Don transformed an ugly, useless part of the garden into a fabulous feature area complete with colourful plants, a spectacular fish pond and a waterfall. One of the most important reasons for this makeover was that a large picture window in the family room of the house, where the owners spend most of their time, looked straight out to the unattractive, problem area. If you have a similar area in your garden, follow the steps below to achieve the same effects as we did. Don estimated that two people could do the job very easily in one weekend.
Tools
spade, mattock, axe, rake, trowel, spirit level, secateurs, crow bar, cordless drill, screwdriver bits for drill, 1 1/4″ spade bit, bread knife/chopping board, Stanley knife
Materials
Fish pond and waterfall:
Medium rock pond ($620)
Small pond cascade ($275)
Small rock ($198)
Little rock ($59.50)
(All of the above were made by Universal Rocks out of lightweight polyurethane from a latex mould.)
Pump – 2000 litres per hour ($199, Messner 2000)
Pump cover – large ($77, from Universal Rocks)
Light for pond ($60, Hozelock)
Transformer – light, 50va ($55, Hozelock)
Transformer – pump, 24 volt, 60va ($106.40, Hozelock)
Low voltage cable, hose, joiner (25mm), 19mm tail w/1″ BSP male
Sikaflex Pro 2HP waterproof sealant
River sand @ $5.50 per bag
Nepean river pebbles @ $8 per bag
Lucky stones (75-300mm) @ $50 per tonne
Garden:
premium soil mix @ $49/m3
composted leaf mulch/woodchip
vari-jet spinners (180