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2023-05-21 - BY NEVIN MARTELL Special To The Washington Post

Regardless of the size or configuration of your outdoor space, there’s always room for water. An aquatic accent can be as humble as a birdbath or as extravagant as a waterfall cascading into a koi pond.

“There is something fundamentally beautiful and calming about water,” says Veronica Lorson Fowler, author of “Backyard Water Gardens: How to Build, Plant & Maintain Ponds, Streams & Fountains” and co-publisher of the website The Iowa Gardener. “It’s why we gravitate toward beaches, oceans and lakes. That same instinct informs our desire for water in our yards.”

Here are tips on how to add a splashy, soothing embellishment to any space.

Start small – Fowler recommends building an easy DIY fountain as a starter. Purchase a terracotta pot or other attractive planting container that is roughly 3 feet high and 18 inches across. Coat the interior with a water sealant, fill it and add a small pump (you will need an outdoor GFCI outlet). Or try an inexpensive and low-maintenance birdbath, says Kellie Cox, owner of Strawberry Fields, a landscape design and installation company in Silver Spring, Md.

Be mindful of safety – If you have small children or little ones visit frequently, Fowler says, design any water feature with their safety in mind. Even an inch or two of water can be deadly for an unsupervised toddler.

Consider the budget – If you are

AAAsimply installing a birdbath, a modest fountain or a small reflecting pool, you can likely build and maintain it on your own. But larger features – such as waterfalls and fishponds – often require extensive electrical, plumbing and landscaping expertise, and Cox says they will probably require care from an outside company over time. Figure both the initial investment and the longterm costs.

Think local – Consider both the specific space and your wider region.

ATo make the feature feel natural, match the environmental aesthetic, build with local materials when possible and don’t install something that overwhelms the rest of your landscaping.

Surround it with beauty – Cox says it’s important to properly accentuate your water feature. Surround it with plants in a variety of textures and colors, create a pathway leading to it or install lighting that showcases water movement, reflects off the surface or shines up from the depths.

ACreate white (water) noise – Falling water is a soothing way to block out the sounds of the outside world. Amy Chaffman, who owns Washington, D.C.’s The Pampered Garden, says that, in general, the higher the water falls, the louder the splashing will be.

Expect wildlife, including insects – Water features can attract birds, pollinators, amphibians and various mammals. Standing water also attracts mosquitoes, but Cox suggests using Dunks, which are doughnut-shaped rings that release naturally occurring bacteria to kill mosquito larvae. Also consider installing only native plants in the surrounding garden. “They attract more birds, which will eat the mosquitoes and bring a balance,” Cox says.

Keep it clean – If you don’t do proper maintenance, a sparkling, soothing feature can quickly become filled with funky smelling, mucky water. Cox recommends draining and thoroughly scrubbing any water feature at least once or twice a year. If no aquatic life is present, you can use dish soap to clean it, making sure to rinse surfaces thoroughly before refilling it with fresh water. If it’s a pond with fish or amphibians, they will have to be moved before you use any specialized cleaning agents.

Be mindful of winter – If you live in a region where temperatures regularly dip below freezing, Fowler advises bringing your water pump inside for the winter. To prevent damage to the water feature itself, cover it. If fish live in the water, and it will completely ice over or not provide sufficient oxygen, they need to be transferred to an indoor aquarium until springtime.

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