~ | Japanese Garden flows naturally from home From previous page nelled — are becoming immensely popular, eepecially for gardeners who like the low maintenance they require. Even a small water garden can make a yard inte an allur- ing natural environment. Most use liners — which can be pre-formed or made of flexible rubber that can be customized in shape. Ponds should be at least 60cm deep, and at least 90 cm for wintering fish. In Marsh’s garden, rocks are cemented along the stream and waterfall to hide the liner. Marsh used her arbour, which she wanted to look like a Japanese treehouse, as inspiration for many of her ; plants and accessories. She — planted Japanese snowbells” dogwoods, irises, and painted fern, a selection she ‘calis “hit and miss.” A lantern and a Buddha also add to the : Oriental feel. . Her garden, she says, requires little maintenance. A swath of moss, with an overly ambitious blue star creeper, “| covers the ground instead of -grass, and a patch of thyme releases a pungent odour : when trod upon. As for the water garden ANNE Marsh sits at the edge of the pond in her - water garden. plants, she says she works in “big spurts.” “Things start to look rugged, so we attack it.” She keeps several koi — bright urange and white fish that look like enormous goldfish — in her pond. They also serve a good purpose — they breathe oxygen, eat algae and insect pests. While herons have funched at her pond a few times, a decoy seems to have solved that problem. Especially for her famous parties, Marsh wanted her garden to be a natural exten- sion of her house. People can wander from the living room through the glass-walled — conservatory and out into the garden. “It started with the fence and the arbour, and every- thing else just flowed,” she said. “It was perfect from the word go.” 70° Anniversary Sale] Featuring our Top Selling Exterior Stains’ and our Exterior Latex - Weather Watch Excellent on difficult surfaces, 7 can be used on stucco, wood and vinyl. 4a Nee Tea e CUB PENTA et WATER gardens are not too picky — they can grow equally well in small tubs or large ponds. Yet to be effective, they should be proportionate to the existing landscape, neither overwhelming nor under- whelming it. Here are some tips for plan- hing your water garden, from , a home and remodelling information Web site: Size. Regardless of how large a garden you're thinking of building, make sure it will be at least 45 cm deep. Ifyou plan to add fish to your garden, partic- ularly koi, make it at least 61 em deep. & Site. Locate your garden where it will get as much sun as possible. No summer is tov: Lot for its plants or fish; water gar- dens need a daily minimum of six hours of sunlight. Avoid placing the garden beneath trees or building overhangs where light levels are inade- quate. @ Style. Regular geometric shapes are fine for formal gar- dens but free-flowing, irregular designs are more suited to an informal yard. A kidney-shaped pool or a poof that follows the natural contours of your yard is usually more suitable for the average home. @ Liners. After you’ve dug the garden to the desired depth, install a pool liner. Linezs pre- vent water from leaking into the surrounding landscape. Materials range from flexible Wednesday, August 2, 2000 - North Shore News - 17 livingroom Planning for a a water garden polyethylene and preformed Fiberglass to hard-packed nat- ural clay. Selection is based on case of installation, cost, desired appearance and uses. & Plants. Water garden plants are not created equal. Some preter to be completely sub- merged while others float gen- ty on the pond’s surface. Others grow on the pond floor, sending their leaves and flowers upward to float on the surface. @ Finishing touches. After edg- ing the pond’s perimeter, per- haps with broken slabs or n-t- ural stone, you re ready to add fountains, lighting and adorn- ments. H@ Maintenance. Once it’s instailed, the pond should need minimal maintenance. The trick is to achieve a balanced pond ecology, in which plants oxygenate and shade the water, and absorb nutrients from fish and aquatic scavenger drop- pings. The only maintenance required in summer is remov- ing leaves and debris (which can rot and pollure the pond), regularly checking the pump and filter, and maintaining a consistent water level. Draining the pond is neither necessary or advisable, except when a major spring cleaning is needed. Always replace the water righe away and allow it to warm up before adding plants. ® Problems. Some free-float- ing algae is healthy, but’ the thick, green pea-soup effect means something is out of bal- ance. Pond plants discourage algae by competing for sunlight and nutrients, so adding more leafy skade-giving plants will help choke out the algae. Overfeeding of fish or over-fer- tilizing of water plants can inadvertently feed algae and boost its growth. Small ponds are often not big enough to develop a balance without a fil- ter system. Gallant Kitchen & Bath recently opened ts doors on : Marine drive, next to Country fumiture in North Vancouver. Gary worked as an independent contractor for : Thunderbird Home Centres for well over a decade, Gary Gatard, Ovmer frenovating kitchens and baths is his specialty, butasa consumer he doesn't expect it to be yours. 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