canna lilies – The Deck and Patio Company

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Key Elements of a Healthy, Low-Maintenance Pond

A low-maintenance pond is one with an ecosystem that works naturally with Mother Nature to keep the pond clean and clear. It is a paradise for families to relax by and study throughout all seasons. It also offers a healthy place for desirable wildlife, such as pond fish, birds, etc.

Such a delightful backyard feature has several elements that contribute to its overall harmony. As certified Aquascape Inc. contractors, Deck and Patio keeps regularly up-to-date with the latest in pond design, construction and maintenance.

Proper Water Circulation

It is essential that any water pump be adequate to the size of your pond and waterfalls. This ensures the amount of water will be aerated sufficiently and will not stagnate or develop excessive bacteria. Instead, the pond receives adequate oxygenation to remain healthy.

Biological Filters and Skimmers

Ponds should also include a natural filtration system using the right biological filter and mechanical skimmer. Adding rocks and gravel over pond liners will also allow beneficial bacteria to grow for fish to graze on.

Pond Fish

Koi, in all their jeweled colors, are not just beautiful to look at. They eat algae, and their own waste turns into fertilizer for pond plants. It’s key, though, not to overstock your pond so the balance of fish waste, verses what is being used up, remains in proper balance.

Aquatic Plants

And you thought plants, too, were just pretty faces. No, they also play a key role in filtering a pond’s ecosystem. Aquatic plants absorb nutrients from the fish waste. “In the heat of summer, for example, it’s ideal that approximately 40% of your pond’s surface be covered with plants. Not only do they take care of the algae they also provide shade for the fish when it’s hot,” says Dave Stockwell of Deck and Patio.

Backyard Pond Is a Paradise

“A backyard pond should be a paradise for relaxation as well as a home for desirable wildlife,” adds Dave Stockwell. “I’m referring to wildlife such as birds, frogs, etc. who eat insects as they enjoy the shelter you’ve created for them. In addition, aquatic plants and pond fish are essential elements in the overall ecosystem.”

Sometimes, Deck and Patio clients want to go even further when creating a natural healthy pond ecosystem. “That’s the rainwater harvesting comes into play,” says Dave. “This involves capturing rainwater, filtering it, and trapping it below ground to be recirculated to maintain the pond’s water level because of evaporation. Aquascape Inc. of St. Charles, IL, has superb systems that capture and circulate rainwater.”

This captured water never stagnates, says Brian Helfrich, construction manager at Aquascape, because the water is continuously circulated in the pond via a waterfall, or stream, or pond fountain.

“Rainfall shortages will never be a problem,” says Helfrich. “Plus, with such a system, town or city water is never being used. Those with an underground storage tank — stocked with water they may have collected a month ago, even during a drought, will not only keep their water feature fresh and moving, but excess water reserves can maintain a lawn, and/or a vegetable garden.”

Easy to Maintain Pond Ecosystem:

This beautiful award-winning water feature (silver medal from LIPSA) consists of a stream, waterfalls and pond; it’s the perfect spot for letting the day’s cares melt away. Enchanting Echinacea (coneflowers) and magenta Lythrum are some of the plants brightening this pondscape.

Healthy Pond Ecosystems with Wildlife:

Water is the basis of all successful ecosystems. The second you put in a water feature you attract all kinds of wildlife — birds who want to bathe, frogs, salamanders, and insects that the birds feed on.

Low Maintenance Ponds with Koi:

Contrary to popular belief, fish will actually reduce pond maintenance, as they graze on string algae and bottom feed from the pond floor. Plants shown here include bullrush, pink canna lilies, horsetail, and a rose arey hybrid water lily.

“A healthy pond does require some spring and fall maintenance,” says Dave Stockwell. “However, if you build your pond correctly, Mother Nature will do the rest. Not only will you love it in every season, but frogs, birds and butterflies will thank you for it.”

By June Sullivan|2019-03-28T14:11:41-05:00March 28th, 2019|Aquascape Biofalls, Awards, Backyard Escapes, Backyard Refurbishments, Backyard Resorts, Backyard Upgrades, Creative Design, Design and Build Experts, Gardening, Herb/Vegetable Gardens, Koi Ponds, Landscaping, Living Landscapes, Moss Rock and Stones, Outdoor Living, Plantings/Pondscapes, Ponds & Water Features, Rainwater Harvesting, Sustainable Water Features|Comments Off

Ideal Landscaping Takes Planning
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Ideal Landscaping Takes Planning

Lush beautiful landscaping that lasts and expresses those who live there is rarely random. It involves a thoughtful plan, which means that any expert professional involved needs to understand the client.

When planning a delightful outdoor landscape, it is key to consider such questions as: how do you feel about the upkeep of the space? Frequently that means choosing plants that will survive with little effort, with shade, and are generally easy to maintain.

However, to complete the right outdoor vistas, it’s not just the softscapes (or plantings) that are important. Where additional hardscaping is desired, the types of materials used need to fit the mood and tastes of those living there. It is equally important to soften around these areas with hardy plants and shrubs, along with dramatic statements like a mature Japanese maple — all of which add a soft allure to any patio, walkway, walls and steps.

Another crucial consideration is how do you want to use the space, with the size of your property – and, of course, budget – affecting these decisions.

In the end, the ideal project begins with the right plan to express those who live there – and express them ‘beautifully.’

Hardscapes That Look Natural:

This beautiful walking area in the clients’ yard appears to have been designed by Mother Nature herself. Stepping stones leading to steps of natural stone are flanked by lush plantings that include bright red “Wave Petunias” and colorful purple and yellow “Coneflowers.”

Landscaping Around a Pond:

These clients wanted a water feature as part of their landscaping plan. Along with robust green ground cover that Deck and Patio added in and around the waterfall’s natural rocks, the pond also bursts alive with color. Bright orange blossoms of “Canna Lilies” (left), which take full sun but can thrive in partial shade, offer up tropical-like blossoms. The green-leafed plant to the right is “Hosta” which boasts delightful waxy leaves and produces white flowers in late summer.

Backyard Streams with Landscaping:

So many clients these days want a stream with waterfalls that they can stroll or sit beside to enjoy peaceful contemplative moments. The key is to making such a delightful experience is for it to appear as if Mother Nature carved it out long ago. This means careful thought must go into the plants and rocks used along the banks.

The bright reds seen along this stream are “Wave Petunias” which are summer favorites. They are definitely easy-care as well as fast growing. Note: they are not the cascading Petunias you see growing in porch hanging baskets, but are garden favorites that spread and trail along full of flowers. The pretty bluish-purple flowers just behind them are “Russian Sage” and the robust green evergreens rolling along the banks are “Procumben Junipers.”

A Pond Monet Would Love:

These clients wanted a stunning, natural looking expansive pond and if we say so ourselves, the finished water feature is a spot the painter Monet would appreciate. The joyous colors bobbing in the water are tropical water lilies that come in a variety of colors and are seen here in white, red and pink varieties. In choosing these plants, you’ll want to be sure they are mostly day-bloomers, but if you have good landscape lighting, and want to experience something very special once the sun goes down, include a few night bloomers in your pond.

Dramatic Curb Appeal:

When you want your entranceway to say “wow” like these clients did consider a hardscape in muted soft colors. Around the walkway and porch, we lavishly landscaped the area with bright eye-catching plantings. On the far left, for example, there is a blush of purple “Coneflowers” shining out from a much more expansive swath of sunny yellows of the same variety.

By June Sullivan|2017-01-21T16:34:31-05:00June 16th, 2016|Koi Ponds, Landscaping, Living Landscapes, Outdoor Living, Plantings/Pondscapes, Ponds & Water Features, Seasonal Landscapes, Updating Landscape|0 Comments

Putting the ‘Eco’ in Pond ‘Ecosystems’
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Putting the ‘Eco’ in Pond ‘Ecosystems’

Just what constitutes a healthy pond ‘ecosystem’? Basically, such a pond works with Mother Nature to provide food, shelter, and safety to the wildlife around it, while it creates a low-maintenance piece of paradise for nature lovers.

To attract desirable wildlife (frogs, birds, etc.), and even the insects they eat, requires the right circulation system (pumps and plumbing), proper filtration, aquatic plants, and, of course, fish, which are an integral part of it all.

In addition, Deck and Patio’s Outdoor Living Expert, Bill Renter, frequently introduces clients concerned about water conservation to the option of ‘rainwater harvesting’ — a system which collects water from roofs, and other areas of a client’s property, and stores it in an underground tank to be recirculated. These systems are RainXchange Harvesting Systems, produced by Aquascapes Inc., St. Charles, IL which we sell and install.

Brian Helfrich, construction manager at Aquascapes, explains that this reserved tank water never stagnates because it is continuously circulated in the pond via a waterfall, or stream, or pond fountain.

“You don’t have to worry about rainfall shortages,” says Helfrich. “With such a system, City water is never being used. Even during draughts, those with an underground storage tank — stocked with water they may have collected a month ago — can not only keep their water feature fresh and moving, but can use some of the reserve to maintain their lawn, or even a vegetable garden.”

Pond Ecosystem:

This beautiful award-winning water feature system consists of a stream, waterfalls and pond, and is the perfect spot for letting the day’s cares melt away. Enchanting Echinacea (coneflowers) and magenta Lythrum are some of the plants brightening this pondscape.

Beautiful Pondscape:

Along with waterfalls, stream and pond, for a healthy ecosystem, it is essential to choose the right stones and gravel (which provide the correct ph value for the fish and plants). A beautiful Japanese maple shades the pondscape’s bridge; bright red geraniums add a strong burst of color (bottom right).

Pond Koi:

Contrary to popular belief, fish will actually reduce pond maintenance, as they graze on string algae and bottom feed from the pond floor. Plants include bullrush, pink canna lilies, horsetail, and a rose arey hybrid water lily.

Pond and Patios:

Installing a multi-faceted water feature that includes stream, waterfalls and pond, nestled in between multi-level patios, creates a restful and functional backyard oasis.

Pond Wildlife:

Water is the basis of all successful eco-systems. The second you put in a water feature you attract all kinds of wildlife — birds who want to bathe, frogs, salamanders, and insects that the birds feed on.