Water Gardens in a Weekend [antikvár]

RODUCTIONAmple space and time were once essential aspects of having a water garden. Space was considered necessary because the perception of a water garden was as a large affair, on a scale with other equaily impressive features. Time was essential, because construction techniques and materials meant that days, if not weeks, had to be spent in digging and transportation.Below Thesimplicity of this Japanese water feature epitomizes the contribution that smaii water features can make in the modern garden.As our houses and gardens have become smaller there have been significant advances in the materials and equipment available for making and maintaining water gardens, reducing the need for large amounts of space to contour deep and spacious areas of water surface.Despite the improvements in construction materials, however, there has been an understandable reluctance to introduce water into gardens through concerns about safety, a nervousness about introducing an element that has such variability and. most of all perhaps, the demands that will be madeon limited leisure time in constructing and maintaining the water feature.Over the last few years a distinct change has occurred in water gardening, and much of this anxiety has been dispelled. Water has become an altogether more subtle ingredient in the overall garden, and the water garden no longer consists of large areas of open water but is more likely to take the form of one or more smaller features, frequently exploiting movement and sound to bring surprise and interest to small nooks and corners rather than dominating the design. They have also become more accessible to amateur gardens in placing fewer demands on time needed for building and maintenance. There are now water features that can be installed in minutes as long as there is a nearby electrical outlet and a suitable wall to mount them to.What are water features?The term "water features" has come to include installations that are generally quite small, that require little skill or expense in construction, often using a small circulating pump to create movement. These features have added to the repertoire of the gardener but have not replaced the water garden. They have made it possible to introduce some of the charms of water that would not previously have been considered in smaller gardens, and to help the gardener gain confidence in using this versatile element to add more individuality to the garden.Water features in historySmaller water gardens and water features have allowed the modern gardener to complete the historical circle of water's use in garden design. The gardens of early China made use of "rooms," where gardens were split up into smaller areas, with water an ingredient in at least one of them. Mounds of rock were often placed next to small pools to re-create images of lakes and mountains, and these arrangements were given added significance by the positioning of "windows" in partitions or screens between the garden areas so that the feature could be viewed from other parts of the garden. Water had even greater significance in the Japanese garden, where it was represented in raked gravel around rocks if it was not possible to include water itself. Many smaller water features from Japanese gardens, such as the tsukubai and shishi odoshi, are now included in Western gardens.in contrast to the symbolic and spiritual properties of water in Oriental gardens, the role of water in gardens from the Mediterrantean countries and the Middle East was more concerned with refreshment, movement and exuberance. Canals and fountains brought life and relief to hot, arid climates, and their plans became increasingly sophisticated as engineering and construction skills developed with time.The landscape movement of more recent garden history used water on an Imposing scale, as man-made lakes and ornamental bridges made their