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

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.

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.

Named a Best Gift Book for Gardeners by The New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, Domino magazine, and Goop. The team behind the inspirational design sites Gardenista.com and Remodelista.com presents an all-in-one manual for making your outdoor space as welcoming as your living room. Tour personality-filled gardens around the world and re-create the looks with no-fail planting palettes. Find hundreds of design tips and easy DIYs, editors’ picks of 100 classic (and stylish) objects, a landscaping primer with tips from pros, over 200 resources, 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.

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.

The Wild Swimming series travels to Italy to explore freshwater lakes, mountain and lagoons. Dip in to the emerald-green plunge pools of Sicily and swim at river beaches in Campania. Discover the secret hot springs of Tuscany and amazing waterfalls of the Dolomiti. Explore the hidden shores of Lake Como and Garda. Perfect for family explorers or romantic adevnturers, this stunning travel book combines beautiful photography with all the practical information you'll need to get off the beaten track, including maps, directions, grid references and walk-in times, and recommendations for canoe trips, campsites and tavernas.

"Swim beneath the great châteaux of the Loire and plunge into the azure-blue pools of Provence. relax in the secret hot springs of the Pyrenees and discover the unspoilt crater lakes of the Mont-Dore."--Back cover.

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.

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.