Planning a Water Feature

Introducing a water feature to your garden brings a whole new aspect to gardening. From a simple birdbath or pond with its clear reflective qualities that will help bring wild birds and insects to your garden to a large pond with streams,waterfalls and fountain, each will provide its own little ecosystem.

One word of caution though - Water can be dangerous for small children and although ponds, particularly wildlife ponds, can provide children with hours of amusement, enthralled by darting water insects, frogs, toads, newts and fish, every precaution should be taken to make sure that children are safe at all times.

Adults can spend many an afternoon relaxing by a pond with the tranquil sounds of running water.

Water gardens are fairly easy to install and maintain and, depending upon the type of feature can allow a keen gardener to grow a complete new range of plants such as water lilies and bog plants. Electricity is not absolutely vital but can help in certain types of installation. With the help of a cheap electric pump it's quite easy to add movement to the water to create a rippling stream or waterfall.

It is important though, that whatever you decide upon, fits in with the overall feel of the garden. A formal pond in a wooded area would certainly look out of place.

Space Requirements

Any garden has room for a water feature but space requirements and siting must be considered when planning a water garden. Ample space must be left for any borders, benches, or surrounding landscapes.

The key is careful planning before digging any soil. When choosing the location of a water garden, the gardener should consider placing it so it can be viewed and appreciated through a window in the house.

Consider initially whether your garden would be suited to a formal design or an informal feature or if whether to put a pond in at all. Maybe it would be better suited to a pebble pool, particularly if there are children present.

Avoid getting carried away and letting the feature dominate the whole of the garden.

Be careful when thinking of incorporating a stream or waterfall. Nothing looks more unnatural than a pile of rocks in the middle of a large flat area that has water dropping from it. To build a stream or waterfall in a flat area needs an awful lot of work and expense, to build up levels to make it look natural and these factors should be considered carefully.

Other important factors to consider are exposure to sunlight, drainage, and proximity to trees. Aquatic plants usually require a lot of light to grow . A shadier spot limits your choice of aquatic plants.

If the pond is directly under trees, leaves that fall into the pond can decay and harm fish and plant life, as well as clog pumps and filters.

Accessibility to electricity and water is an important consideration. The pool is filled with tap water from a garden hose, but occasionally needs to have water added due to evaporation. An electrical pump recirculates water for fountains and waterfalls and operates on a normal household current although there are now systems that work from solar power.

When deciding on pond depth, remember that shallow ponds are quicker to cloud with excess algae. Submerged plants, floating plants, and fish do better in deeper pools. A good, average depth is 18 to 24 inches, possibly deeper in colder climates.