Building an artificial river bed at a client's property.

Today we've been working on creating an artificial river bed at a client's property in Santa Fe.

Building an artificial river bed pic.twitter.com/nNfHQN7T45

— Santa Fe Gardens (@SantaFeGardens) July 25, 2013

It's meant excavating a channel, then laying river rocks along it, and moss rock along the side. Some heavy lifting! But thankfully the day isn't quite as scorching as yesterday... Some moss rock: I managed to get hold of these really nice moss rocks last year. They're always popular with clients, and add a special touch to the organic look of any garden or pond.

Food forests.

This guy has something special to say about keeping a garden... I've been growing vegetables and fruit in my own garden for years. Something that's becoming more and more popular today is the idea of an edible garden. There are all kinds of edible plants. More than just vegetables. And some foods we know very well have the most wonderful flowers. This is a photo of an artichoke that we let go to flower last year: Isn't it spectacular?

Video on water catchment systems in Santa Fe

We're making a video about water catchment systems in Santa Fe. Living in the desert, water is very scarce here in Santa Fe, and we have to be careful how we use it. Perhaps even more so, we have to be careful how re re-use it, because much of the water we use can be recycled as "gray" water for plants and trees. Wise people in Santa Fe have learned how to catch not just what nature gives us in rainfall, but to store and keep gray water that's been used in baths, washing machines and dishwashers, etc. We'll be exploring some of the methods you can use so that your flowers and plants can thrive in desert conditions. We'll keep you posted as the video progresses. Here's how one works in Africa! : African water catchment system

Water feature with pond and small waterfall, using a solar pump.

We've had some questions about ponds and water features. Another thing our wonderfully talented crew can do is make ponds! We'll be posting some video of the process soon, but here are some photos of the before and after of our building a pond for a client here in Santa Fe.

This was a small water feature where the client wanted a trickling waterfall, as if water was just coming up through cracks between rocks and into a small pool. They didn't want mains electricity, so we used a solar pump!

We used all local rocks, so that the end result was something more natural. Being a solar pump the client is saving the running costs of a regular pump (usually that of something like a 100 watt bulb).

The punp is enclosed in a sump underneath the rocks in the main pool. This pond we lined with concrete as there were large tree roots in the vicinity which we needed to make sure wouldn't pierce the liner of the pond over the years. We're rather pleased with the result, as was the client!

Tree repair after wind damage

This is an example of how we repaired a tree that had been damaged in the wind. The whole thing had come down into the client's pond. Later we'll add some tree paint to cover the damage and protect the wound from the elements.

Some really nice books of Santa Fe gardens.

Great books on Santa Fe gardens!

The Secret is in the Soil