The guru of earth ponds explains how to site, design, shape, and plant these beloved fixtures of rural landscapesóand make them fit your property and your life. In the decades since he wrote his acclaimed Earth Ponds, Tim Matson has designed scores of ponds, each unique to its site and its owners. In Landscaping Earth Ponds, he shares what he has learned to make these
captivating ponds fit into their landscapes and into the lives and lifestyles of their owners.
Earth ponds are increasingly recognized for the full range of gardening, landscaping, and ecological promise they hold. As pond-building methods have been perfected, more homeowners are restoring existing ponds or digging new ones. With dozens of colour photographs, Matson shows you how to site a pond in right relation to your house, offering surprisingly simple ways to visually link the two.
His proven methods and designs reflect the many moods water evokes. Screen your pond for privacy, create a sandy beach and natural diving platform, encourage wetland gardens, line the shores with moisture-loving perennials, or design your gardens and paths to create a sense of mystery and adventure.
Introduction
PART ONE Site and Landscape Design Fundamentals
Chapter One: New Ponds
Excavated versus Embankment Ponds ï Siting the New Pond ï Siting the House
Chapter Two: Existing Ponds
Water ï Pond Structure ï Edges ï Inflows and Outflows ï The Dam ï History
PART TWO Excavated Ponds
Chapter Three: The Pond at Strawberry Hill
Siting ï Construction
Chapter Four: Techniques
Shaping the Basin ï Planting
PART THREE Embankment Ponds
Chapter Five: The Lornell Pond
Siting ï The Dam and Basin Structure
Chapter Six: General Techniques
Siting ï Landscaping the Embankment ï Grasses and Plants ï Inflows and Outflows ï Inflow Streams ï Outflow Streams
PART FOUR Plants, Shrubs, and Trees
Chapter Seven: Save That Tree
Native Trees ï Saving, Thinning, or Removing
Chapter Eight: Planting Considerations and Techniques
Soil, Sun, and Climate ï First Plantings around a New Pond ï Selecting and Siting Trees ï Tree Species ï Aquatic and Shoreland Plants ï Plant Checklist ï Planter Beware ï Planting Strategies
Chapter Nine: Recommended Pond Plants
Moist-Soil Plants and Shrubs ï Sedges and Grasses ï Aquatic Plants ï Deer-Resistant Plants
Resources
Index
Introduction
PART ONE Site and Landscape Design Fundamentals
Chapter One: New Ponds
Excavated versus Embankment Ponds ï Siting the New Pond ï Siting the House
Chapter Two: Existing Ponds
Water ï Pond Structure ï Edges ï Inflows and Outflows ï The Dam ï History
PART TWO Excavated Ponds
Chapter Three: The Pond at Strawberry Hill
Siting ï Construction
Chapter Four: Techniques
Shaping the Basin ï Planting
PART THREE Embankment Ponds
Chapter Five: The Lornell Pond
Siting ï The Dam and Basin Structure
Chapter Six: General Techniques
Siting ï Landscaping the Embankment ï Grasses and Plants ï Inflows and Outflows ï Inflow Streams ï Outflow Streams
PART FOUR Plants, Shrubs, and Trees
Chapter Seven: Save That Tree
Native Trees ï Saving, Thinning, or Removing
Chapter Eight: Planting Considerations and Techniques
Soil, Sun, and Climate ï First Plantings around a New Pond ï Selecting and Siting Trees ï Tree Species ï Aquatic and Shoreland Plants ï Plant Checklist ï Planter Beware ï Planting Strategies
Chapter Nine: Recommended Pond Plants
Moist-Soil Plants and Shrubs ï Sedges and Grasses ï Aquatic Plants ï Deer-Resistant Plants
Resources
Index
Tim Matson
Tim Matson, a writer and aquaculture consultant, has been advising, designing, restoring, and building ponds and wetlands for more than twenty-five years. He is also the author of Earth Ponds, Earth Ponds Sourcebook, and Earth Ponds A to Z. He lives in Strafford, Vermont.
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