a DIY project. Either way if done well the value of the property not only increases monetarily but aesthetically as well.

Japanese Landscape Design - How To Design Your Own Japanese Garden

If you are looking to spruce up a drab lawn and are searching for ideas, here is one that is a winner every time. A Japanese garden is not only beautiful but can be a relaxing place to unwind from a hectic day. A Japanese garden takes the elements found in nature and arranges them to reflect a type of reality, while the western garden designers use these same elements, they generally twist them into forms that are unnatural. If you want to create a Japanese style garden on your own here are a few tips on how you can pull it off.

Tip 1 Hills and ponds are a common theme in Japanese tranquility settings. You can use water or simulate the water with gravel. Use mounds of earth to simulate the mountains you wish to recreate then use foliage native to those mountains along the sides. These designs should include a path that meanders between and around the garden. Also add a few natural stone benches and tables for relaxing by the pond. Consider Japanese Fountains with bamboo spout for creating Japanese themed water Features in your garden.

Tip 2 The Japanese are famous for their contemplation gardens. You can design and create a Zen area in your own yard. Sand and rocks flow together in a design that is reminiscent of the seashore. Use plants that grow in these areas for a realistic and serene effect. You can also make it a river or stream with natural grasses and flowering plants that would grow along these shores as well. this is an excellent choice for a courtyard type setting.

Tip 3 The Japanese use flat gardens that are more about the functionality than the form. These are commonly referred to as tea gardens. The path leads you to a stone water basin. Lanterns that line the path may be of stone as well. The design has very few accoutrements, this is a less is more type of garden. In traditional Japanese garden design the actual garden is a prelude to entering the teahouse and is supposed to have a calming effect. The teahouse plays a significant role in the culture and there are lots of different types of ceremonies performed there that require a calm spirit. Adding well designed hand-crafted garden statues may add additional tranquility to your garden.

The use of rocks, plants and water to recreate what is found in nature is what the Japanese garden is famous for. You will never find anything in a true Japanese garden that nature could not create. These gardens are meant to take you on a journey within and to keep you in a state of ZEN while you are contemplating the answers to life's questions.