|
Q: What about pond safety - will a pond be
dangerous for young children who visit?
A: Pond safety is crucial - any water
more than a couple of inches deep is dangerous for young children. Children
are curious little people and will investigate things that we perhaps don`t
even notice. However much you promise yourself to keep an eye on them, they
will still find a way of evading you! Even a latched gate is no deterrent as
visitors can always leave it undone. The most dangerous garden ponds, in my
opinion, are the wildlife ponds situated at the bottom of the garden, which
have become so overgrown with pond weed and algae that they are not easy to
spot. Our dog recently leapt into one of these that even
he hadn't seen!
To tackle pond safety the first thing to do is
protect any newly built garden pond with a pond safety cover, such as those
made by
Safapond. The pond safety grid is
modular and will be made to fit any shape or size garden pond. It can be
placed either above the water or a couple of centimetres below the
waterline. Do remember to allow for the rise and fall of water levels. Don`t
be fooled into thinking yours is only a small pond and that pond safety is
not an issue, because complacency kills. Even if you do not have small
children visiting, please bear in mind that your neighbours might have, and
they could perhaps find their way into your garden and drown in your pool.
So put pond safety top of your agenda.
**************************
Q: Is there enough room in my garden
for a pond?
A: The sound of running water making a
relaxing sound and bringing your garden to life is worth making space for.
If you only have a tiny outdoor space, a small water feature will add such
extra interest, even if it is only a wall fountain or pebble fountain water
feature. Bear in mind that you will need to have electricity near to the
water feature or pond, to work the pump and any lighting you want. If you
don`t have a garden at all, the therapeutic sound of running water can be
brought inside with any of the huge range of indoor water features.
Keep the size of pond in proportion to your
garden and don`t be tempted to build one so big that will empty the local
reservoir, whilst at the same time becoming a full-time maintenance job
*************************
Q: Is there a suitable aspect in my
garden for a pond?
A: Study the area you have assigned for
your garden pond to see how much sunlight, if any, it gets during the summer
daylight hours. The relatively small amount of water within a garden pond
will heat up much quicker than say, a lake, so if you build a small garden
pond within a patio that has a sunny aspect, you will find that fish and
wildlife will not live happily in the water.. Nuisance algae such as blanket
weed also likes to grow in these conditions. Likewise if you situate your
garden pond underneath a tree, you might find it too cool, and in the winter
the leaves will drop into the pond, polluting the water along with other
waste materials. If the lawn goes to the edge of the garden pond you will
need to take care when mowing that no grass cuttings get into the water.
The best situation for a garden pond is one
where it is in some shade for the hottest part of the day. This would also
be better for you if you want to sit and relax by the pond in a shady spot.
*************************
Next month:
Q: Is garden pond
maintenance time consuming?
Q: What sort of garden
pond should I have?
Q: What accessories such
as garden pumps will I need?
This pond safety product is a `must` if you have young
children visiting and a pond in your garden:-
 www.safapond.com
Specialist suppliers and installers of garden pond safety systems.
Designed with kids in mind. Protecting young children from the dangers of
garden ponds and water features..
|
