Water Feature
Installing a water feature in your garden? The key element to successful water feature projects, particularly those venturing on “do-it-yourself’ tasks, is gathering all the necessary information and learning from it. Today, garden water features are focused on providing naturally balanced focal point that changes the whole appearance of any backyard.
Although water features are excellent additions to any garden, they will require significant work, and can be quite expensive for both setup and maintenance. Additionally, there are some factors to consider in constructing a water feature to accomplish something that’s both aesthetically satisfying and hygienically perfect. These factors include location, size, purpose, edging, style, and design.
Location Of Water Feature
In choosing the right location for the water feature, consider placing it as near to the house as possible for maximum enjoyment. Also, for reasons of safety, ensure that no underground utilities are present in the chosen location for excavation. It will be helpful to check with the local utility company prior to starting the dig.
Make sure that the land’s location and slope is also considered, to avoid runoff of rainwater. If the water feature will be located in “low-lying” areas, chemicals like lawn fertilizers and others substances can wash into it and harm the water feature’s plants or fish. Furthermore, avoid placing the water feature below an eavestrough, which can leak its water into the pond and cause runoff.
Growing healthy “aquatic plants” in the water feature will require sufficient sun exposure. Thus, consider a location that receives the sun for at least four to six hours every day to make sure that the plants grow healthily.
Size Of The Water Feature
The water feature’s size should be as big as possible, to provide flexibility for whatever additions you may want to put-in later, especially plants and fish.
Purpose For Water Feature
Take into consideration what you really want to focus on for the water feature. Is it growing lilies? Or is it to raise pond fish? Whatever the reason for the water feature, will have a big say in its location. Take for instance, if it’s intended to grow lilies, then it’s location must be where it gets full sun; whereas if it’s for raising pond fish, then the area must be shady.
Edging For Water Feature
The water feature can have edges with boulders, beaches, docks, plants, and stones. Always plan ahead on how you’d want the pond’s edges to look like.
Style For Water Feature
It is also important to consider the style you want for your water feature. “Natural-style” water features are constructed to create illusions of mountain streams that have waterfalls. Flat stones and bigger boulders may be combined to have the natural look of formed stream. The falling water’s sound can be enhanced through careful placement and arrangement of the stones.
“Urban” style water features are usually smaller in size, and intended to fit well with smaller backyards. On the other hand, “Koi” style water features must be ready to house fishes that may grow to approximately 2.5 feet in length, thus planning for extremely big ponds must be considered. Ponds should be at the least, three feet in depth to give enough room for mobility. Most Koi ponds don’t have plants, as Koi tend to eat certain plants.
Another factor to consider is the type of water feature construction. One can choose from pre-formed water features, flexible liners, concrete construction, and others. Water features are great focal points for the backyard, and they can also be a source of enjoyment for the family. Additionally, they also bring a relaxing sound and appearance from the most basic element of nature –water.