Waterfall, Pond, Stream: Adding Water Features to a Yard

The weather outside is HOT, HOT, HOT!

On days like these the sound of running water is very cooling and relaxing. I’m speaking more of a fountain or waterfall rather than the sprinkler. Doesn’t matter what the source is, use whatever helps cool you.

Mary Wright has one of the nicest man-made waterfall, stream and pond features I’ve seen in anyone’s front yard. What a wonderful greeting it makes to visitors who venture up to the front door. Designing the entire water feature to where you cross two natural stone bridges to reach the front door creates the feeling of walking through the streams and waterfalls and being a part of the landscape rather than just walking past it, looking at it from a distance. Between the two stone bridges there is a black wrought iron bench so that you can sit, relax and listen to the sound of the rushing water.

This water feature starts high, about 2-1/2 ft. above porch level by the front door with a small waterfall, moving along the front entry porch then drops down to dip below a large stone which creates a bridge. It continues down and under a second stone bridge, over a few more waterfalls then ends up in a pool complete with water lilies. Mary said this was how it started but she and her husband felt it needed more waterfalls so they added another one which creates two streams ending up in the pool.

The varying sizes of the boulders add interest since this is such a long stream. Plants tucked in between the boulders soften the hard lines of all the rocks. The full landscaped area around the streams and pool is filled with gravel which is not the best material for planting perennials and annuals. Mary created pockets of planting areas so the plants have a nice soil base in which to grow.

One planting pocket in the foreground consists of blue Ageratum surrounded by spring blooming Creeping Phlox. Another planting pocket is the pink Begonia, back to the right of the pool. Far right and not yet noticable is a bed of petunias. The bright yellow-lime ground cover is Creeping Jenny and over time it will begin to cover the gravel. In this case if it were not for the fact that there is irrigation, I doubt the Creeping Jenny would survive spreading itself over the hot gravel in summer time. For the Creeping Jenny to truly multiply it needs to produce roots along its stems, at the nodes, and root into soil.

Mary is a past winner of Jardin du Lac Garden Clubs, Garden of the Month Award.

If you want to see some absolutely amazing waterfalls and ponds, The St. Louis Water Gardening Society is celebrating their 11th annual Pond-O-Rama tour June 25 and 26, 2011. Ticket prices cover both days and are $15 per person, children under 18 are free. The tour typically includes 45 to 50 of the area's premier private gardens ranging from small pools to large elaborate installations featuring multiple waterfalls, tumbling streams, exotic fish and mature aquatic plants. This is a self-guided driving tour. Visit the Water Garden Society website for more information on where to purchase tickets, www.slwgs.org.

If you have a beautifully landscaped yard or have unique garden ornaments that you are proud of and would like to see featured on Patch.com, contact me at Bahrmasel@msn.com.