Product Description

A reference for all water gardeners, whether amateur or professional. From building a wall fountain or installing a pond to replanting a stream, it features technical advice and drawings, steering the reader around the pitfalls. Areas covered include: designing a full range of water features, including fountains, ponds, bog gardens, streams and leisure pools; preparing the site, whether flat, sloping, wet or dry, on sand or on rock; construction methods and materials; special effects with lighting, stepping stones and islands; safety and maintenance measures; stocking a pond with fish and attracting wildlife; planting techniques; and a full catalogue of floating, emergent and marginal plants, marsh and water-loving plants, as well as waterside trees and shrubs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51584 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From the Publisher
review extract
'At first glance this may look like a coffee table tome, but it is too good to be left with the cup rings and the digestive crumbs. Everything you need to know about installation is here, with plenty of clear diagrams accompanying the text that take you through the job from start to finish.'

About the Author
Anthony Archer-Wills has designed and built over 2,000 water features – from small ponds in urban gardens to vast lakes on country estates. He runs a design consultancy and water plant nursery in West Sussex. His innovative use of new materials and boldly imaginative construction techniques is widely acclaimed by gardening experts, and he is much in demand, in both Europe and the United States, as a lecturer on every aspect of water feature construction and planting. He is the author of many books.

To visit Anthony Archer-Wills' website click here

Customer Reviews

Inspirational with excellent instructions and drawings.
This book is a must for those who want to build a water feature but have no previous experience in this area. It is well laid out, informative and inspirational. As a garden design student I have consulted many books on this subject but felt this was the one I should buy.

well compiled, lavishly illustrated and keenly written
There are many books on the market that will explain the ins and outs and various pitfalls of building your own water garden, but I have yet to come across one so well compiled, lavishly illustrated and keenly written as this one. Every conceivable water feature available has been utilised and explained in order to make this book a pleasure for both the expert and the beginner alike. It comes as no surprise to learn that the author has designed and built over 2,000 water features, and acts as a consultant on "water gardening". Every step essential to the creation of a beautiful pond and its surroundings is laid out, step by step. The accompanying illustrations and photographs are outstanding, and each section details suitable plants; aquatic, marginal and more. I wish I had had this book to hand when I ventured forth into the garden one day, spade in hand, with the grandiose idea of a garden pond and bog garden!

the best of what i've laid my hands at
At a visit to a friend's house this morning, I was really amazed seeing the beautiful garden he had with small pools spread around with many different sorts of plants on the sides. When I asked him how he succeded in creating such a nice garden, he went inside and came back with a book titled "The Water Gardener" written by ANTHONY ARCHER-WILLS, JOHN BROOKES. I am back at home now and ordering for a copy of this particular book. Thanks for it.