Natural Backyard Swimming Pond Installation Tips
These eco-system swimming creations are environmentally-friendly and will protect you.
If you care about the Earth, or if you hate the way your skin smells and feels after swimming in a chlorinated pool, consider going au naturale.
What is a swimming pond?
Split 50/50 to accommodate vegetation and swimming, its been dubbed the swimming pond as the new and improved backyard pond.
The plant section of the pond is around a foot deep, while the swimming area typically ranges from six-and-a-half to eight feet deep. Timber usually separates the two zones.
How clean is it without chemicals?
Very. The regeneration portion isn’t just there for ambiance, it’s also the pond’s natural filter.
Plants like flag irises and water lilies keep phosphate levels in check while getting rid of nitrates so there’s no algae. Gravel also plays a role in filtering the pond.
To keep the water moving, go the scenic route with a waterfall or install a small pump — this will also help keep the pond clean.
Bonus: Your natural oasis will attract wildlife (think dragon flies, birds, tadpoles.), which will help control pesky insects. To avoid snakes, the surrounding grass is kept as short as peach fuzz.
Does a swimming pond cost more than a pool?
The upfront payment is more expensive because of the regeneration zone, but the cost per square foot is about the same.
Thinking ahead, the initial cost pays off. Unheated natural ponds evaporate less than normal pools, don’t have energy costs, and you save around $350-500 on chemicals and chlorine.
How much does a swimming pond cost?
The design you choose plays into the overall cost of installation!
Is it maintenance-heavy?
According to Aquascapes, a pond requires less maintenance than a pool. You don’t have to worry about chemicals, the pond essentially cleans itself, and you can keep it uncovered and full during the winter (ponds make great ice-skating rinks).
Tend to it as you would a garden — and make sure the surface is skimmed.
Is this really something people are doing?
While the trend is still developing in the U.S., Europe is all over natural swimming ponds and pools. The idea originated in Austria and Germany in the 1980s and has evolved from there. Last month, the UK unveiled its first man-made public swimming pond in London!
Long stream with multiple waterfalls flowing to a beautiful pond
Pondless Waterfall Building
What is a Pondless Waterfall? Well, a Pondless waterfall is a water garden that has a waterfall, but no attached pond. Notice in the picture how the water drains through the pebbles? The water is then pumped to the top of the waterfall to begin the cycle anew. In this article we will take a look at various waterfall design ideas and provide insight into installing your very own DIY waterfall!
Our experts love to design and install pondless designs. You can have multiple options with one stream or many streams attached to a water feature. It might sound overwhelming, but that’s why we’re here! We love to help design and install pondless water features.
Always ensure that you have enough space to install a water feature along with its associated pumps and other garden water features machinery when you install waterfall on your own. Also leave sufficient space around the waterfall for adding rocks, pebbles, water plants and other complimentary features which will add beauty to your waterfall.
The Pondless Waterfall
Sometimes adding in several waterfalls in a single line down your property will be the best option. When this is the case, we like to recommend small rock bridges for passing over top! This can also help you get an up-close view of your waterfall, perhaps even close enough for a bit of water spray…
Sometimes large rocks can be the perfect way to create your backyard paradise. Notice the several large boulders hanging over the waterfall!
Our Pondless Waterfall Kit was simple to install and setup. Notice the colored pebbles surrounding the feature and the added flowers complimenting the design.
If you’re ready to get started, we have four waterfall kits to choose from! Give us a call if you have any questions.
- Aquascape DIY Backyard Waterfall Kit
- Aquascape® Large Pondless Waterfall Kit 26′ Stream
- Aquascape Medium Pondless® Waterfall Kit 16′ Stream
- Aquascape Small Pondless® Waterfall Kit 6′ Stream
Check out our store for all your water gardening needs! Aquascape products are Aquascape Inc. Certified.
Solar Powered Water Features for the Garden
Nothing can complement water more than a lovely beautiful sunlight. Water along with sunlight is what really makes up a beautiful summer day. Ancient water features were powered using gravitational forces, human power or animals to pump in the water. Since the 18th century, the majority of water features have been powered by pumps. In the modern garden features the source of power is almost always electricity. As more and more people become aware of alternate installation methods, there is an increasing range of innovative designs in market running on alterante sources of energy like solar power. The advantages of using solar power include environmental benefits, no electrical lines in the garden, and free energy.
Solar water features combine the beauty of sunlight and water by using the sun to run their submersible pumps, which send water tumbling downward to the basin and back up to the top again. The same natural looking resilient materials used to make other regular fountains are used to build these solar powered water features, however, these water come without the ugly looking cables. One of the biggest advantages of using solar powered water features is there is no cost on electricity as sun being a natural resource. A Solar with Battery Backup fountain even includes a battery to save up energy for nights and cloudy days.
Solar water features free from the electrical cords present a great amount of flexibility in regards to their placement in garden as they are no longer limited due to constraints of wires and cables. These solar powered water features help you in making your little bit of contribution towards the environment. With solar powered water features in your backyard garden your outdoor space will truly be one with nature.
Solar water features provide beautiful additions to any landscaping or garden. With great flexibility offered by solar water features, you can customize the placement of water features in many ways. You can choose from a plethora of water features such as solar powered fountains, waterfalls, lightning. All of these run on pure solar energy thanks to solar panels and help to add beauty to your garden.
Things to consider before buying a garden water feature
Before you invest in a garden water feature to fill up that empty outdoor space and add a wow factor to your property, there are many logistics to consider. It includes right from the supply of water to the general maintenance. Here are some things you should consider first.
Making water supply available
It is not necessary to always have a water supply. Of-the-shelf water features are self-contained with a need to top them up with water occasionally. If your garden water feature has moving water, you will need to invest in a water pump and an electric supply to drive the pump. Alternatively, you can build a water feature with a solar-powered pump as well. Pretty much all water features with moving water will require a water pump with an electric or solar-powered energy supply to help the pump drive the water.
Maintaining water features
Think about future maintenance and cleaning. Water will get contaminated with dust, algae, leaves, dirt. So you’ll need to know how to drain it, dismantle it and clear out. Thinking about this in advance will help better plan your placement of garden water features. For instance, if it is installed under a tree, leaves are likely to fall and accumulate in the water, which will mean even more maintenance.
Selecting the type and style of water feature
Consider the background settings to determine the overall style and design aspect of the water features. Classic water features like a fountain or a waterfall may look good if it’s placed amongst plants. If the settings are modern, then water feature style will also have to be modern, like glass, but an older style like cherubs will look out of place in a modern setting. Another option is worth having a look at is lighting the water. In such a case, it’s better to opt for water features with an in-build lighting option else; you may have to spend extra on setting up different lights. Lighting can make the water features look good in all seasons throughout the day.
