MENUWhat can soothe more than the sound of gently running water? Nothing. That’s why water features are so popular in landscapes. Asian cultures have known about water’s calming effects for centuries. That is why a water feature is part of most Japanese and Chinese gardens. Water is also one of the four elements of Feng Shui.It would be nice if we could each have a babbling brook flowing through our property, but that’s impossible, so we do the next best thing and create the effect of a babbling brook.Like everything in landscaping, each property owner has his/her own ideas of what a water feature should be. Some like a pond with a waterfall. Others are satisfied with a self-contained fountain. Several factors influence water feature decisions. The first, of course, is budget. The second is the amount of time you want to spend on water feature maintenance.Ponds are the most expensive water features. Installation involves digging a hole in the ground and placing either a rubber liner or a fiberglass insert in the hole to hold the water. Either a waterfall or a fountain then has to be built to circulate the water in order to give it the sound you want. The water is circulated by a pump, and you need a filter to keep it clean. Rocks are generally used to give the feature a natural look and to hide the mechanical elements. Unless you are quite handy, you may want to consider a professional installation. We offer both design and installation service.If your pond is a natural design, you will want to put in aquatic plants and fish. Some people like frogs, too. Fish and plants help keep the pond clean by eating algae and other material that can gum up the pump and filter, as well as making the pond look bad. Maintenance includes feeding the fish and cleaning out their waste and other contaminants.At the other extreme are self-contained tabletop water features for your patio. In between are fountains and larger self-contained water features to accent your garden/landscape.If you have been thinking about adding a water feature to your landscape, now is the time to check out the various options so that it can be installed in time for you to enjoy a full season of melodic sounds and added tranquility. A good place to start is to go back to our homepage and click on the “Gallery” button and see some of the water features we have designed into other landscapes.
