SIMPLE SPOUT WILL BRING GARDEN TO LIFE
ALL gardens, however little, can benefit from the magical qualities of flowing water.
In small gardens and patios however, finding room for a pond can be difficult – and even unsafe if you have young children.
So why not add a musical note by using a wall to mount a waterspout or a basin with trickling fountain?
Self-contained kits are easy. They are simply screwed into position, filled with water and plugged in. And they’re perfectly safe for kids.
A spurting water feature brings energy as well as sound, so to make a more impressive statement, consider fixing an openmouthed head – traditionally that of a lion – that spits water into a raised pool beneath.
A backdrop of mirrors, painted trellis and climbers can hide the cables and hoses, and spotlights will bring the garden to life at night.
Moving water will not only add ambience and serenity to your patio but can be playful and fun. An easy idea is to create a pondless water feature using a watering can that magically appears to be watering your garden.
To achieve this, simply hang a traditional style metal can on a hook fixed to a post, tilting it forward as if you were watering your flowers.
Then bury a water-filled container beneath the spout, add a submersible pump, top with cobbles and with the help of some plastic tubing draw up the water to give a continuous flow.
Conceal the stake and tubing with a few plants and, if necessary, a pool of blue aggregate – then you’re ready to shout “Hey presto!”
If your garden is your sanctuary where you like to escape and dream of sunnier climes, the gentle babble of flowing water from an upturned Grecian urn should transport you to your favourite holiday destination.
The easiest way to build this kind of feature is to use a submersible solar fountain pump fixed to a solar panel.
Simply drill a hole in the pot to take the cable, and seal any gaps with waterproof plumber’s putty.
Fill the urn with water and when the solar panel has soaked up enough sun, the fountain will begin to flow. Japanese- style gardens are renowned for their sense of serenity.
To reinforce the calming effects of a Japanese theme, set an oriental stone lantern in a bed of raked gravel and smooth, flat, feature stones.
Add a hollow bamboo spout to drip water into a stone basin, and put the whole thing in among plants such as a bright green mat of “mindyour- own- business” – Soleirolia soleirolii – with hostas and ferns.
Tip
USE black plant labels for – pots and borders they are unobtrusive and will almost TIDY up strawberry beds. After disappear among the leaves. fruiting, trim off the foliage to just above the crown and remove unwanted runners. Rake away old straw and put it in the compost bin. It is time to plant up new strawberry beds and pots too. Look for healthy disease-resistant varieties such as Florence.
3. New Dawn for roses
PRUNE rambler roses such as New Dawn and Albertine when their flowering is over. Trim to a point where there is a young replacement shoot.