Product Description
The guru of earth ponds explains how to site, design, shape, and plant these beloved fixtures of rural landscapes--and make them fit your property and your life.

In the decades since he wrote his acclaimed Earth Ponds, Tim Matson has designed scores of ponds, each unique to its site and its owners. In Landscaping Earth Ponds, he shares what he has learned to make these captivating ponds truly fit into their landscapes and into the lives and lifestyles of their owners.

Ponds have long been valued for their charm and utility: how else can you simultaneously enliven your landscape, create recreational opportunities, help the environment, and increase your property value? Earth ponds are increasingly recognized for the full range of gardening, landscaping, and ecological promise they hold. As pond-building methods have been perfected, more homeowners are restoring existing ponds or digging new ones. With dozens of color photographs, Matson shows you how to site a pond in right relation to your house, offering surprisingly simple ways to visually link the two.

His proven methods and designs reflect the many moods water evokes. Screen your pond for privacy, create a sandy beach and natural diving platform, encourage wetland gardens, line the shores with moisture-loving perennials, or design your gardens and paths to create a sense of mystery and adventure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Repairing Dam on Earth Pond (Lake)
My dam on the lake collapsed on April 1st 2005.
I have been looking for a book with information on how to build (re-build) an earthen dam.This book has a lot of good ideas on how to build an earthen dam and it doesn't hurt to know that the author has been building them for over 20 years.The neighbors said that the dam has been re-built 2 times, and they still have not learned from their mistakes.With this book I can point out the problems and try to rebuild it to last longer than 2 years.Can't wait to try his techniques.

Strongly recommended for anyone searching for an all-inclusive instructional guide to pond building
Tim Watson draws upon more than 25 years of experience and expertise building ponds and developing wetlands in Landscaping Earth Ponds: The Complete Guide. Here is a informative, step-by-step, profusely illustrated reference for creating a more lively and beautifying diverse landscapes and home-area garden areas with ponds. Providing "user friendly" information on how ponds work to enhance a landscape, create recreational opportunities, help the environment, and increase property values, Landscaping Earth Ponds offers a complete and readily accessible account of a variety of methods and techniques to employ in the creation of a pond. An important addition to any personal, professional, or community library reference collection, Landscaping Earth Ponds is very strongly recommended for anyone searching for an all-inclusive instructional guide to pond building and encouraging natural beauty through the development of a customized pond appropriate to the rest of the landscaping environment.
... Read more

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Customer Reviews (6)

Water Gardening
This book was just what I wanted to help me learn about water plants and marginal plants.It was in easy to understand, plain language and is a very concise.Great pictures and the price was right also.

Many pretty pictures and neat ideas, but not enough info
This book is well illustrated and is a great "idea book" for people who want to see the many types of container water garden possibilities. There are also several useful tips that make the book worthwhile. Contents are: 1. Basics, 2. Tub gardens, 3. Dish and indoor gardens, 4. Hanging baskets, 5. Planters & window boxes, 6. Creative containers, 7. Patio ponds, 8. Fountains, statuary & wall containers, 9. Paludariums (semi-aquatic glass tank gardens that can house plants & pets), 10. Lotus, 11. Carnivorous plants. Who knew there were so many types of water container gardens? Several chapters have step-by-step pictures for setting up the containers and placing fixtures and plants.

However, the book is terribly deficient in detail - each chapter has about a brochure's worth of text. Although many pond books suggest that novices will find a container garden to be an easy first water project, there are some unique challenges - in particular: temperature control, selecting pumps & filters suitable for small containers, controlling quality of a small water volume, and choosing plants that are best for containers. I have several pond/general water gardening books, and I bought this book hoping for more info specific to container gardens.

The book is particularly deficient in information about the various plants. Unlike most water garden books, there is no section devoted to plant specifications and requirements (other than lotuses and carnivorous plants). In many of the photographs, the plants are not identified at all, and in some they are incorrectly identified. This severely limits the value of the book as a brainstorming tool. The book also does a very poor job of explaining the water quality and temperature problems that will arise if one attempts to add fish or other animals to the container. Finally, there is no climate zone related information, and there is no discussion whatsoever of what to do with these gardens in the winter.

Part of my disappointment with this book is that I bought the hardcover edition and paid too much for it (doh!). I think this book is worth it as an idea book, just realize that to create a container water garden of your own, this is by no means the only book you will need.

Nice but no detail.
This book illustrates nice ideas but falls short in details. Very basic.

Another plus for container gardening
I have a smaller suburban yard and every corner is utilized.Though envious of a friend with an in-ground pond and waterfall, I did not want to dig up exsisting shrubs and perennials to satisfy my yen for water.SinceI already grow vegetables, herbs, ornamental grasses and perennials incontainers, I thought why not a water garden.This book showed me what Icould do with one of my empty oak barrels.I had a lovely mini pond withrunning water.I added 3 fish, water plants, and bought some toad tadpolesfrom a nearby garden centre.I liked it so much I'm going to do somesmaller containers as well as a couple of glazed pots with water lilys. The only thing is to overwinter water plants you need a small indooraquarium with grow lights, or a helpful friend with a pond.Enjoy andexperiment! P.S. Although the toads might not be able to breed in my yard,for the rest of the summer the little toadlets were happily hopping aroundin my yard eating bugs.

Excellent water gardening ideas and examples!
I love this book!I have always been enamoured with ponds and water gardens, but thought I would have to own a home to have one.This book shows how to create the perfect container water garden for any size yard,patio, or even room.Great how-to's step by step.Gorgeous pictures. Great ideas.Thank you for such a beautiful, practical and affordablebook! ... Read more

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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Good, Informative Book
This is a good, informative book if you are researching the idea of having a water feature in your yard.I'm a beginner just thinking about building a stream and pond. This book explains everything involved from the materials needed to layout and construction.I thought it was very good.

Ideas for designing first pond
I enjoyed this book; it fit my skill level which I would describe as intermediate. I have not had a pond, but I have kept a 110 gallon indoor aquarium for about twenty years. The information is laid out in an organized fashion with both color photos and b/w sketches. Describes pond design, layout, construction (with a few safety tips), plants, fish (but not detailed information for fish keeping), filters, maintenance and has many color photos.

Best in Class, Inspiring, But Start Small
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.

Needs more specifics
I liked the idea pictures in this book, but ultimately the "how-to's" left me wanting formore. 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.

Major waterfalls
This was a good book if you are going big time waterfalls. I was looking for something a little bit simpler. ... Read more

Product Description
You'll learn how to select the perfect site, choose the size and shape of your garden, and install preformed or flexible-liner pools, as well as how to select pumps and filters, test and treat the water, and choose the right plants and fish for your own unique garden environment. A comprehensive gallery of plants will inspire you to try this increasingly popular form of gardening. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Clear, complete and well illustrated.
Excellent guide that I highly recommend.This is well organized, clear, complete and is very well illustrated.This is an excellent book on water gardening that will be particularly helpful to beginners, but also contains interesting and creative ideas for the more experienced water gardener.

Just fair
For the beginner this is a decent INTRODUCTION to water gardens but it is loaded with inconsistencies, lacks definitions (a glossary), is illogical in many places and left me frustrated many times trying to understand thebasic stuff.Again a decent introduction to water gardening but theserious "gardener" would be well advised to look to othersources.

water gardening
lots of great tips in here for a beginner.this helped me out a lot ... Read more

Product Description
Landscaping your garden pond is a challenging, yet rewarding experience. It allows you the freedom to customize the look of your garden pond in many different and unique styles and forms. The Super Simple Guide to Landscaping Your Garden Pond helps to introduce these styles and forms to you and gives complete explanations of the benefits and downfalls of each. It covers:

---Pond location---Wildlife oriented pond designs---Water cascades---Choosing the right plants---Japanese style ponds---How to attract wildlife to your pond---Creating your own style---Setting up the unusual ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Too Simple
Not very informative....really too simple and not what I was looking for.If I have saw this book at a bookstore I would not have bought it. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description

Product Description
The author of the classic, best-selling book on ponds presents new tips, techniques, and hundreds of resources in this updated, expanded guide.

The Earth Ponds Sourcebook is the most comprehensive and up-to-date reference book for pond-related books and periodicals; aquaculture manufacturers and suppliers; advocacy groups and organizations; water gardening suppliers, botanical gardeners, and government organizations. Since the book's first publication in 1997, the world of ponds has grown dramatically, and this new edition keeps pace with the latest changes and improvements.

An extensive resource section includes bibliographies of books and periodicals, along with Internet addresses. The new expanded Resources section includes:

• Pond Building
• Maintenance
• Activities and Use
• Wildlife
• Garden Ponds

Customer Reviews (2)

Good resources given.
A good place to start if considering building a pond. Not that great for renovating a pond, but it does give good resouces in the book that may help you find what you are looking for.

Earth Ponds
This is meant as a companion for his other book on ponds but does a very nice job by itself. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review
It's easy to have a weak spot for Sunset's how-to books: theyare lavishly illustrated with photos and great illustrations, alwayshave clear instructions and plans, and are always indexedwell. Water Gardens is no exception, although it might be evenmore visually stunning than Sunset's other books. From plans andideas for water features in the tiniest urban courtyard or deck, tobog ponds, to the care of aquatic plants and fish, to fountains,waterfalls, and still-water refection pools--you name it, it's inhere. The book even has a section on historic and beautiful watergardens through the centuries, and will really get your imagination"pumped." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Older Issue, but Still Great
The book looks like a much older printing than I imagined it to be,
but it is certainly worth being a part of my library, nonetheless.
[...]

A book full of ideas.
A book with a lot of ideas that lets you dream of what can be done, and specially with a lot of schematics on what to do. Great pictures, a real bargain for what it gives. ... Read more

Product Description
Volumes in this new Tankmasters series present aquarium enthusiasts with the facts they need to create beautiful and healthful environments for fish and other aquatic life. Dazzling color photographs with detailed, informative captions and step-by-step instructions will quickly turn beginners into capable aquarium hobbyists, while providing advice and ideas that will inspire experienced fish keepers to add variety and interest to their tanks and ponds. Handsomely laid-out pages present essential information at a glance. This volume shows and describes more than 70 freshwater tropical fish suitable for indoor tanks. Tetras, cichlids, angelfish, and many other varieties are described with advice on care and information on compatibility with other fish. More than 200 stunning color photos ... Read more

Product Description
The key to success with a water garden is to get sound advice, and that is exactly what this attractive new mini-encyclopedia provides. Written by an expert, attractively packaged in a handy format, and focusing on practical advice backed up by hundreds of explanatory pictures and step-by-step sequences, it gives the water gardener all that he or she needs to know in one compact package.

---Illustrated with step-by-step photographs that show how a project should be carried out from start to finish in close-up detail.---Includes an illustrated directory of plants and fish that can be used to stock a pool and give it year-round visual interest.---Recommends features that are suitable for the smaller garden or terrace.---Written in clear jargon-free language, a reader-friendly format. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not quite as I expected.
Nice pond making book I thought it is a one book has it all however not much of koi keeping or info on fish. If you just want to have a pond with plants on it this is the book for you but if you want more or info on koi or fish in your pond there is not much.It is just my opinion. a good book on pond building


... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Handy Guide for Starting A Pool
"This book shows, through informative text and colorful photos, how to install garden ponds and pools, including such decorative features as edgings, stepping stones, bridges, and lighting. It also offers instructions on how to introduce moving water, how to care for fish and plants, and how to troubleshoot problems and maintain a pool throughout the seasons."(summary by South Texas Library System)
It's so much fun to have a pool in your yard with goldfish, but there's a lot to know about setting up and caring for one.Keeping it in balance and keeping the fish healthy is well worthwhile when you get hours of enjoyment sitting by the water watching the fish.One of our fish even had babies, and some outgrew the size of pond that we had.They were relocated to a larger pond. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Simple to follow instructions on setting upstocking and maintaining a water garden. Includes tips on pipes and plumbing for the pondlants in the pondand fish. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Hello from the Author
Thank you for reading my book.I try to bring you my experience as a hobbyist just like you.I learned a lot by trial and error while building ponds.I hope that my advice allows you to avoid some of the pitfalls that I found.

Relax, listen to the water and enjoy your new pond.

Terry Anne Barber ... Read more

Product Description
Water features have become an essential part of contemporary gardening, and this new title in the popular Collins Practical Gardener series provides all the practical know-how for installing a water feature with a comprehensive directory of the plants to grow in and around them. The first section of this book takes an in-depth look at all the practical and design considerations involved in choosing and building a water feature -- where to site it; different materials and styles, such as waterfalls, fountains, streams, beaches, bog gardens; constructing the feature and installing extras, such as pumps, lights and safety features; maintenance e. g. keeping the water clean. The main part of the book is a comprehensive directory of aquatic plants, divided into six sections reflecting the full range of plants: floating, flowering, oxygenating, marginal, bog, grasses and ferns. Each entry includes a visual chart listing the best varieties and indicating when to plant, length of flowering season, spread, height and hardiness. In addition, quick-access care charts provide a hit list of care requirements and problems to look out for.The final chapters include a special section on keeping and attracting wildlife to water features, and an extensive troubleshooting section on pond problems and how to deal with them. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

More questions than answers
I was looking for a book to help me plan a very large pond, no fish, with water plants. After thoroughly reading this book, it left me with more questions than answers. For instance, with the type of pond I was considering, what are the criteria I need to keep in mind in determining whether or not I need to use a pump and filtration system? I really did not want to have to install one, but this book did not offer any real advice in helping me decide this very important aspect. If I choose not to install a circulating system, what is the best way to maintain my pond? How will I control algae growth? How do I choose the best plants and their placement?

Some of the terms used were not easily identifiable by their context as to the meaning: what exactly is a coping? concrete haunch?

The drainage section was vague and very confusing--there was so little information to go with.

Like the editorial review says, it is aimed at amateurs; however, amateurs will find they'll need to reference additional sources for some very basic information before initializing any pond project. "The Complete Pond Builder" was not as COMPLETE as I would have liked.

You will find, though, beautiful, inspiring pictures to help you decide how you would like your pond to look and images of the various stages of construction that may be involved in your project.

Nice book, but it lacks some key subject information
This book explains how to build ponds of different shapes and sizes. It contains some wonderful images of ponds and pools, and it details how to place specific types of plants at different layers of a pond. It includes a section on building bog gardens as well. I think it has slightly better construction detail than Swindells' The Master Book of the Water Garden. For example, in one section, it even explains where to apply different concrete mixes to specific parts of a pond. It also includes more examples of smaller ponds.However, it is not as comprehensive as Swindell's book, and it contains very little information about three additional areas that I think are rather important for pond-building: adding fish, designing for wildlife, and performing seasonal maintenance.

Great book for ideas on various types of ponds
This is an excellent book for ideas on various types of ponds: preformed; lined; concrete; raised and semi-raised; etc. with pretty good details on constructing most styles.

The only reason I didn't give it a betterrating, is because in trying to cover so many styles in limited space (144pages total), it naturally could not offer the level of detail I waslooking for when building my lined pond.

That said it was an excellentbook, with great ideas and I strongly recommend it.

BTW, I completed mypond (2,500 gallons!) and it looks great! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

Good book, not an entertainingread
I'm planning a water garden for my back yard and thought this book might help. It has a lot of information, but is not that easy to read. It seamed to me that all the info was written on post-its, organized in to catagories, and printed. It will make a great reference book when I'm having a problem and need to find a quick answer. But it's not the kind of book that has you start on page one and read straight through.

A must for all pond owners!
Even though the title has "planning" in it, the focus of the book deals with maintenance issues. Ms. Nash not only discusses water quality, algae issues, plant propogation, and plant and fish disease, but also how to prevent problems, and how to repair the problem once detected. There are also great photos that illustrate some of the more common pond problems.

I have read better books on pond planning (her other book,"The Complete Pond Planner" and the Ortho series books are great), but I have found none that address the above issues as well as this one.A must read for all pond owners!

Most informative and easy to understand
I bought the book for my sister, but after previewing it had to keep it for myself.It is a wonderful reference book, tells me more than I thought it would in a "basic" book, but is also simple to understand aswell as comprehensive in its delivery.Starting a pond or having one, thisis a definite staple!

Excellent source of practical information.
This books offers both basic information for beginning water gardeners and nuggets of knowledge for those more experienced or professional installers. The presentation is very straightforward and concise. I find the book veryenjoyable to browse and it has a good index for use as a reference. If youare starting a water garden library - start here.

If you have or want a pond/water garden, read this book!
A thorough and well-presented book thattakes you from pond siting and constructionthrough fish and plant selection to control of pests and maintenance.Nash is refreshingly honest about the pros and cons of various choices, and lets you know when a suggested plant or fish is appropriate for your climate.The many full-color pictures are very helpful, especially in identiying insect pests.Includes photos of some very interesting designs, including one with a piano theme!Deserving of all the raves from reviews by AHS and others. ... Read more

Product Description
To his legions of readers, Gene Logsdon is best known as the Contrary Farmer. His writings, which blend commonsense advice, curmudgeonly wit, and respect for the earth, are manna to anyone who wants to live, as Logsdon puts it, "at nature's pace."

The Pond Lovers is Logsdon's ode to the watery microcosms all around us, from the half-acre farm pond to the suburban garden pool. Readers looking for hands-on experience will find plenty of pond-keeping dos and don'ts. Logsdon's higher purpose, however, is to proclaim the natural, spiritual, and recreational benefits of ponds. Fed by spring or filled by rainfall, the ponds closest to Logsdon's heart need minimal human interference in the way of machinery or chemicals. Those we read about in The Pond Lovers mostly belong to Logsdon's friends and neighbors, an extraordinarily resourceful group of people. For them, a pond is many things--from a place to fish, swim, or skate to an oasis for local plants, insects, and animals. Each purpose, Logsdon shows us, has its place in a thoughtful, self-sufficient life. Throughout, Logsdon also reminds us of the intense personal connections to ponds of such creative giants as Claude Monet, Andrew Wyeth, and Henry David Thoreau.

Drawn from many and varied lifetimes spent around ponds, The Pond Lovers brims with lessons and opportunities for good work and good play--for backyard naturalists, do-it-yourselfers, and armchair gardeners. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Nice blend of information and storytelling.
I thought this presentation was a nice balance between providing information regarding the creation and upkeep of a country pond and the value of ponds in the lives of real people.I took a few notes as I read to guide me through the process of adding a pond to our land in the Midwest.I also enjoyed the vision the author shared of the contribution a pond can make to the physical and emotional well-being of those who live nearby.

A Love Affair with Small Waters
Those who love Gene Logsdon's work will definitely want to add this book to their library.Along with his usual contrary take on proper pond building methods, he conveys the beauty, diversity, and endless joy generated by a small pond of water.If you've not read Mr. Logsdon, then this is a wonderful introduction to his work.Anyone who has enjoyed dangling their toes off a dock, frog hunting in the cattails, or fishing on a sunny spring day will appreciate this book. ... Read more