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WHAT'S NEW
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How to add a water feature to your garden
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From a tiny, musical fountain to an in-ground pond, a water feature transforms any garden into a serene retreat.
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By Karen Kirk
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Water nourishes the body and soothes the soul. It's no wonder that more and more gardeners are rolling back the sod and incorporating beautiful water features into their landscapes, ranging from small decorative fountains to impressive inground ponds.
Garden centres offer lovely, inexpensive statuary as well as innovative products that make building your own pond easy, while landscape professionals offer larger custom-designed options. Here, Toronto artist Anne Klar-Futerman designed two ponds that surround her studio (formerly a two-car garage). "As an artist, I couldn't imagine a more tranquil environment in which to create," she says. Influenced by the water gardens she visited while in Japan, Anne uses rockery for textural interest, a waterfall and stream to connect the two ponds and a variety of aquatic plants.
Garden sculptures collected on her travels lend an artful touch, while seating positioned at select vantage points throughout the garden allows her to enjoy the soothing sights and sounds of the water feature day and night.
Planning your pond
Location: Certified landscape designer Fred Post of Your Designer Landscapes in Grimsby, Ont., recommends choosing the location of your pond based on how you plan to use your water feature - as a vista through a living room window or a tranquil setting for outdoor dining and entertaining. Avoid placing a pond beneath or close to trees that will drop their leaves or needles, adding additional maintenance to your pond. Consider slope, soil, sun, shade, wind and utility lines when planning the location of your water feature.
Slope: Place the pond on a flat area above the lowest spot on the site to avoid overflow by rainwater, causing muddy waters and possibly washing away plants and fish.
Soil: Clay soil, although difficult to excavate, holds its shape, and flexible liners will conform to whatever configuration you dig out. Create a series of internal ledges that will provide bases for large boulders to gradually incline upward to the pond margins and for marginal plants to be placed, in pots, in the pond.
Sun, shade and wind: Position your pond where plants will get at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. Wind can speed up evaporation and damage plants and shrubs. Erect windscreens in windy spots.
Utilities: Call before you dig to avoid installing over gas, electrical or sewer lines. The closer the pond is to electrical outlets for fountains, lights and a pump, the less expensive it will be to run lines to it. Running a water line is only necessary if you can't reach the pond with a garden hose to top off the water level.
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