BOOK REVIEW: Indoor Water Garden Design
© Valerie Adolph
ISBN 0-7641-5374-9
Don't be fooled by the title - these are water gardens that will work equally well indoors or out. This is the first book I've seen that focuses on SMALL water gardens. Usually I find that books on water gardens show a couple of small ones then go on to plan something they call a pond and I call a small lake. I don't have space for a small lake, but I do like having a water feature. Better still, I like two of them.
So I learned a lot from Yvonne Rees' book which gives careful plans, including construction suggestions for 20 small water gardens. Whether you build them inside or outside is up to you. Well illustrated, this book has information on plants and fish that will work well with each water garden, as well as tips for maintaining it. At the end of the book is a list of suppliers in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand.
The first chapter, "Before You Start", helps you face up to some of the aspects of installing a water garden that you might not have considered. You need, for instance to consider the placement carefully. Where can the water garden best be seen? Where will it best fit into the rest of your garden? Where can guests enjoy it as you entertain, or where can it be a secret hideaway, just for you? If you would like a fountain or waterfall, where is the nearest electrical outlet?
The strength of this book lies in its practical advice for constructing raised or sunken water gardens. Most water gardens, except for those in pots, must be either raised or sunken and much of the success of either is based on careful planning and meticulous construction. Once the basics are safely in place you can relax and enjoy adding the finishing touches - you can make your water garden lush, or natural, contemporary or classical or combine the features of each that please you. You can add fountains, pebbles, plants or statuary. Making it into your dream pond is up to you. This book shows you how to tackle the project and how to adapt basic water features to your own style.
I have to admit I got carried way mentally designing different ponds based on the author's ideas and, as I said, I already have two water features in a tiny garden. I was especially drawn to the herb tray. It was a long wooden box partitioned into three or five sections. The middle section contained a terra cotta pot, set in gravel, with a tiny fountain bubbling in its centre. The other sections had similar pots sunk in gravel, each containing herb plants. In the book the author suggests a windowsill for this but outside you could put it in any sunny location with access to electricity for the fountain pump. The author shows you, with simple diagrams, how to make the box and the water feature and she suggests some herbs that would work well in this setting. Et Voila! A herb garden and a water feature in a very tiny space.
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