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An
escape from reality, water is the most popular destination point to help free
you from the daily grind. People flock to the coasts, plan fishing trips months
in advance, and talk about their upcoming cruise on a daily basis.
And those activities are over before you even know it!
If space allows, why not consider adding a larger water feature to your
landscape for a true water-front home site?
Create your own dock and reconnect with your family – every evening. Whether you
dangle your feet off the dock or take an afternoon dip in your swimming pond,
you’ll be sure to enjoy many fun-filled hours or family togetherness.
Create a wildlife habitat that will help compensate for the record-breaking
habitat loss happening throughout the world.
Add twists and turns of natural-looking streams and waterfalls throughout your
landscape, all ending up in a breathtaking pond near your patio. You’ll want to
explore all the nuances of your wandering water feature each day, where you’ll
discover new creatures and small treasures to enjoy for a lifetime.
Enjoy the educational opportunities presented to your family
simply from having a larger water feature. Discover baby turtles nestled by your
pond’s edge on a warm spring day. Explore a wide variety of feathered friends
attracted by the cool splash of water. Watch a dragonfly circle ‘round and
‘round the pond before lighting on a sun-baked rock.
Revel in the delight of seeing nature through the eyes of your
children as they experience the joys of Mother Nature firsthand in their own
backyard.
Besides residential applications, more and more water features
are being added to golf courses, hotels and resorts, zoos and parks, and new
residential developments.
Water is the Earth’s most vital resource and people are
naturally drawn to the soothing sights and sounds it affords.
Here are Some Benefits of a Backyard Pond
Bring your outdoor living space to "life!"
Terrific year-round entertainment -- your own "stay-cation"
Crystal clear water
Lush pond plants
Graceful Koi or goldfish
Soothing waterfall or stream sounds
Low maintenance!
Water-conscious pond design
Safety-conscious designs
Cost-effective
Best return on your outdoor improvement $$!
Here are Some Images of Ponds Being Built...
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Unfortunately all ponds are not created equal. With so many
pond & landscape companies to choose from why choose Lance Landscape? Yes it is
rare but from the first phone call to the final handshake the owner is present
and part of every installation assuring your needs, wants and desires are
addressed all while providing the highest quality of work. In addition, contrary
to what some people may think or lead you to believe the construction of a
properly operating pond & waterfall is indeed a "specialty" service and should
not be treated as just one of many landscaping contractor services offered.
Backyard ponds, waterfalls, water gardens, pondless
waterfalls, fountains and assorted water features are part of the focus of our
company with our landscape contractor services used to enhance the newly
installed water feature or other areas of your landscaping as needed or desired.
Experience, quality workmanship and pride in our work is what sets us apart from
many other landscape contractors in Western North Carolina.
What are Backyard Ponds?
Water gardens, also known as aquatic gardens, backyard ponds
and garden ponds, have become popular in recent years. They have also been
famous in Chinese and European history.
Usually referring to a man-made feature, these gardens typically combine a pool
with aquatic plants and often ornamental fish. Fixed items such as rocks,
fountains, statuary, waterfalls and watercourses can be combined with the pool
to add visual interest and integration with the local landscape and environment.
Types of Water Gardens
Containers
Man-made ponds
Natural ponds
Bogs
Wild River
Lakes
Halka lever
Man-made ponds
Waterfall and pool in rock garden on the campus of the University of Alberta.In
the sixteenth century, Europe was recovering from the Black Death and towns were
growing and prospering again. Renewed interest in Greek thought and philosophy
led some aristocrats to reconsider the works of Hero of Alexandria in hydraulics
and pneumatics. His devices, such as temple doors operated by invisible weights
or flowing liquids, and mechanical singing birds powered by steam, motivated
several European princes to create similar clever devices to enhance their
public image.
In Italy especially, some princes took things a stage further and constructed
large water gardens incorporating mechanical devices in water settings. The
best-known is the Villa d'Este at Tivoli, constructed in 1550 AD. A hill
presented several fountains and dozens of grottoes, where water-driven figures
moved or spouted water. Within 50 years there were imitations all over Europe;
the best-known today is the Hellbrunn Palace, full of performing figures (human
and animal), fountains that erupt without notice, and a water-powered puppet
theater.
Wild river
One chooses a spot on the banks of a fast-moving river, and places rocks in the
path of the water to make a small waterfall. The rocks interfere with the
waterflow, causing splashing and bubbles to form. The water splashing makes a
pleasant sound and new habitat for fish, crustaceans and wildlife that feed on
the fish and the crustaceans.
The river's water level may vary considerably, so proper location of the rocks
requires ingenuity to achieve good aeration from the splashing. Finding a good
placement of rocks is similar to arranging a Zen garden or Japanese rock garden.
A well-done, intuitive placement of rocks can stimulate a feeling of peace or
Zen while also achieving a practical effect, since the splashing water adds
valuable oxygen to the river and may prevent hypoxia. The more bubbles formed,
the more dissolved oxygen is being placed in the river.
Flora
Typical water garden plants are divided into 3 main categories: submerged,
marginal, and floating.
1. Submerged plants are those that live almost completely under the water,
sometimes with leaves or flowers that grow to the surface such as with the water
lily. These plants are placed in a pond or container usually 1-2 ft. below the
water surface. Some of these plants are called oxygenators because they create
oxygen for the fish that live in a pond. Examples of submerged plants are:
Water lily (Hardy and Tropical)
Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)
2. Marginal plants are those that live with their roots under the water but the
rest of the plant above the surface. These are usually placed so that the top of
the pot is at or barely below the water level. Examples of these are:
Iris or Flag (Iris)
Water-crowfoot (Ranunculus fluitans)
Bulrush (Scirpus lacustris)
Cattail (Typha latifolia)
Taro, Elephant Ear, roots for poi (Colocasia esculenta)
Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)
Lotus (Nelumbo)
Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)
3. Floating plants are those that are not anchored to the soil at all, but are
free-floating on the surface. In water gardening, these are often used as a
provider of shade to reduce algae growth in a pond. These are often extremely
fast growing/multiplying. Examples of these are:
Mosquito ferns (Azolla)
Water-spangle (Salvinia)
Water-clover (Marsilea vestita)
Water lettuce (Nile lettuce) (Pistia stratiotes)
Water-hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)
Some areas of the United States do not allow certain of these plants to be sold
or kept as they have become invasive species in warmer areas of the country,
such as Florida.
Algae are found in all ponds. There are hundreds of species of algae that can
grow in garden ponds but they are only usually noticied when they become
abundant. Algae often grow in very high densities in ponds because of the high
nutrient levels that are typical of garden ponds. Generally alga attaches itself
to the sides of the pond and remains innocuous. Some species of algae, namely
the dreaded 'blanket weed' can grow up to a foot a day under ideal conditions
and can rapidly clog a garden pond. On the other hand, free floating algae are
microcopic and are what cause pond water to appear green.
Fish
Often the reason for having a pond in a garden is to keep fish, often koi,
though many people keep goldfish. Both are hardy, colorful fish which require no
special heating, provided the pond is located in an area which does not have
extremes of temperature that would affect the fish. If fish are kept, pumps and
filtration devices are usually needed in order to keep enough oxygen in the
water to support them. In winter, a small heater may need to be used in cold
climates to keep the water from freezing solid. Examples of common pond fish
include:
Goldfish (Common, Comet, Shubunkin varieties, Wakin and the Fantail varieties.
With the possible exception of some of the fantail varieties, the fancy goldfish
are not suited to pond life.)
Koi (Nishikigoi, Butterfly Koi and Ghost Koi)
Golden Orfe
Golden Tench
Rosy Red Minnows
Mosquitofish
Eel
Catfish
Bass
Acipenser
Carp
Crucian carp
Bluegill
Small aquatic snails are usually in ponds which have plants. Some people
purchase Apple snails to keep in their water garden. Another common variety is
the Melantho snail.
Amphibian & Reptile
Ponds located in suburban and rural areas often attract amphibian life such
as common frogs and reptile such as turtles and snakes.
Predators
Garden ponds can attract attention from predators such as (in North America)
raccoons, heron/birds, snakes, and domestic cats. These predators can be a
danger to fish. Owners of koi are often particularly upset by this as some
varieties of koi can be very expensive.
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