Informal basin in the hollow of a lawn. When the stone margin is hidden, such The high rim of this basin is unnatural. It necessitates bold plantings around, to 

 a pond is ideal. Don't overplant give it a semi-formal setting 



made. It must be water-tight, not liable to in- 

 jury by frost, and of a suitable size and depth. 

 I knew one little garden which was made 

 simply by scooping out the earth like the 

 bowl of a spoon and laying in a thick coat 

 of cement — no brick, no stone. Here grew 

 the big red Devon water-lily ( Nymphcca 

 Devoniensis), Sturtevant's massive pink 

 (Nympheca Sturtevantii) , both tender; the 

 white night lotus {Nymphcra Lotus), and 

 several hardy varieties,and all with the great- 

 est luxuriance. But, alas, one hard winter 

 frost cracked the cement, the water ran out 

 and all was lost. But. then, no artificial 

 pond can last indefinitely without repairs. 



Another friend had a gorgeous show of 

 water-hyacinths, big yellow water-poppies, 

 plumes of parrot-feather, and water-lilies in 

 pink, yellow and white. This tank was 

 built of a single course of brick carefully laid 

 in cement. The place was excavated to a depth 

 of sixteen inches, and the bottom and walls 

 were covered with a coat of the best Portland 

 cement. Its dimensions were four and a half 

 by six and a half feet. It had a partition 

 near one end coming up nearly to the 

 water level. The larger part contained rich 

 earth to a depth of about six inches for 

 water-lilies and lotus, the smaller was filled 



with earth and served for bog plants. Such 

 delight as this garden furnished to the family 

 and neighbors ! And all summer there were 

 flowers and roots to give away. 



The safest construction, however, is that 

 recommended by Mr. Tricker: "Dig down 

 two feet six inches and lay a wall of brick 

 eight inches thick below, tapering (if desired) 

 to four inches at the top. The bottom is 

 packed with broken stone, and this and the 

 walls are heavily coated with the best cement." 

 In winter the margins should be protected 

 with litter or leaves. Indeed, it is a good 

 thing to draw off all the water and pack the 

 tank tightly with dead leaves, piling them 

 several inches deep over the whole. Hardy 

 plants will survive perfectly so long as the 

 water does not freeze to the bottom. As to 

 depth, twelve to eighteen inches is all that is 

 absolutely necessary for water-lilies, and 

 eighteen to twenty-four will do for Victoria. 

 The additional depth for Victoria is best 

 arranged by making a pit in the bottom of 

 the pond in which to place its tub. Thus 

 room is given for the development of its 

 gigantic leaves and flowers without greatly 

 increasing either the work of excavation or" - 

 the volume of water required. It is very 

 desirable to have the water shallow enough 



for the gardener to walk through it with hip 

 boots, though with ponds of twelve feet width 

 or less a plank can be laid across and access 

 to the plants is easy. 



Another method of construction, which 

 has marked advantages, is called "puddling." 

 Here an excavation is dug out as before, but 

 the sides are made sloping (about 45 degrees) 

 instead of vertical. The whole interior is 

 now covered three or four inches thick with 

 firm, tough brick clay, well packed and 

 beaten down. The clay is fairly impervious 

 to water and is not injured by freezing. The 

 margins, from mean water level to a depth of 

 twelve inches, are lined with stones pounded 

 into the clay. This prevents washing away 

 by ripples or by moving ice. It is advised to 

 cover the clay bottom with a few inches of 

 sand so that the puddling may be protected 

 and the mud not so easily stirred up. 



It is doubtful whether it is easier to build 

 a pond in a natural water way, or to make 

 it from the foundation up. Unless the 

 natural water course can be easily diverted 

 I prefer not to use it. For every stream at 

 a distance of a hundred feet or more from 

 • its spring head is subject to flooding from 

 heavy rains. 



Should a violent current sweep over and 



An excellent arrangement. The margin is low and unobtrusive. Plenty of sun- A puddled garden, where open water effects are not expected. It resembles a 

 light on the water, with heavy background slacK water of a meadow, where plants grow thickly 



79 



