Absolutely Fabulous Water Features

Stone Water Jug

One of the most simple ideas and easiest ways to add that tranquil sound of running water to your garden. Several ideas around this type of feature, allowing you to add your own individuality and create your own unique feature.

Basic equipment involves a few rocks and pebbles, a water container set in the ground, a pump and electrical fittings. This actually makes a great easy to create, easy to maintain water feature. So what are the pros and cons? Well, you can’t keep fish in this one! Guess you’d already figured that. You can however plant this out quite pleasantly which will help in attracting the wildlife. Obviously the amount and type of wildlife attracted to this feature will be limited. Easy to turn on and off as required, and it is safe if for young children. Inexpensive, and totally mobile. If you move, you pick it up and take it with you! Siting is also flexible as far as even being able to build such a feature indoors. If you’re looking for a child safe, low maintenance, low budget feature, that can still adapt itself to your individual taste, then this has to be the one for you. More step by step detail about how to create such a feature in next months issue.

Container Pond

Next step along in the water feature world is a container pond. Not really child safe, but other than that, many of the same pros and cons as the above feature. Any type of container (as long as it’s waterproof of course!) can be used. Sometimes people will even use an old kitchen sink. If you have what you feel is the perfect container, test it for leaks first. Don’t despair if you find a leak. Silicone sealants will seal pots, or ceramic containers can be sealed with liquid resin. Again, siting is flexible, fit one in your deck, your patio, your lawn or your flower beds.

Alternatively you could create a scree garden and site a container pond within. Depending on size, you may get away with keeping a few small fish. More flexibilty with plants in this one. Depending on depth, you can plant floaters (not that you really plant a floater do you?) miniature irises and grasses and maybe even a water lilly. More wildlife will be attracted to this feature, particularly with the right type of plant life. Basic equipment includes: container and plants.

You may want to add some movement to the water in which case you will need a small pump and electrical fittings. This will enable you to create a fountain or a babbling brook effect. Again we’ll be covering this in step by step detail in a later issue. Ideal feature if you want low cost and easy to create and maintain. Probably takes a little more maintenance than the stone water jug as you will require more planting and of course you may add a few fish.

So what about the more ambitious or true water gardeners? Well, a great place to start is to create a wildlife pond. A pond can be of any size, but you need to allow enough depth to keep fish, and plant such as water lillies. (Water plants will be discusse in the future). The surrounding area of the pond also needs to be planted with marginals, grasses and wildflowers. The creatures will be apparent in abundance in a very short space of time. One of the first to arrive are often the pond skaters, oh and the snails. Yep, the snails and the pond skaters just arrive! One day the pond is empty, the next it is teeming with life. What could be more simple?

Limited amount of equipment: Pond underliner and liner or reservoir, pump and filter (good idea if you intend to keep fish), plants, a good spade and a bit of muscle! Definately not a child safe feature, but not overly expensive to create. Liners come in a whole range and price, so pick one within your budget. Biggest pitfall with this type of feature is of course the hard work to create it and the necessary maintenance, especially if you keep fish.

This is more of an ornamental feature and believe me, was hard work to create. You don’t have to put that much work into it, but it gives you an idea of what you can do and how you can extend it at a later date if you choose.

Well, I think that’s enough for you to be going on with for this month. Take a look at your garden. Try to decide where you would prefer your feature. What do you want from it? Ornamental, functional or both? Is the sound of flowing water important or are you happy just to look at a pond? Don’t forget the range of lighting now available, not only for your pond, but also your garden as a whole.