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Best in Class, Inspiring, But Start Small
I bought this at Home Depot, which also offers a "materials" service from the same help desk in each store that will help design a deck and print out all the needed materials.
This offering appears to be "best in class." I found the following extremely helpful:
1) Up front discussion of the hardest part, creating a balanced ecosystem with balanced chemistry. If you do nothing else, let county water sit in a tub overnight to dissipate the cholorine, before putting it into a live environment.
2) Complete coverage (chapter 3) on materials and equipment. This is a lot easier than most might think, but it *does* require hard work if you get much above a pre-fabricated form. Rocks are *heavy* and you need a LOT of them--three times as many as you might think.
3) Superb photographs and drawings, checklists, and at the end, a list of water resources.
I am struck by how many people seem to be turning not only to waterfalls, but to full-up water gardens. While perhaps difficult to support in drought conditions, my wife and I have had a small pond for years and now want to move up to a waterfall and 4 times larger pond, and this is the book that has made that possible.
If you are discouraged or do not feel up to the challenge, I do recommend a very simple water feature, just a wash-tup and one of those spouting lion heads, or the bamboo trio. For under $100, you can get a water feature that is ready to go and plugs in, and for under $75 you can get a world class wind-chime. Add an outdoor clay fire pot with chimney, and you have the three key ingredients: water, wind, and fire.
[Saturday, October 27, 2007]
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Needs more specifics
I liked the idea pictures in this book, but ultimately the "how-to's" left me wanting for more. I didn't feel it went into enough detail of things such as, how to make the rocks look natural and how to place them on the rubber liner so they don't wash away immediately. A good idea book, though.
[Thursday, July 12, 2007]
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Major waterfalls
This was a good book if you are going big time waterfalls. I was looking for something a little bit simpler.
[Tuesday, June 26, 2007]
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