July 2011

When considering installing a water feature in your garden there are many things to consider, location, size, garden pond, water fountain, wall mounted, free standing etc. One thing that needs some extra consideration is the safety of young children. When installing a water feature the safety of our young ones needs to be a priority. Even if you do not have children, consider your neighbours children. There are some parents that wish to avoid the risk completely and choose not have a water feature in their garden and then are some who have one and have actually turned there pond into a small sand pit for the time being or until their children have grown to be trusted around water. By completely removing all water features from your garden however is not always needed. There are several safety precautions that can be made to make your water feature child safe. In fact many of the self contained water features are now designed to be child safe straight out of the box. 

Garden Safety Around Water Ponds. 

When it comes to the safety of our children, we will take all sorts of measures to make sure that everything is safe and secure. Safety in the garden extends to everything when considering to place a garden pond or water feature in you your garden. Things to consider are the depth of water, access to the water pumps, lights and electrical systems that may be associated with the feature. An obvious point to make is that the overall safety of the feature in your garden largely depends not the kind or size of water feature you place in your garden. For example, a large 1400 litre capacity preformed pond will provide significantly more risk than a 65 litre capacity garden pond would. Simple precautions can be taken to reduce the risk and increase the safety of of your garden when it comes to small children. 

Placing a fence around your pond to stop children getting in is a good solution.

Alternatively, you can now buy purpose-made rigid mesh. This can then be fitted over the water.  One thing to remember when fitting these mesh covers is that they need to be fitted correctly. A secure and safely fitted mesh cover will have no loose edges or sagging centres. 

While these sorts of safety precautions can let the whole family enjoy a traditional garden pond without too much worry, there are other alternatives that offer even more   safe forms of water features that give children the pleasure of sounds and sight of free flowing water.

Water Features

 Small, self-contained water features are an alternative to your garden ponds. Many water features on todays market are very easy to install and require little knowledge about water features. These are call 'Easy Fountains' and are simply 'plug and play' garden features. As they need little in the way of installation apart from deciding where you would like to place it. 

With thousands of different designs now available, such as  small cascade sets made up of terracotta pots, these are lovely waterfeatures that splash a small amount of water onto terracotta stone. Wall mounted water features are a fantastic way to have a water feature in your garden whilst keeping your children safe. So long as the feature is mounted at a height that can not be reached by the children. The safest kinds are the ones that have only a very little depth of water and the water pump is internal and hidden away.

With the advancement in technology over the past few years many self-contained water features are now solar powered. One key benefit to these solar powered water features is that you can drastically reduce the risk to children as these features run on solar power, meaning that there are no wires or power supplies. Many of the new solar features now store solar energy throughout the day and are then able to use that energy at night. Perfect for those warm summer evenings sitting on your patio or decking area. 

Over the  past six months we have had an amazing amount of success with out online social media efforts. You can now find UK Water Features on Facebook, Twitter and the all new Google +1. First and forth most, thank you to everyone who is currently on board and has joined our social media circles. We love hearing from you all!

If you are new to social media or are unaware of Facebook or Twitter, there is no need to worry. Social media in simple terms is a place where people with common interests come together to discuss their interests and ideas. In our case we have several 'social networks' Facebook and Twitter for example where people come to talk about water features, garden accessories, share photos and general gardening tips, ticks and design ideas. If you need any help finding us on any of our social networks then please feel free to email us and we will be happy to help.


Our official Facebook page is a fantastic opportunity to join over 1900 fellow garden and water feature enthusiasts to discuss your gardening ideas, designs. photos and general chit-chat. Not only do is this a fantastic page that brings such a large amount of people together to discuss their interests. Our 'fans' will receive access to exclusive content, vouchers, and most importantly our competitions. We love hearing from everyone, and our Facebook page is constantly up to date with all the latest information. Being a 'fan' of our page also gives you all the big news first, so if we have a new product that we think you guys will like then guess what? You will be the first to hear about it. This month is an amazing month to join our page if you have not already joined our online community. We are currently running an amazing competition on our official Facebook page. Simple click here to enter. We decided to change things up a little this time, and are now awarding not one, not two but three lucky winners with a beautiful water feature for you to display in your garden. The top prize this month is the Greek Jugs and Jar water feature, a real lovely feature that will look great in any garden.

Our Twitter page is very similar to our Facebook one, however sometimes we run different competitions that are exclusive to our 'followers'. Come join our 1500 strong, garden loving followers  and discuss your gardening ideas, share your gardening tips and tricks or just feel free to follow us for some interesting conversations with all of our loyal 'followers'. 

If you are struggling to get power to a certain part of the garden or want to remain green and eco-friendly then a solar powered garden water feature must be top of your shopping list.
Solar water features can be up and running within several minutes enabling you to instantly enjoy the benefits of a water feature in your garden.
The Falmouth 2 Tier  constantly recycles water from the hidden reservoir.

Stage 1: Carefully remove all the items from the packaging, take particular care when removing the solar panel from the box. Try and recycle as much of the packaging as you can, keeping the green ethos going.

Stage 2: Lay the components on the floor and follow the basic instructions screwing first the main pillar into the base. Be careful not to over tighten. Follow the same again for the top section.

Stage 3: The solar panel is already built into the top section of the fountain so all you need to do here is remove the protective film from the solar panel and connect the pump underneath the solar panel. Before turning the solar panel around into the sunlight fill the top bowl with water, enough to fully submerse the pump and keep the birds happy!

On a bright day the fountain will start to work straight away enabling you to enjoy the soothing sound of trickling water.
In the box you also get the choice of changing the head on the solar fountain.

For added effect at night the fountain comes complete with two glass tea-light holders, place your favourite candles in here or fill with seed for wild birds.
Adding Algae Stopper  will help reduce the build-up of algae and keep the fountain looking clean.

The Falmouth 2 Tier Birdbath Fountain Solar Water Feature is made by Smart Solar, market leaders in the field of utilising the suns natural power to create wonderful water features and attractive garden solar lights. 

Winter Care:

During the winter we would always recommended draining the fountain and covering with a winter protection cover. Unlike mains powered features solar fountains can be easily taken indoors during extreme weather conditions.

This weekend saw the end of Tatton Park Flower Show which runs each year for the last week in July.
Many gardens at the show incorporated water features.
Envirolink North West’s Futureproof garden features a simple 100cm square galvanised grid placed on top of a pre-built raised bed. Inside the pool a water feature pump has been placed, we would suggest using a Libel 900 Water Feature & Fountain Pump to create the bubbling effect seen in the photos. Several larger pebbles have been scattered around the head of the fountain to disguise the black plastic pipe. One of the most simplistic of water features but ideal for contemporary gardens and where a strict budget is important. Envirolink North West won a Silver Award for their garden.
                                                                  

Green Vision Garden Design named their garden ‘Minimal Impact’. We certainly agree the brief has been met. The garden is surrounded by lush greenery and centrally straight lines and a mix of materials and colours used complement each other well. The designers have used three custom made water features. Each made from black granite and having a bubbling fountain built into the top. The three bubbling granite cubes create a soothing sound of lapping water making this seating area perfect for outside entertaining.
Green Vision Garden Design achieved a Silver Award for their garden.
                                                                  
The sound and movement of water add another dimension to gardens and draw you to a space where you can spend time relaxing away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
UK Water Features  has the largest range of water features, pond pumps, pond liners and water feature accessories needed to create your own water feature.

The use of natural slate garden features over the years has been somewhat over looked and you may find it a little hard to find much information on slate water features and their origin. Slate is commonly used in many well known items such as roof slate. In fact one of the most common uses of slate is in some unique designed water features.

Many of the water features that are made from natural slate are sourced right here in the UK. The use of slate in a unique range of slate monoliths, slate holloliths and slate pyramids are actual manufactured by hand in the welsh mountains. Click 'here' to see photos taken at our Quarry in Bangor, North Wales. Welsh Slate is based in North Wales and is the world's leading manufacturer of high quality roofing slate, architectural and aggregate slate products. The durability of welsh slate is one of its key benefits whether you are designing a landscape masterpiece, building or even a water feature for your garden the slate provides you with a guarantee that it will withstand the natural elements. Welsh slate with its professional lines and versatile characteristics offers you the most beautiful balance of elegance and durability. Whether your garden is a contemporary or a traditional design, Welsh slate is in fact one of the few natural products which gives you a constant balance across a variety of designs. One of the more popular garden slate water features is the 4ft Drilled Slate Monolith which boasts a large naturally drilled piece of slate exclusively designed for you. All the slate water features here at UK Water Features are hand made here in the UK from Welsh Slate and are pre-drilled offering every single monolith to be completely unique.

UK Water Features has a huge range of garden summer essentials ranging from garden lighting, garden buildings, bbq's and water features. 

Today sees the day where we launch our largest giveaway yet. Join us on Facebook to enter this months fantastic prize giveaway. Over the past few months we have had some brilliant competitions run through our Official Facebook page and our Twitter page where some lucky winners have walked away with some simply beautiful prizes. One of our most popular water features, the 50cm Stainless Steel Sphere was up for grabs last month for the lucky winner. 

This month we are doing something a little different. There will not be just one winner this month, there will be three! Yes, you heard it right this months fabulous Facebook competition there will be three lucky winners.

We are not giving away some small prizes here either guys, some of our most popular and best selling water features are up for grabs. Starting with the Orb Indoor Water Feature which is a lovely indoor water feature that sits perfectly on any kitchen table or living room table. We are also giving away the Nature Glow Love Birds Lit Water Feature, a smiply stunning water feature to add to any sized garden or patio area. And finally the big one, the top prize is the Greek Jug & Jars water feature. I don't want to give too much away about this water feature, so all I will say is that is beautiful. 

To enter the competition simply follow this link to our Facebook page, click the "Like" button at the top and then answer the provided question. 

"In as few words as possible, use your creative minds to describe the Greek Jugs & Jar water feature" Simple as that. 

The top three winning selections will be awarded the prizes and their descriptions will be placed on our Facebook and Twitter pages as well as on our website. 

Competiton begins today and runs through till 02/08/11. The winners will be announced on 03/08/11. 

Good luck to everyone! Now go get creative.  

UK Water Features has a huge range of garden summer essentials ranging from garden lighting, garden buildings, bbq's and water features. 

We wanted to show you how easy it is to install one of our self-contained water features. It seemed to make sense to install our best seller from Kelkay; the Friendship Fountain looks fantastic in both the traditional and more contemporary garden. Even when not running the fountain adds a real feel of style and design and can be enjoyed from all angles.
The below installation guide is pretty much the same for all the water features we sell so should prove to be a useful guide when installing your garden water feature.

Stage 1: Once the fountain arrives carefully remove all the items from the packaging. Check every bit of polystyrene as sometimes you may find spare parts (bulbs, covers) hiding away. Try and recycle as much of the packaging as you can.

Stage 2: The top two parts to the fountain twist and click into place. Take care when doing this not to over tighten and damage the fountain.
Remove the black plastic caps covering the glass bulbs (These are just to protect the glass during transit).

Stage 3: Once built you can now connect the pump and the electrics to the water feature. Attach the top of the pump to the clear PVC pipe which hands down inside the fountain. The pump can be adjusted with the regulator on the side. We recommend starting with the flow regulator fully open and then adjusting down if required.

A ‘female’ connector off shoots from the pump and this is where you need to plug the lights into. Once plugged in you need to tighten the screw cap enabling a water tight seal. All these cables can then be placed into the back of the fountain and hidden away. (These are fine to get wet so no need to worry). All that comes out of the back of the Friendship Fountain is a single cable which will then run to your transformer and plug socket.

Stage 4: Your fountain is now ready to be connected to be filled with water and plugged in.
When filling the fountain we always suggest using either a hose pipe or a larger watering can. I think you will be surprised as to how much water the fountains hold! Be careful not to overfill, you need to make sure the pump is fully submerged in water and that you do not fill above the access door to the rear of the feature.

Once filled the fountain can be plugged in and tested. We would always suggest testing the fountain before burying any cables in the garden.
The male end running from the fountain simply plugs into the transformer block and like the lights have a black screw cap which needs tightening.

And now time for the big switch on…

Hints and Tips about the Electrical Installation:
The low voltage transformer used with this water feature is rain proof however it should be placed in a free draining position. Ideally we always recommended that it is kept in a shed or outbuilding or inside a weather proof box. This will prolong the life of the transformer.
When the fountain is switched on the transformer may get hot, this is normal.
If connecting your water feature to a mains outlet outside it must be waterproof. We recommend the use of a residual current device (RCD) circuit breaker when connecting the fountain to an electrics supply.
Caring for your new fountain:
Your water feature maybe the final touch to a re-vamped garden and we would like to make sure that you have years of pleasure from it.
• Always make sure the fountain has sufficient water in to ensure the pump is fully submersed.
• Clean and top the water up on a regular basis
• We recommended using Algae Stopper to keep the water clean and clear.
• To clean the fountain you can use Fountain Grime and Lime
• Always turn the power off to the fountain before maintain the pump.
• Never allow the pump to run dry and this will cause damage and invalidate the warranty.

How to look after your fountain when the temperature drops:
Winter are getting colder and colder and like most garden items your fountain will need protecting from the elements.
During winter never allow ice to form in the bowls as the force of the ice forming will crack the bowls. Drain all the bowls out and pour the water out from the main reservoir inside the fountain. (A tip here if you are struggling to get all the water out, place a towel inside the back and this will soak up excess water). Once drained apply a winter protection cover or for total protection and prolong the life of the paint finish, drain the fountain, cover and store indoors.

The pump should be removed from the fountain and stored in a dry area.

We hope that if you already have a water feature or are looking to purchase one that this guide has proved useful and you will enjoy your fountain for many years to come.

Trouble Shooting
We are here to help if you have any questions either before buying a garden water feature or after.
A few useful hints and tips and be found below.
The water pump seems to have stopped pumping?
• Check the power is correctly connected.
• Check that there is sufficient water inside the reservoir.
• Check the pump and tubing for any form of obstruction.
• Remove the cover on the side of the pump (the flow adjuster) which will reveal the pump impeller, gently turn the rotor to check that it is not broken or jammed.
The pump is working but the flow doesn’t seem to be enough?
• Make sure the flow regulator on the pump is turned up
• Ensure the pump is fully submersed in water
The pump has started to make a slight rattling noise, what do I need to do?
• Turn off the power supply and check the rota assembly by removing the pump cover and rotor plate front.
• Grip the impellor and gently take out the rotor assembly from the pump. This can then be rinsed with the pump housing to remove any debris or grit.
• If during this process you find any breakage or surface damage is found on the rotor assembly please contact our customer care team.
What guarantee comes with the fountain?
• All our water features come with a 12 month guarantee valid from the date of purchase.

When it comes to high quality craftmanship, many people turn to the specialists known as Haddonstone. Now if you are unaware of who or what Haddonstone is then you may find these short paragraphs very interesting.

Haddonstone was established in 1971 to produce high quality decorative cast stonework. At first they had a small range of just seven cast stone designs to offer during the first year of business. Over the years Haddonstone have become more and more successful and have constantly added new lines to the original seven. Their collection of high quality garden ornaments and architectural cast stonework has expanded to well over five hundred standard cast stonework designs. Today, Haddonstone is recognized as an international market leader with group companies in both the UK and the USA

Now what exactly is Haddonstone? a unique form of hand made cast limestone with a surface texture similar to natural Portland stone. The cast limestone material matures and weathers like natural stone or quarried stone yet, piece for piece, normally costs significantly less than quarried stone.

Haddonstone has the ability to mould cast limestone material into almost any shape, thus giving their customers the opportunity to own a one off garden feature, a simply unique piece.

Haddonstone use nothing but the very best of materials in order to design and manufacture their pieces. In fact the cast limestone material used in every design exceeds the compressive strength requirements of the United Kingdom Cast Stone Association and complies with all relevant UK and European standards, whilst TecStone also meets the requirements of all US standards.

Haddonstone take great care in their designs as every single piece is handmade here in the UK using special moulds that are created specifically in shops and studios across the UK. Where some features maybe handmade in the USA you can rest assure that the same amount of care has gone into each and every single design.

As mentioned, Haddonstone has expanded their product line extensively over the years. Starting with seven unique designs they have now well over five hundred. Some of the more popular features in the Haddonstone range include garden bird baths and garden ornaments. The Haddonstone range provides attractive garden features for all tastes and garden sizes. Their range of garden fountains is simply remarkable. The large range of Centrepiece garden fountains and water features provide a truly magical focal point to any garden or landscape, whether traditional, classical or contemporary. Haddonstone's range of self contained water features is certainly a strong candidate for their most remarkable features. With such a wide range of self contained features that are suitable for any garden. Over the years, self contained water features and freestanding fountains became more and more popular for use in gardens and terraces and not just in larger landscaping developments or business parks. The combination of Haddonstone's history, the unique and reliable materials used in each design and their overall desire to provide their customers with a simply beautiful garden feature that will last the test of time Haddonstone has truly deserved their spot as one of the worlds top international garden feature specialists.

UK Water Features is a proud supplier of Haddonstone garden features, stocking some of their most enjoyable and beautiful garden products. 

Kelkay is one of the most respected names in the garden features market, and when they announced the launch of the Kelkay Easy Fountain many suppliers across the UK were extremely eager to get on board. With everyone now a days having such a busy and hectic schedule, we tend not to have that much spare time to sit down on the weekends and build a water feature from either scratch or from some lengthy instruction manual. With the development of the Kelkay Easy Fountain this problem was instantly solved. Now everyone has the time to install a easy fountain becasue of the simplicity of the install. May sound a little cliché however, it is as easy as 1, 2, 3. 

Kelkay entered the market over 9 years ago with a mission to change, stimulate and inspire the garden centre industry.

By applying "retail solutions" to previously neglected categories such as garden aggregates, decorative paving, Kelkay then created promotional point-of-sale, merchandising units and display stands, resulting in a dramatic rise in popularity on these garden categories.

These successful retail solutions have also been applied to fountains, garden features and garden ornaments. In fact today's market sees the Kelkay easyfountain® range the UK's number 1 brand of garden water features.

*This is an image that was sent in from one of our customers, it is the water pump boy and girl water feature*

The Kelkay Easy Fountains are all made from durable resin-stone, are self contained, with no need for a permanent water supply. The Easy Fountains are all easy to unpack and assemble and best of all they need no tools and no experience. One of the most popular Easy Fountains is the Kelkay Friendship Fountain. This is truly a remarkable water feature and add a simple yet very elegant look to any sized garden. With the inclusion of the safe low voltage lights inside the water feature, it really comes to life at night. 

So as mentioned before, they really are as simple as 1,2,3 to install 

1:Unpack your new garden water feature from its packaging by simply removing it from the box and taking of the protective wrapping.

2: Fill the self contained water tank with water

3: Plug your beautiful new water fountain into the mains

Then all you have to do is sit back relax and admire all the hard work that you just put into installing that lovely water feature in your garden.

Here at UK Water Features we stock the entire range of KelKay products including the 2011 KelKay Easy Fountain range. 

UK Water Features has a huge range of garden summer essentials ranging from garden lighting, garden buildings, bbq's and water features. 

We are all familiar with the more commercialized barbecues such as gas and charcoal but have we even heard of a masonry bbq and the overall benefits of owning one? A masonry bbq is a striking feature that can basically be added to any garden.

Buschbeck Masonry Barbecues are the finest masonry barbecues available in Europe. A masonry bbq effectively looks like a brick-built barbecue, and has multiple functionality as they can either act as a barbecue, a garden focal point, a garden firepit and a garden patio heater.

Masonry bbq's make an beautiful focal point in any garden and can be used all year round. The Buschbeck masonry barbecues are manufactured from unique high-quality materials so there is no need to cover them, paint them, render them or to apply any form of treatment.

Advantages of a Masonry Barbecue?

A masonry BBQ makes a stunning garden feature, not only that the thick double walled construction of the BBQ allows you to choose either charcoal or wood as your fuel. The unique material that these barbecue fireplaces are constructed from means that the Buschbeck masonry barbecues are manufactured from unique high-quality materials so there is no need to cover them, paint them, render them or to apply any form of treatment. Buschbeck, is the only European manufacturer of Masonry Barbecue Fireplaces to have been awarded several awards for their products.

UK Water Features has a huge range of garden summer essentials ranging from garden lighting, garden buildings, bbq's and water features. 

Having a water feature in your garden can create a relaxing and tranquil atmosphere where you can sit and enjoy your lovely garden. If you are one of those hands on people, who prefer to get the satisfaction of starting from scratch on a project to achieve a sense of accomplishment with the outcome then creating your own water feature is actually not that tough.

The concept of flowing water transforms the ambience of a garden. It doesn't really matter where the source of the moving water is coming from this is all personal preference. Whether it’s a garden pond or a spectacular flowing cascade water feature, the end result is the actual the sight and sound of flowing water that provides triggers a response of our senses. An important factor to consider is the actual placing of the water feature as once it is placed and water is flowing, you really do not want to be moving it around all that much. A couple of perfect ideas to consider are areas of your garden that is partially shaded, sheltered from wind and of course where the water feature can be appreciated by yourself and others.

What you need?

All in all it is actually quite simple and there is no need for you to be a garden designer or some sort of water feature specialist in order to construct. All recycling water features, i.e. those that circulate their own water feature. As with many self contained water features that recycle from a reservoir via a pump through a decorative feature, they are actually mostly constructed in a similar way whether they be freestanding, flush with the ground or even a wall-mounted feature.

To create a basic garden water feature of your very own the essential building kits consists of: a reservoir, which is filled with water; a submersible pond pump (plus attachments if you are creating a fountain effect). Obviously you’ll also need some sort of tools for digging out the hole (if the reservoir is below ground), and a spout with extra hose if the out-flow is elevated above the reservoir, and a nearby electricity supply.

A note to remember is that even though the submersible pump recycles water, the reservoir will need topping up every now and then (especially during days of warm or windy weather). Water features generally use pumps which run off low-voltage electricity. Remember though that they all need to be plugged in in-doors and always use a residual circuit breaker (RCB).

It is possible to create a simple water feature with a small budget. So unless you are thinking of creating a luxurious cascade water feature with expensive rocks or millstones then this may be a double if not more. To keep things simple, here is a shopping list to create a lovely yet simple water feature in your garden.

�� Small pump
�� Butyl pond liner and reservoir tank or pebble-pool reservoir
�� Steel mesh
�� Cobbles

First dig in your reservoir.

Next cover the reservoir with heavy gauge steel mesh and supporting timber if needed.

Attach a pipe to the outlet of the pump, and pass it through the mesh to the fountain head.

Position the head and arrange some stones so that the head is held in place and can’t be seen.

The flow rate will need to be adjusted by a valve on the outlet pipe of the pond pump so that water sprays out of the fountain, washes over the stones and back into the reservoir.

To build a raised water feature could potentially be a little more expensive depending on the actual fountain head that you decide on. This kind of water feature could also be constructed in a day. To construct a raised water feature you will need:

�� Medium-sized pump
�� Reservoir tank
�� Steel mesh
�� Fountain head
�� Cobbles
�� Length of hose

In order to construct this kind of water feature the reservoir needs to be big enough/deep enough to hold water feature pump. If free-standing, you could choose an attractive container such as a water tank or large ceramic pot. If not then it can be concealed behind a low wall or behind an arrangement of flowers

Place the new water feature pump in the tank and attach a long piece of flexible hose to the outlet pipe.

Cover the tank with a piece of steel mesh and thread the hose through it. (Same as before)

Then run the flexible hose up to the fountain head.

Disguise the pipe work by running it behind a batten attached to a fence post.

If the water feature is built against a wall, embed it into the brickwork.

Cover the steel mesh with a layer of decorative garden pebbles.

Adjust the flow rate so that water sprays/flows into the reservoir.

Choosing the correct pump really depends on what your intentions are. With such a wide range of water feature pumps available, it will certainly be to your benefit to doing a little research on which pump will suit your water feature.

One final note, as we know water and electricity are a potentially lethal combination, so when conecting our new feature to the mains don't forget to make sure that any mains supply to the garden is protected by an RCD, preferably at the house fuse box.

Sit back, admire your new water feature and relax in your garden. Job well done!

UK Water Features has a huge range of garden summer essentials ranging from garden lighting, garden buildings, bbq's and water features.