Here's how to make a splash — literally — in your garden
There is something mesmerizing about watching the movement of water. Whether it’s a bubbling fountain, with cascades falling from one tier to another, or a stream coursing its way through the garden, water catches the eye.
Each June in my display garden at Sorticulture, Everett’s Garden Arts Festival at Legion Memorial Park, it’s fun to notice how the water feature in the display draws attention.
The young (and young at heart) run their fingers under the water with a smile and sometimes even a giggle. Other visitors linger a bit farther back, standing silently, just taking in the soothing effects of the moving water — its peaceful sight and sound.
A water feature adds a pleasing ambience to the garden. It can be a focal point that adds interest as well as dollar value to the landscape. It can serve as the centerpiece of a courtyard or have a white-noise effect to distract from other less pleasing sounds such as traffic.
In addition, the presence of moving water attracts hummingbirds, dragonflies, birds and other wildlife to the garden.
Here are some ways you can add water as a landscaping feature to your garden.
Dish rocks: A very simple way to include the presence of water is with a dish rock. Dish rocks are stones that have been naturally dished out by wear from water and weather. Dish rocks can also be carved out of a material such as granite for a more formal presentation.
These rocks, each with a unique shape and size, are sometimes featured in zen-type gardens. They can be fed by a hollow bamboo stem, known as a bamboo flute, mounted above the dish rock. The rock can also be core-drilled to pipe water up through it, to turn it into a bubbling water feature.
Stone columns: Make a vertical water statement in the landscape with stone columns. The columns can be a natural-shaped huckleberry basalt in shades of gray or a Columbia River basalt, which is a quarried rock in various hues of tans and with more uniform shapes. Like huckleberry basalt, granite columns tend to have a unique natural shape.
These columns are core-drilled to be turned into water features. Columns come in a variety of sizes, from 12 to 48 inches tall. Columns can stand alone or be grouped for a bold water feature. The taller the column, the wider the area needs to be around the base to collect water and to avoid splashing and water loss.
These columns can be installed in a way that allows water to drain through ornamental rock at the base and into a collecting basin. This allows for lower maintenance, as there is no water surface to keep clean. A recirculating pump installed either under the water feature or nearby allows the water to be piped back to the top of the column.
A variety of cobble stones can be placed around the base of the columns such as washed river rock, flat beach pebbles or even tumbled recycled glass.
On a recent landscaping project, while a huckleberry column that spills into a dish rock was being set up and filled with water, a noisy crow was perched in a nearby tree, watching the work. As soon as we stepped out of sight, we heard a loud splash. The dish rock was now a birdbath, and the crow was vigorously splashing about.
Vases: A vase can offer a cost-effective way to incorporate the presence of water into the garden. A taller vase can be set inside a large bowl-shaped one for a completely self-contained system to set on a patio. Set it by an existing ground-fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI. The outlet is a fast-acting circuit breaker designed to prevent electric shock.
When it comes to vases, a neutral color such as charcoal or brown creates a subdued effect, allowing the focus to be on the water. Vases come in all sizes and colors, and a brightly colored vase with moving water can be a real conversation piece.
Waterfalls: At the mention of water features, many people’s first thought is of a grand waterfall with water spilling from rock to rock. This is probably the most expensive and highest-maintenance water feature, but if you have the appropriate setting and the resources to invest, it can be gratifying.
For those with a smaller space or a modest budget, a variety of prefabricated self-contained types of water features are available. Visit your local nursery to see examples in action.
When considering a water feature, remember that there will be water loss through evaporation, which means it will require occasional refilling. Several of the above mentioned water features can be self-contained or they can be connected to an automatic-refill valve from an irrigation system.
As I write, a dragonfly is perched on the edge of the dish rock in my garden, its calming beauty a reminder of the connection of all life.
Pam Roy of Planscapes is an award-winning landscape designer with over 35 years of experience. Contact her by email via info@planscapesdesign.com or by calling 425-238-4678. Visit www.planscapesdesign.com for more information.
Dish rocks are perhaps the simplest way to bring water into the landscape. (Pam Roy)
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