The Master Book of the Water Garden: The Ultimate Guide to the Design and Maintenance of the Water Garden [Paperback]

Philip Swindells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2002

Water has featured prominently in garden designs for thousands of years. Its appeal to the senses -- its visually compelling light and movement and soothing splashing and bubbling sounds -- still attracts the imagination of gardeners worldwide.

With a wealth of practical ideas and tips on water gardening, this indispensable book helps minimize the problems faced in building and maintaining a water garden, and maximizes the pleasure a well-designed water garden can give. Including design options -- for every aesthetic, space, and budget -- this guide is not only practical but inspirational.
-- "The Master Book of the Water Garden" is the most comprehensive book on the subject aimed at both the experienced as well as the amateur gardener. This is the perfect book for anyone planning to add or renovate a space in the garden.
-- Heavily illustrated with over 450 full-color photographs and easy-to-follow sketches.
-- Includes detailed step-by-step instructions for creating any water garden design -- whether grand-scale estate gardens or a modest back porch venture.
-- Accessible to all levels of gardeners, these design ideas appeal to both the amateur and professional landscaper.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Philip Swindells has over thirty years of practical professional horticultural experience and now works as a consultant specializing in the conservation, restoration, and management of historic gardens, particularly water gardens. He has written more than two dozen books and contributes regular columns to gardening publications. In 1986 Swindells was awarded the Quill and Trowel international communications award by the Garden Writers' Association of America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch; 1 edition (April 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821227963
• ISBN-13: 978-0821227961
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,136,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

102 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Got/want a water feature? Get this book!, October 15, 2002

By 

A. C. Shellhase (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Master Book of the Water Garden: The Ultimate Guide to the Design and Maintenance of the Water Garden (Paperback)

When my husband & I bought a house recently, it came complete with a man-made pond, stream, and waterfall.

I borrowed every book about ponds and water features from the library. They didn't own The Master Book of the Water Garden. Too bad. This is the most complete book on the subject I've come across.

To begin with, it has wonderful pictures and makes a great coffee table book, even if you're not looking for water garden information.

There are two indices: one that's general and one that's specifically for plants. Throughout the book are "Problem Solving" asides. Sometimes entire pages are dedicated to answering questions about fish, plant depth, water quality, and much more.

But I thought its strength was the amount of very specific information on the subjects it covers. Other books dealt with just ponds, or waterfalls, or wet and dry streams. This book covers all that as well as fountains, water meadows, bogs, and containers.

Discussions include bridges, decking, walkways, lighting, filters, propagating plants, & the various kinds of liners. Cleaning and maintaining the water feature is included, as well as seasonal upkeep. Designing your water garden, picking plants, choosing a location, & deciding on size are just a few of the subjects covered. And fish subjects aren't limited to just koi and goldfish.

I was most interested in how to drain and repair a leaking pond. This has been difficult information to find. Swindells even tells you what to do with the fish while you're making repairs or changes to the pond.

My only criticism is that the plant index uses the Latin names for the plants. Though it does include common names, in many instances, if you're not sure what you're looking for, a specific plant may be a bit difficult to find. I must admit that there are full color pictures of the plants in the book, though my favorite water plant, horsetails, isn't included.

This book is already well thumbed and the pages wrinkled from where they've been wet. In other words, it's useful and used.

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COMPLETE!, April 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Master Book of the Water Garden (Hardcover)

This Book has GREAT content. Not only does it have clear, and easy to understand diagrams of plants, but it supplied me with information to build my own pond. Now, my pond is filled with koi that rest underneath some waterlilies . The water hyacinths, (which I did not know about until reading this book) , smell soooo wonderful. My pond would never be complete without this book. I say you buy it, because it is worth it's price!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great coverage for building ponds and water gardens, July 19, 2001

By 

Robin G. Sowton "rsowton" (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Master Book of the Water Garden (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book for building water gardens, ponds, pools and streams. The subject is covered thoroughly with detailed descriptions about installing fountains, lighting, islands, and landscaping. There are lots of lovely photos that will let your imagination grow as to the kinds of ponds you can design and build. You are only limited by the size of your yard. There is a large section about adding different types of water plants to specific areas of the pond. Plus, there is good coverage about adding fish, attracting wildlife, and performing seasonal maintenance. Construction techniques vary from simple to more complex designs, including waterfalls and ripple effects. Another book, Nash's The Complete Pond Builder, seems to have slightly better construction detail and also more examples of smaller ponds. However, Swindells' book is much more comprehensive and it contains a lot more information about maintenance, fish, and plants.