My lovely friend Amy alerted me to the existence of a new trend: natural swimming pools. These pools, which often resemble watering holes more than chlorine-filled rectangles, are a welcome addition to the outdoor scenery.
Already popular in Europe (of course), these pools are now catching on in the United States and offer the ability to integrate your home’s water features into your gardening.
An added bonus to their beauty—they’re eco-friendly, self-cleaning ecosystems replete with (depending on the style) lily pads, fish, rocks, and reeds. While chlorine is reputed to have a number of damaging effects on swimmers (including asthma and skin rashes), these pools are like taking a dip in a natural waterfall in Hawaii—you don’t even have to shower afterwards. Now, a life without showers? That’s refreshing.
Here’s a link to a slideshow of natural swimming pools, courtesy of The Daily Green. I’m saving my pennies to build one of my own soon…
