Use water features to create atmosphere and sound Articles | Gardening

By: Nigel Grimshaw

Water is an important element of any garden. If there is no shortage of water in your area, you can utilize it as a feature in your garden landscape. Fountains, cascades, small waterfalls, ponds etc are some of the water features used in landscape design.

Water features can have a hidden reservoir of water which is called a sump. It can be within the water feature or under the soil or ground. Water is recycled from the sump to the water feature. Sometimes pumps are required to pump water into the water feature. These pumps work on electricity. Solar energy can be used instead. This will make your garden eco friendly. Water used in water features can also be treated water from the roof.

Your own imagination can give you a wide range of water features. A simple rock waterfall can be made by using rocks from your garden itself. Readymade water features are also available in the market. You can choose the one which fits your landscape and budget.

A stone waterfall

Fountains are available in a variety of materials like glass, steel, stone, fiber etc. Some fountains may also have built in lights in various colors.

Water features need to be maintained. Water needs to be changed time to time to prevent accumulation of moss. Pools and ponds need to be cleaned once in a while as they can contain stagnant water.

Natural Detail......................A photo taken of the waterfall in more detail shows how stones were used to build up this realistic and natural looking water feature. The pipework is hidden behind the stone wall and can be accessed if required.

The best way to achieve this is patience, dry fit the stones and when happy cement them in place, I used a 1 part cement to 2 parts sand to obtain a very strong cement.