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Water in the Garden
| Article
# : |
10118 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
4 / 1993 |
1,518 Words |
| Author
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Virginia Greiner
Virginia Greiner writes a weekly gardening column for the
Washington Times. |
Water in the garden is provocative. It can be as noisy as a cascading waterfall or as serene as a water lily sitting on its surface. It might be a playfully bubbling fountain a mysterious black pool reflecting the silver moon. Its moods are elusive as it ripples, rushes, gurgles, splashes, drips, leaps, babbles, trickles, roars--or simply lies still and quiet.
Some admirers think water is as compelling as fire and a lot easier to control. It can be introduced into the garden in a variety of ways, ranging from simple birdbaths and small fish ponds to lavish fountains and ambitious manmade waterfalls. Gardeners and homeowners can start small and trade up with ease as taste and budgets dictate. Modern construction materials and techniques now make water as much at home in a small suburban garden as in an estate on Long Island's fabled Gold Coast.
GETTING STARTED
The quickest way to introduced water into the garden is to set out a simple concrete birdbath. This immediately brings a bit of reflection to the landscape, and it adds action and life as birds begin splashing and flickering around their newly found source of fresh water. This is especially so during dry periods, when birds are desperately looking for a drink.
Pick a sunny spot where can see the birds. It should also be close to a water supply for easy refilling . Place the birdbath off the ground in a cleared area where predators can't hide, but close enough to a tree or shrub for birds to fly to cover in case of danger. Before long, you may want to set out a second bath, possibly a more elaborate scalloped lead shell or carved stone basin.
The next step up might be a small, wall-hung fountain of manmade materials that mimic lead stone, or the real thing at a considerably higher price. These might take the form of a lion's head or a gargoyle that spouts water out of its mouth into a basin bellow.
This is a less complicated setup then it sounds. The only other equipment needed is a water container (a garden urn with the drainage hole plugged with a cork, a small sunken pool, or even a big dark-colored submerged plastic tub or bucket will do), an inexpensive recalculating pump(starting at about $60 at garden centers), an outdoor electrical outlet, and a length of plastic tubing. Hang the fountain on a post or wall, put the pump in the filled container below it, connect the pump and
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