I have continued to learn that creating a pond or fountain can be complex and yet it need not be.

Recently I realized how easy it is to make creating a water feature complicated. So what makes it complicated?

The first thing that comes to mind is that there are so many choices. That should be a good thing but it often causes confusion.

The other night I went out for dinner and the waiter brought over this huge menu. There were pages and pages of choices and it toke us all so long to decide whether we would have the specials or the veal with lemon sauce or the salad with fish or the steak with _____? We finally make a selection but I thought to my self that the experience of all those options made the experience seem a bit too confusing.

And then I realized I have fallen into the same trap of offering all the possibilities of pond products to people only to see that glazed look come into someone’s eyes as they become overloaded with so many choices and I realize I have presented too many choices.

So I will try and remember to keep it SIMPLE SIMPLE SIMPLE!!!

It is easier when someone asks for some adivse or suggestions when they have a rough list of what they like or don’t’ like about water. Pictures are very help-ful to help define the style or ideas you hope to incorporate into your landscape. A list of all the things you hope to incorporate into your water feature will help to keep you from being swayed by all the options available. For instance why learn and talk about ponds and fish when what you want is something simple to maintain and the sound of trickling or splashing is the effect you wish to produce in the landscape? Yes it is like shopping for dinner if you visit the local supermarket to see what is available and find the salmon is fresh and on sale and the beef looks a little grey then you are going to change your menu to be a salmon dish however if you weren’t planning on having meat at all why go over to the meat counter?

Keep it simple by formulating what it is you like and then see how what you like can take shape.

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