Books
Book Review: Outdoor Water Features: 16 Easy-To-Build Projects For Your Yard And Garden
Aug 2, 2006
By Jo Anne DeKeles
LSOL.com Customer Service Manager |
Author
Bio
Each year we get to visit several dozen railroads. Each one is unique and different and we enjoy learning about the railroad and the people that build them. One thing I have noticed is that more and more Garden Railroads have some kind of water feature.
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| | Each year we get to visit several dozen railroads. Each one is unique and different and we enjoy learning about the railroad and the people that build them. One thing I have noticed is that more and more Garden Railroads have some kind of water feature. I am not just talking about a pond and a waterfall. I am talking about cascades, fountains, and waterspouts. Water features that enhance the garden and not just the railroad. |
Many of us do not have a water feature in our Garden Railroad because we only think of that as a traditional pond. A pond means digging a big hole and then maintaining it from holes in the liner to algae in the water. Ponds always translate into work, if not done right. This fresh idea of a water feature for Garden Railroads is easy to build and can be whatever size or style you want to create. They are not scale features of the railroad, but something that complements the garden part of the words "garden trains." They bring life and movement into the garden setting even when the trains are not running. 
Outdoor Water Features: 16 Easy-To-Build Projects For Your Yard And Garden by Alan and Gill Bridgewater offers several interesting plans and provides step-by-step instructions for introducing water into the yard. Making water features does not require complex tools or some great knowledge of pump mechanics. Projects in this book range from the simple to the advanced and to all budgets and abilities. Here are just a few of the ideas covered: Container bog garden Wall mask waterspout Mini marble fountain Romantic fountain Japanese shishi-odoshi Copper cascade Woodland grotto Still pond Rocky cascade And several others… 
Each project contains east-to-follow, illustrated instructions, and is accompanied by explanatory photographs, list of necessary tools and materials and tips and techniques to help you with the project. 
The book starts off with a nice overview on garden design and the tools that you need to make your projects easier. If you have not started your railroad yet, you might find some of the things they talk about here may affect the design of your railroad in the future.
The book continues on and gives you a good grounding in the type of materials used for water features. It also talks about pumps and filters and how you will need to set them up to get the most out of them. Plants are also covered in the first section of the book and will give you a general overview of what to look for. The pictures and illustrations are top notch and really help you see what the text is explaining to you. 
I like that each project gives you an estimated time the project will take and any safety issues you need to be aware of before starting the project.
The book also includes information on how to best set up a traditional nature pond. So there is something for everyone. If you are looking at adding a water feature that will make the garden part of your railroad more exciting and make your setting unique, then this is the book for you.  Top of Page
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