Water Gardens

A natural water garden provides beautiful sights and relaxing sounds. Woody's Custom Landscaping Inc in Battle Ground, WA.

A water garden will make a beautiful and relaxing addition to any yard. The installation of a natural waterscape will transform your property into an inviting paradise while fitting into the existing ecosystem. Once you have a water garden, you'll find that you spend more time outside and as a result feel more relaxed.

See an Ohio backyard with a natural waterfall.

People of all ages love water gardens for their natural sights and sounds. When designing a water garden, aim to mimic nature. The shape of the pond should be organic and irregular, real rocks and boulders should surround the water, and aquatic plants should be grown. Sound is also a crucial part of a water garden. Hidden circulation pumps, a cascading waterfall or flowing stream can all be used to create water movement which then produces a melodic and relaxing sound.

Since water gardens have such a natural appearance, they fit well into informal gardens. Informal gardens typically have curved lines, meandering paths and casual planting beds. A water garden may also be right for your yard if you live in a natural setting, such as meadow fields, or the woods.

When designing a water garden get your inspiration directly from nature. Often pond builders that are attempting to build in a natural fashion end up making mistakes that one would never see in nature. In order to get the best results, use the R.I.S.E. method of water garden design, developed by Rick Bartel of the Savio Water Feature Institute. R.I.S.E. is an acronym that stands for random, irregular, spontaneous and erratic.

Bartel has some excellent tips for water garden design:

• Only line 40-60% of the shoreline with rock - use sand, gravel, mulch, plants or driftwood for the remaining shoreline
• Use river rock in the water and use mountain stone for edging
• Place rocks at irregular intervals (avoid patterns)
• Vary the width and depth of your water garden

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