All About Building Waterfalls, Ponds, and Streams (Ortho's All About Gardening) (Paperback)

by Ortho (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
• A practical, easy-to-understand guide to adding both still (ponds) and moving (waterfalls and streams) water features to any garden.

• Includes complete, easy-to-follow instructions on designing, establishing, and caring for a variety of eye-pleasing water projects.

• More than 220 vivid photographs and illustrations, plus detailed instructions, make this guide a must-have for garden enthusiasts looking to plan and build a water feature.

• Expert advice on selecting the right fish and plants for embellishing any backyard aquatic paradise.

• Solution-based format will inspire you to confidently create water havens in your own yard.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (January 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897215141
• ISBN-13: 978-0897215145
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,184 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Techniques > Water Gardens & Ponds
  #4 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Garden Design

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most complete and detailed book for creating Ponds and Streams, June 11, 2006

By	G. W. Powell - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Good book. Pictures are good and the descriptions and details from the creation of Ponds, Streams and Waterfalls is the most complete of all the books that I have purchased or read. It could do a little better job of describing how to integrate a Bog Garden with a Pond. I still have questions about that.

Overall the best of the breed.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best in Class, Inspiring, But Start Small, October 27, 2007

By	Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Needs more specifics, July 12, 2007

By	L. Schwab "whatever" (somewhere) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.