Natural swimming pools are kept clean by plants, not chemicals and are healthy environments for both people and wildlife. David Pagan Butler takes you through two projects step by step. The first one is how to build a plunge pool, an ideal nature reserve that you can swim in too ... The second part shows you how to make a much larger natural swimming pool--Container.

Natural swimming pools are the biggest news for gardeners since green roofs. The water is cleaned by aquatic plants instead of chlorine so it is gentle on the eyes and healthy for swimmers. These self-cleaning ecosystems are beautiful to look at and provide a valuable water source for dragonflies, honeybees and other beneficial insects. Wolfram Kircher has researched extensively into the low-nutrientdependent plants that are needed for the surrounds of natural swimming pools and the high-nutrient dependent plants that are required for the regeneration zone. In the book he demonstrates how to maintain the nutrient level in perfect balance to keep down the algae down and water sparkling. The authors have installed pools for decades and trialled different systems and plants to come up with the best possible designs.

A guide to natural swimming pools that rely on a balance of plants and micro-organisms to clean and purify the water.

In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

This New York Times bestselling book is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up your home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts and millions of hits per month on their blog YoungHouseLove.com, Sherry and John Petersik are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Packed with 243 tips and ideas—both classic and unexpected—and more than 400 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.

If you wish to swim in clear, soft water and have a beautiful garden feature all year round, you will need this book to create your own paradise. If you have had some experience of building work and are keen to build your own natural swimming pool, with or without some specialist assistance, then this book will provide you with everything you need to know. It contains over 80 illustrations and coloured photographs and takes you through the whole process in an easy to understand way. It also contains over 50 useful detailed scaled construction drawings. Michael Littlewoods methods and designs come from his considerable experience as a natural landscape architect and garden designer. This book is a logical follow-on from "Natural Swimming Pools: Inspiration for Harmony with Nature", with new details on everything from building instructions and assessing and maintaining water quality to considering types of plants and handling maintenance.

The fourth edition of this classic book provides a comprehensive treatise on the design and construction of swimming pools, both public and private. Significantly revised, it covers planning, materials, design, construction and finishing, water circulation and treatment, energy conservation, maintenance and repairs. This is a standard book for all

Build a natural pond for wildlife, beauty, and quiet contemplation Typical backyard ponds are a complicated mess of pipes, pumps, filters, and nasty chemicals designed to adjust pH and keep algae at bay. Hardly the bucolic, natural ecosystem beloved by dragonflies, frogs, and songbirds. The antidote is a natural pond, free of hassle, cost, and complexity and designed as a fully functional ecosystem, ideal for biodiversity, swimming, irrigation, and quiet contemplation. Building Natural Ponds is the first step-by-step guide to designing and building natural ponds that use no pumps, filters, chemicals, or electricity and mimic native ponds in both aesthetics and functionality. Highly illustrated with how-to drawings and photographs, coverage includes: Understanding pond ecosystems and natural algae control Planning, design, siting, and pond aesthetics Step-by-step guidance for construction, plants and fish, and maintenance and trouble shooting Scaling up to large ponds, pools, bogs, and rain gardens. Whether you're a backyard gardener looking to add a small serene natural water feature or a homesteader with visions of a large pond for fish, swimming, and irrigation, Building Natural Ponds is the complete guide to building ponds in tune with nature, where plants, insects, and amphibians thrive in blissful serenity. Robert Pavlis , a Master Gardener with over 40 years of gardening experience, is owner and developer of Aspen Grove Gardens, a six-acre botanical garden featuring over 2,500 varieties of plants. A well-respected speaker and teacher, Robert has published articles in Mother Earth News , Ontario Gardening magazine, the widely read blog GardenMyths.com, which explodes common gardening myths and gardening information site GardenFundamentals.com.

From nineteenth-century public baths to today's private backyard havens, swimming pools have long been a provocative symbol of American life. In this social and cultural history of swimming pools in the United States, Jeff Wiltse relates how, over the years, pools have served as asylums for the urban poor, leisure resorts for the masses, and private clubs for middle-class suburbanites. As sites of race riots, shrinking swimsuits, and conspicuous leisure, swimming pools reflect many of the tensions and transformations that have given rise to modern America.

Provides advice on effectively using water features, including garden ponds and swimming ponds, in landscape architecture, and includes information on the design and construction of pools and ponds.