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The Wonderful World of Watergardening |
Water Gardening has become the latest trend for outdoor hobbyists. Whether it's the
soothing sound of running water, the beauty of water lilies, or the captivating
movement of koi and goldfish darting here and there, the backyard pond is the
most-enjoyable feature of any landscape.
According to a USA Today poll conducted in July 2002, water features are the number
one thing homeowners would add to enhance their homes. Water features were selected
above decks, pools, patios, gardens, and porches!
Kingdom Landscaping has been installing custom water features since 1998. We use the
Aquascape Designs' proven water gardening system. Whether you're interested in a 4'
x 6' pond for small spaces, an 11' x 16' pond for larger spaces, or a 20' x 30' (or
larger) for the extreme hobbyist, we can custom design and build the perfect water
feature for your outdoor paradise.
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The Aquascape Ecosystem(TM)
The Aquascape Designs' ecosystem consists of a skimmer, biological filtration media
(biofalls), liner, underlayment, bacteria, plant pockets, rocks and gravel, aquatic
plants, and fish. This is the best way to construct a natural-looking water feature.
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Estimates
We would be happy to come to your home and meet with you to discuss your desires for
the perfect water feature to fit your lifestyle. Our visit would include laying out
the size of your water garden in your yard using spray paint. This way you can
visualize the location of the waterfall, stream, and pond to make sure you can enjoy
it from inside your home as well as when you are outside. We would also take time to
answer any questions you may have about the construction and maintenance of your new
pond. Then, back at our office, we would prepare a detailed itemized estimate, simple CAD
drawing, and job proposal (contract).
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Create a Paradise Video
To find out more about the wonderful world of water gardening, contact us to receive
the Aquascape Designs' Create A Paradise video or DVD. This video will show you a gallery
of waterfalls, streams, and ponds that can be built in your yard using the Aquascape
Ecosystem(TM). You'll be able to listen to several homeowners tell you how installing
a pond in their yard has improved their lives and has been the best investment they
have ever made. Just click on our "Contact Us" link and request more information on the Create A Paradise video.
Contact Us
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Cost
The average price range for a custom-installed water feature is $5,000 to $100,000
depending upon the size and scope of the project. Price variables include whether
your pond has a large waterfall with a stream, more than one waterfall and/or stream, the size of your water feature (as small as 4x6 or as large as 50'x75'), and whether you decide to install the pond plants and exterior
landscaping yourself.
Water Gardening Photos
Click
here
to view our slide show.
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New for 2006
Kingdom Landscaping is offering a mail-order sales catalog for all of your
favorite NurseryPro and Aquascape Designs' pond products. Have your items delivered
directly to your home; this will save you time and money! E-mail or call us with your
name and address, and we will send you the new catalog. Make sure you use our special
keycode number when placing your order.
KEYCODE IS 468181
We no longer carry plants and fish; the retail water garden store has been closed. Please note that we still offer design and build pond services, and we will provide technical support to our customers. Please call if you have any questions. All of your pond products--S.A.B., PondFloc, EcoBlast, UltraKoi Fish Food, Bacteria, etc.--are still available through our mail order catalog. Please call for your FREE catalog today!
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WATER GARDEN DISPLAY & PAVER DISPLAY
OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
CALL 301-416-0033
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Directions
FROM FREDERICK, MARYLAND
Take Route 15 North to Thurmont
Take Route 77 West to Cunningham Falls State Park
Stay on Route 77 and go through the "Park" area.
Make a RIGHT TURN onto Quirauk School Road.
Follow Quirauk School Road for approx. 2-3 miles until you cross over into
Washington County, Maryland.
At top of hill, make a left down a gravel lane - #12750 Quirauk School
Road. There's a large sign at the top of the lane!
FROM HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND
Take Route 64 to Smithsburg.
Make a RIGHT TURN onto Route 491.
At the top of the mountain, make a RIGHT TURN onto Hells Delight Road.
At stop sign, make a LEFT TURN onto Quirauk School Road.
At top of hill, make a LEFT TURN down a gravel lane - #12750 Quirauk School
Road. There's a large sign at the top of the lane!
FROM WAYNESBORO, PENNSYLVANIA
Take Route 16 to Blue Ridge Summit, PA
Make a RIGHT TURN onto Ft. Ritchie Access Road.
At blinking light go straight up hill past Ft. Ritchie.
At stop sign, make a RIGHT TURN onto Route 491.
Follow Route 491 for approx. 2 miles until shoulders become wide.
Make a LEFT TURN onto Mt. Zion Road.
Follow until you come to "Y" in road, then bare LEFT onto Quirauk School Road.
At top of hill, make a RIGHT TURN down a gravel lane - #12750 Quirauk
School Road. There's a large sign at the top of the lane! |
North American Water Garden Society(TM)
Join the North American Water Garden Society (TM). NAWGS is a national organization
of pond lovers dedicated to the enjoyment, education, promotion, and protection of
water gardening. For more information go to North American Water Garden Society
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why do you put rocks and gravel on the bottom of the pond?
A. There are a number of reasons why we use rock and gravel in our ponds.
The most important reason is for filtration purposes.
The rocks provide a large area for bacteria to colonize.
The bacteria breaks down fish waste and other organic debris that falls to the bottom of the pond.
The second reason is to help hold the liner in place so that the water weight doesn't pull it down.
Thirdly, it makes the pond look much more natural than having a black liner covered with algae.
The fourth reason is that the rocks can be used as hiding places for fish, frogs, turtles, crayfish,
and any other creatures you might have, giving them a natural environment to feel safe in. Lastly,
you can use the rocks and gravel as camouflage to hide plant pots.
Q. I'm concerned about West Nile Virus. Will a pond promote mosquitoes?
A. Standing, non-moving (still) water is the perfect location for mosquito larvae.
However, in a filtered pond situation, where you have moving water at all times, there is less
concern about mosquitoes. The good news is that fish eat mosquito larvae, so if mosquitoes
do lay eggs in a pond, the fish will take care of them naturally. And, for additional
insurance, if you're still concerned about mosquitoes, you can purchase NurseryPro's
Pre-Strike, which kills mosquitoes before they hatch for 21 days. We sell this
product in our store, "Water Gardens and More..."
Q. What is the recommended amount of fish to put in the pond?
A. A good guide to use is to have 1" of fish for every 1 sq.ft. of pond surface area.
For example, an 11' x 16' pond would have approx. 176 sq.ft. of surface area. This means that you
could safely have around 40 goldfish that are 4" long; however, keep in mind that fish grow.
Also, if you are going to have a Koi pond, the rules are a little different. For one thing
your pond should be at least 2' deep for Koi. Also, because Koi are big eaters, they also
produce more waste than goldfish, and you must have a good filtration system to keep your
water healthy. For example, an 11' x 16' x 2' pond will have approximately 2500 gallons of water.
You could safely have 14 to 20 Koi in a pond that size. We do not recommend Koi in ponds less than 600 gallons.
Q. How do I determine that amount of water in my pond?
A. A. Here are the formulas we use for determining how many gallons of water may be in your pond. Keep in mind, however, that the rocks used inside of your pond can decrease the amount of water.
Circular pond: 3.14r2 x average depth x 7.48
Irregular pond: length x width x average depth x 7.48
Q. How deep should the pond be?
A. Average size ponds don't need to be more than 2' deep for fish and plants to overwinter
in Zone 6.
Q. What do you do with fish in the winter?
A. You can leave them in your pond. However, it is best to keep your pond filtration
system running throughout the winter and to provide some type of floating heater/de-icer in order to keep
a hole open in the ice for the fish. This allows the transfer of oxygen into the water and allows harmful gases to escape. You must keep a close watch on your pond during the winter
months if you choose to keep it running.
Q. How often should you feed the fish?
A. This really comes down to your own personal preference and how friendly you want you fish to be. You should probably only feed goldfish once per day.
Koi need to eat more in order to grow to a nice size. Some people recommend
feeding them 3 times per day; however, you should not give them more food than
they can consume in 5 minutes. Also, the more fish eat, the more waste they produce.
So, make sure you have a strong filtration system to combat the possibility of amonia
buildup and excessive algae growth. On the other hand, your fish will not starve if you don't feed them everyday; they will have plenty of things to nibble on in the pond. So, if you decide to go on vacation, your fish will be able to take care of themselves.
Q. When should you start/stop feeding the fish?
A. Don't feed fish when the water temperature is under 55 degrees.
The fish metabolism is slowed down, and they won't be able to process the food.
Q. What is the recommended amount of plants to put in the pond?
A. You should strive to have an average of 30% to 50% of the water surface covered.
If your pond is in total sun for more than 12 hours per day during the summer, you may want to increase the coverage to 70%. You want to have a good mix of plants; not all one type of plant. Use a mix of marginal
(bog) plants--like cattails, rushes, iris, canna lilies--and oxygenators, floaters, and water lilies. Tropical floating plants like water hyacinth and water lettuce absorb the maximum amount of nutrient from the water and thus inhibit algae growth. They are very beneficial as a natural filtration system. Another idea is to purchase floating island planters that allow the plant's root system to grow directly below the planter in the water.
Q. What happens to the plants in the winter time?
A. Most hardy plants will die back and go dormant during the winter.
Tropical plants need to be brought inside or treated as annuals.
If you have a question that has not been answered above, please go to our Contact Us page and present your question to us. We'll try to answer it as best as we can. Thank you.
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