Properly used, water can prove one of the most eternally alluring of all garden features. This concise guide reviews the place and appeal of water in the garden context, both historically and today, and offers practical suggestions for anyone considering creating a water garden. It offers handy hints and tips, including surveys of appropriate materials and special water garden features, with advice on such aspects as safety and stocking of ponds. The detailed alphabetical directory considers some of the most useful plants ideal for achieving perfect results with various sizes of pond and water margin and boggy sites. Most plants are illustrated in colour, to enable them to be readily identified when choosing and purchasing. Each directory entry contains a description, comments on different varieties and suggestions for their successful cultivation, with data on size, plant type and ideal site. The book also contains functional checklists of plants for specific purposes and sites under a range of helpful headings, with a list of useful addresses.