Barrel of Fun 
You Can Make Your Back Yard 
Mimiartvure pools constructed of wooden tubs, sawed-off 
barrels, old bathtubs, or any other sturdy containers that 
might be easily sunken are appealing to growing numbers 
of water garden enthusiasts, for many reasons. 
They cost practically nothing, utilizing such materials as 
might be found right around home. Such an arrangement 
is perfect for those who rent their homes. For those who 
have just built new homes it provides one of the quickest 
methods of landscaping known. 
It doesn’t require any mechanical ability—and not a great 
deal of ambition to construct one. 
Tub and barrel gardens fit beautifully into comparatively 
small yards, and into difficult corners of big ones. 
To construct a barrel pool, cut down to a height of 18 
inches any wooden cask used previously for beer, wine, 
olives or the like. Sink the container 16 inches into the 
ground, leaving a 2-inch lip above lawn surface to keep out 
surface water. Stones or sod can then be built up around 
the raised lip. 
A wooden tub should be sunken in the same manner. 
Whether the miniature garden is made of tub or barrel, new 
wood should be avoided if possible, for it is poisonous to 
goldfish. New wood can be aged quickly by slaking a chunk 
of lime in the new receptacle, letting it set for a few days, 
stirring it occasionally and then washing it. 
Water lilies can be planted in 4 inches of soil in the bottom 
of the barrel or tub, or planted in smaller receptacles which 
may then be set down into the sunken container. Sand 
spread on top of the planting dirt will improve the appear- 
ance of the pool. 
One or two lilies to each tub or barrel will be plenty. 
Avoid the temptation to overplant. 
There are several varieties of lilies especially adapted to 
culture in confined spaces. They are listed under Tub Col- 
lections on Page 31. 
For planting, follow instructions on Page 10. 
Tub and barrel pools, or 
clusters of them, can be 
used in an unlimited num- 
ber of patterns around 
practically any estate, re- 
gardless of its size. They 
are beautiful as the prin- 
cipal decoration, or as 
complementary additions 
to an existing landscape 
pattern. They are _ so 
simple to “plant” that their 
pattern can be changed 
quickly. 
14 Three Springs Fisheries, Lilypons, Maryland 
Far More Interesting 
With a Tub or Barrel 
And Some Imagination 
