In article , Sandie Hudson
wrote:

There are two projects that I am considering adding to my
garden.
1. steps down the front bank using square concrete pavers
and natural stones

I'll infer that you intend to use pavers set into a surround of
stone/gravel/pebbles. If so, put down landscape fabric first so that
you don't get volunteer plants growing up through the stones. I have a
similar arrangment in my backyard, but forgot the landscape fabric...

Since you're coming down a bank, you might have to use something like
landscape timbers to create a small terraced effect down the hill,
depending on how steep of a slope you have. Paver squares can become
slick over time, and walking on them down a slope could be exciting. If
you just terrace the hill and place pavers et al on the resulting steps
without some form of mechanical reinforcement, the dirt will probably
wash out from under the pavers.

Depending on how long of a path you have, buying bulk stone from a
supplier may be cheaper than the prebagged stuff. You'll also want to
enclose the stone in some type of edging so that it doesn't
redistribute itself across the yard. Rolls of plastic garden edging
will work pretty well for this, and are comparatively inexpensive in
homeowner grades.

2. small round pond with water plants and stone edging

Lowes et al sell prefab plastic ponds in various shapes. These are
probably worth it for a smaller pond. The alternative, pond sheet
liners, require alot of ground prep to avoid punctures et al. Pond
sheet liners are specially-made for that purpose; random cheap plastic
sheeting won't work.


Does anyone have any advice on how to do either one easily
and cheaply? Also is there such a thing as a battery
operated pump for the pond? Or a pond without a pump that
doesn't attract mosquitoes?

Most of the pumps I've seen require house current. I would suspect that
there are some that run off of 12 volt supplies, like landscape
lighting does (it's safer to install), but pumping water is one of the
harder things to do in terms of work, and may require the
power-carrying capability of a 120 volt circuit.

I don't know that the motion of the water is as much of a factor in
controlling mosquitos and larvae - that's what the fish are there for
:-). If you don't want fish, you can buy floating blocks that kill the
larvae, supposedly without harming birds et al. All of the sources I've
seen recommend against installing ponds in shady areas, both to avoid
leaf litter and to help plant growth.

Here is a good HowTo and supplier site:

http://www.watergarden.com

Petsmart, of all places, sells pond supplies. Locally, I've seen plants
and stuff at Buchannan's Nursery on Western Blvd in Raleigh, and at
Logan's near Peace College in Raleigh.

--
Steve Holzworth "Do not attribute to poor spelling
That which is actually poor typing..."
Senior Systems Developer - me
SAS Institute - Open Systems R&D UNIX/VMS/MAC
Cary, N.C.