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A WATER FEATURE WILL ENHANCE ANY GARDEN
For many people planning new or revamped gardens, a pond or a water feature is a given. The question is not whether to have one, but where and what kind. Small ponds, fountains, rills and waterfalls are all perfectly possible, even in tiny residential gardens.
At the bottom end of the scale in size and expense is the vessel-style water feature. Any type of waterproof container will do, and you can line it with pebbles, stones or tumbled glass for extra colour and texture. If it’s small, you can move it around as the mood takes you, and if you’re entertaining, put it on the outdoor table and float flowers in it.
I’m a fan of these kinds of water features because you can put one together in about half an hour, move or change it when the mood takes you, it requires no power or hose, and it’s dead easy to clean.
If you want to take a step up and have something with water that moves or trickles, you’ll need to add power and a pump. Pumps are not the prettiest things, so you might simply disguise it at the bottom of your water feature. You can feed the cord through the drainage hole in your pot and caulk around it so it’s watertight.
A more sophisticated approach is to put in a sump. That can still be a DIY job or if that’s beyond your skills, a handyman could do it for you.
When you’re using a pump to create movement and sound in your water feature, you need a pipe or piece of hose to bring water to the surface, or slightly above it, so the water can splash into it.
You’ll need some kind of fountainhead, though since a bit of black pipe sticking out of the water won’t make much of a design statement. If you’re into rustic chic, a vintage shower head will create plenty of splash.
A pipe fed into the base of a clam shell will do the same and if you’re very creative, you can try making a layered fountainhead, where water falls from one shell to the next before hitting the surface of the main vessel.
Some well-meaning friends have suggested – belatedly – that instead of having an unpredictable, uncontrollable, prone-to-flooding stream on our property, I could have built a rill – a narrow, shallow canal – which would look great in a contemporary design. To keep the look modern, it’s best
‘ Your water feature won’t stay clear and sparkling clean by itself’
left empty of plants or fish.
Once your water feature has been in place for a few weeks, you’ll realise it needs to be added to your list of housekeeping tasks. It won’t stay clear and sparkling clean by itself.
The first step is to keep it clear of debris. Leaves that fall in from surrounding plants need to be removed regularly and if you have plants growing in the pond, their dead leaves should also be taken out.
Cleaning is less of a task in a water feature with a pump because it keeps the water moving and aerated, adds oxygen and encourages good bacteria to reduce grime.
Replacing about 20% of the water with clean water every couple of weeks will also help.
Organic and chemical products are available to maintain water clarity, and plants will also play a part in keeping water clean.