So you're thinking about adding a water feature, but where do you start?  Is it a Pond & Waterfall?
Maybe a Pondless Waterfall?
A winding stream?
How about a HURTH Waterscapes Exclusive:
Endless Creek (an animated creek bed that helps evacuate water retention on your property).

The possibilities are nearly as endless as the creek!

A stop at our Retail Showplace would be an excellent start to talk to our professionals and see our elaborate indoor water features.  Or, you can schedule an appointment for one of our professionals to visit your property for a personal Design Consultation to provide you with a wealth of information to help make an informed decision.  Either way, we highly recommend getting accurate information before you spend a dime with us, or anyone else!

Note: Be sure to visit our Gallery of Water Features for design ideas for your very own ultimate outdoor living space!

The article below should be beneficial in welcoming you to the water garden lifestyle.  Please take a few minutes to read through this information to have a better understanding of what's involved.

Water Gardens Defined

Backyard Water Gardens

With roots in the environmental movement, backyard water gardens have developed and small urban lots around the country are being transformed into miniature nature preserves. Native trees and plants flourish and provide local insects and other creatures with the food and shelter necessary for their survival.  Water gardens and streams are also built to supply the inhabitants with clean water.  In fact, a pond, water garden, or stream is one of the main ingredients in a genuine backyard habitat.

Precious, life giving water is in short supply.  Because so many local rivers and ponds are becoming polluted and filled in, more and more people are adding naturalistic water gardens into their own backyard living spaces.  The beauty... the sound... the relaxation simply cannot be matched.  Adding a water garden to your yard will be adding the WOW factor to your landscape that you simply can't get elsewhere!

Water Garden Design

The views from inside the home and the surrounding seating areas are important elements to consider when designing a water garden.  Your water garden should be placed and positioned to give you spectacular views from your most used viewing areas.  Part of the beauty of a water garden is the ability to build it so that it can be beautiful from many different vantage points.  Don't just place it so that you can see it from your patio.  Consider the view from your kitchen, bedroom, grandpa's old bench near the oak tree, or the kids' play area.  Wherever you find yourself spending time, you will want to have a view of your water garden.

A great way to accomplish this is with the installation of a stream.  A stream not only gives us the ability to spread the garden out more and create many fascinating views, but it also allows us to draw your garden guests out into the landscape to explore the source of the water.  Interactive water gardens always get the greatest responses from our clients and their guests because they are fun and exciting.  We are all drawn to the sights and sounds of water for many different reasons.  The bottom line is that the thrill of exploration is in all of us, and we can transform your average backyard into a wonderful retreat, filled with interest and intrigue at every corner.

Human Interactions

While water gardens are wonderful for all of the frogs, fish, birds and insects, we design and build our water gardens for people.  When we design and install a water garden in your yard, we know that we are affecting your family and the way that you use your yard.  Believe me, we know first hand what the water garden lifestyle is all about.  We are well aware of the fact that there is no other landscape improvement that can impact a yard like a water garden.  We know that you will find yourself drawn out to the pond to sit, relax and ponder life.  We know that the sights and sounds of the water will soothe you and calm your nerves after a hard days work.  We know that the inspiration that you get from your water garden will touch your soul and will positively impact your life and how you live it.  We know all of these things because we live the lifestyle.  We have ponds in our yards, live with them every day, and we wouldn't want it any other way.  Once you have lived with a water garden, it is hard to imagine living in a place without one.  Your water garden will impact you and all who enter your yard.  People will come from near and far to view your water garden, so we will work hard to make it all that it can be.  We will use our artistic ability and our extensive construction skills to give you the backyard of your dreams.    Welcome to the water garden lifestyle.

Shape and Size

Let's start with the shape.  Using irregular, free flowing lines during the design process is the key to having a natural looking water feature.  Size is also an important factor to consider when designing a water garden.  The size of your pond should compliment your yard size and your existing landscape.  If it is too big, it will look out of place and overwhelm your yard.  If it is too small, it will not make a significant impact.  Viewing areas, home layout, driveways, patios, decks and existing landscape plantings are just a few of the items intertwined with a water garden design.  Our design professionals take every element into consideration when creating the perfect water garden for your yard.

Large Ponds

When designing a water garden, usage needs to be considered.  How will the pond be used?  Does the owner want to be able to swim in the pond?  Natural swimming ponds have been popular in Europe for years and they are gaining popularity here as well.  The refreshing experience of swimming in a naturally clean body of water versus a chemically treated pool may be the main reason for their popularity.  It is no longer necessary to spend countless hours and dollars chemically treating a pool.  We can design a pond especially for swimming with all of the proper filtration necessary to naturally filter the water and make it safe and clean for your family.  These systems are very low maintenance and low cost to run compared to chemically treated pools.  Please see our swim pond page for more information.  This swimming pond doesn't need to be stark and barren like a swimming pool.  We will design and build it to be a beautiful natural sanctuary with a flowing stream and waterfall just like our smaller water gardens.  Maybe you have a big yard and installing a large water feature simply makes good aesthetic sense.  Maybe you really love fish and want a larger body of water so that you can raise many large, beautiful Koi.  Maybe you want the pond big enough for your family pet to swim in.  There are many reasons why a homeowner may want a large pond.  It is our job to design your water feature to fit your lifestyle and your yard.  Remember, the only difference is in the size of the project.  The process is basically the same.

Small Ponds

A small pond can be a wonderful addition to any garden.  Some of the advantages to a small pond are their ease of installation (1/2 day to 1 day) and their ability to fit into even the smallest of back yards.  Maybe you have an existing perennial garden that needs a little pizzazz or just an odd corner that you've always had trouble gardening in.  Whatever the details of your yard, rest assured that we can design a water garden to fit it.  Scale is very important in any design and we understand that.  We will design your water garden to fit your yard and your lifestyle.  While small ponds will need less digging, less liner and less rock, don't let there small size fool you.  It is often times very challenging to construct a smaller pond and keep everything to scale and natural looking.  The parts and processes are the same, just on a smaller scale.

Edge Treatment

One of the most important aspects of water garden design is the edge of the pond.  The edge of the pond is where your water garden meets your terrestrial garden.  Through careful design and creative plantings, your new water garden can blend seamlessly into your existing landscape.  There are many different ways to treat the edges of a large pond, but the common goal is to always hide the liner, and create a comfortable transition from the pond to the rest of your yard.  The edge of your water garden is a fabulous place to plant all of those creeping, crawling, hanging and trailing rock garden plants that until now may not have fit in your landscape.  Nothing naturalizes a water garden like terrestrial plants growing over and among the rock edges and cascading down into the water.

  When designing the edges of your pond it is important to consider all of the possible views of and access points to the water garden.  It will add mystery and intrigue to your garden to have some areas of the pond or stream hidden from view.  This will inspire your garden guests to take time to explore and discover the hidden beauty that awaits them.  There also need to be areas of the pond edge that are exposed and easy to access to allow your guests to walk right up to the edge and experience the water garden lifestyle up close.  Maybe a large sitting stone would be appropriate for you or your guests to sit and contemplate life or just to dangle your toes in the water.  Or maybe there should be a small stepping stone path that approaches the edge and follows the stream to provide more access and viewing points.  We will take all of these things into consideration as we design and build your water garden.

Variety of Stone

Most of our water gardens are created using natural Wisconsin granite.  Granite is native to Wisconsin and comes in many varying colors, shapes and sizes, so it blends in very well with the landscape.  For a more distinct look, water gardens can be created using different types of stones.  Some people prefer the more formal look of slab limestone, while others like the rough, jagged look of Gunmetal Granite.  Whatever your preference, be sure to mention it during the design process so that your pond can be designed and priced accordingly.  The many different types of stone available can really give your pond a unique look, but be aware that the very unique, not often seen stone, usually comes with a rather unique price tag as well.  We suggest that potential pond owners spend some time looking at pictures of ponds and waterfalls created using different types of stones and then pick the stone that best suits their needs and desires.

Stone Size

A very important aspect of water garden design and installation is stone size.  The stones must be sized to the water garden to give it a natural look and feel.  The larger the project, the larger the range of stone sizes needed.  If you are building a large pond it is important to use big rocks in the design.  A 2'x2' stone may look large in 6' x 8' pond, but it will look small in a 20' x 25' pond.  On larger projects we use a mix of stone sizes, just like on our smaller ponds, but the mix will be larger, to include stone sizes that will fit the scale of the pond.  The suggested ratio for rock size in a pond is 1:2:1 (1 part small, 2 parts medium, and 1 part large). This ratio works well, but placement of the rocks is critical.  Even with the correct ratio of rocks, the pond can look out of balance and scale if they are not placed correctly.  This is where our years of experience pay off, we know which rocks to put where and as we are building the pond we will sort and place rocks accordingly to get the best, most natural results.

Water Garden Plants

The plants that are in your pond are even more important than the plants around your pond.  These plants not only beautify the garden, they also work hard day in and day out removing nutrients from your water to help keep it clean and algae free.  Remember, algae is a plant too.  The more desirable plants that are growing in your water garden, the less nutrients that will be available for algae to grow.  We will design your pond with plenty of areas for aquatic plants to thrive.  We create planting pockets in the pond bottom for your water lilies and leave shelves around the perimeter of the pond for the marginal aquatic plants that like to grow in one to twelve inches of water.  We always plant the aquatic plants directly into the gravel on the pond bottom.  This allows the plants plenty of room to grow, allows them to more easily absorb nutrients from the water and eliminates those unsightly pots.  A water garden is not complete without plants to beautify and maintain it.  We will design your pond with the plantings in mind to give you the most natural look with varying textures, colors and bloom times.

Waterfalls

Ah, the waterfall.  Quite possibly the most awe inspiring component of the water garden.  The waterfall not only gives us spectacular views and sounds, it also adds life-giving oxygenation to the water.  This oxygenation helps keep your fish healthy and happy and helps to support large quantities of the beneficial bacteria that work hard to keep your pond clean.  The waterfalls should be kept in scale with the size of the project, so larger falls and boulders should be used on larger ponds, and smaller falls and rocks on smaller ponds.  When building a larger pond, we may want to consider installing multiple waterfalls to maximize the effect and the potential viewing areas.  The waterfall is possibly the most artistic element of the construction process.  This is where our years of experience really pay off.  We take waterfall building very seriously and we will take all of the time necessary to create the perfect falls for your pond and yard.  The waterfall can make or break the water garden experience.  Too often we see attempts at waterfalls that look more like a rock pile than a natural waterfall.  To be a great waterfall builder, you must study nature.  Mother nature has been creating waterfalls without our help for a very long time.  We should let her guide us when we are building waterfalls to get the most natural beauty from our construction.  The waterfall is by far the most difficult aspect of water feature building for the vast majority of Do-It-Yourselfer's!

Streams

When laying out a water garden, it is very important to consider where and how a stream could be included in the design.  The installation of a stream allows us the opportunity to make your water garden interact with and beautify more of your garden than if we just built a waterfall.  By installing a stream, we can make the life-giving water of your pond appear to come out of nowhere from a hidden corner, we can make the stream flow in and amongst your existing plantings, we can create new planting areas along the edges, we can make the stream flow around the corner of your deck, under the deck, along the edge of a walkway or just about anywhere that you would like to see water.  This is the part of the design process that allows us to create much more interest and intrigue in your garden.  The stream gives us the opportunity to have many different points of view and the opportunity for various waterfalls along the way.  Streams are highly versatile and they create nature's music as they change gradients and wind throughout the water garden. Streams can be followed by pathways and traversed with stepping stones and bridges, giving your garden guests even more opportunity to interact with the water.

When designing and creating a stream, it is important to consider the contours and grade changes in your yard.  Water is going to flow down hill, no matter what we try to do, so again, work with mother nature, not against her.  A stream should flow naturally down hill, twisting turning and falling as it approaches the pond.  The stream should appear to have naturally carved its path into the earth and should vary in width and depth as it finds it's way to the pond.

The Shoreline ... Where Everything Happens
The shoreline is where everything happens. The greater this area, the greater the enjoyment you will get from your water garden.  The shoreline is where the marginal plants interact with the terrestrial plantings, where we find fish dabbling at the edges in search of food, and the path we follow during water garden walks.

So how do we increase this shoreline in a small water garden? With streams!  Deep streams are more pond-like, allowing fish to swim up into them, while shallow streams are fast moving and produce beautiful sounds. A winding stream will give your water garden the greatest shoreline for your buck. Deep swim streams are often used to connect several ponds or to create a unique interactive place for the fish to swim beneath a bridge.  This will be your favorite spot to sit and view or feed your fish, as it will allow you to get physically closer to them than any other part of your pond.

Other Stream Benefits
The benefits of a stream that are often overlooked are the filtration and oxygenation of the water garden. Crashing falls will add life giving oxygen to the anoxic pond depths and additional plantings in the stream can provide additional water filtration.  For these reasons, water gardens should always have a stream and or waterfall.  Another benefit of the stream is that it is a great place for sediment to settle out of the water, especially if you incorporate some wider slow moving areas into the stream.  Large ponds that are a half acre or greater, may never be cleaned, but their streams can be.  It's relatively easy to shut the pumps down for a day and thoroughly clean a stream bed.  You'll be amazed at how effective they are as a silt trap for your water garden.  Cleaning the stream will help remove excess nutrients and debris without the cost of cleaning a large pond.

 

Other Complimentary Elements

Hardscapes
How much a water garden is used and enjoyed is directly related to how it fits alongside existing hardscape features like retaining walls, decks, and patios & walkways. We always attempt to bring a portion of the water garden right up to these viewing and living areas.  The addition of a water garden will complement the existing hardscape structures. 

Decks are easy to work into the water garden design because they can be cantilevered over the water, giving it a dock-like feeling.  The closer you can get to the water, the more you will care for and enjoy your water garden.  We use the existing features to create scenic vistas or areas for contemplation. Everyone has a favorite spot to sit.  We consider yours!

A complete interactive landscape environment can also be built around a simple water garden.  Building new hardscapes can help create the perfect spot for you and your family to enjoy your water garden.  A free flowing natural exterior living space, complete with a water garden, seating, and viewing areas alongside it will greatly enhance your outdoor experience.

Conclusion

No matter the size of your budget or the size of your yard, a water garden can be custom designed and installed just for you and those who frequent your yard.  The benefits of introducing your family and friends to the water garden lifestyle, and the years and years of low maintenance enjoyment you will receive, far outweigh any disadvantages that you may foresee.  Perhaps this is why water gardens have been consistently listed along with decks as the most desired landscape improvement by the American homeowner.  Don't spend another year staring at that yard full of grass.  Take the plunge, install a water garden!  Call Hurth Waterscapes today and schedule your water garden consultation.  It will be your first step toward a more relaxing, more satisfying life in your very own backyard paradise.  We guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

Call us today and set up an appointment for an expert consultation, or visit our Contact Information page and take the next step towards enjoying the water garden lifestyle!

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