How to Design and locate a site for a Water feature
Location of a Water Feature
- The site should have 6 to 10 hours of sunlight per day
- If the water feature is to have a stream bed or a water fall it should have a natural slope or a man-made slope that does not look man-made. If there is no natural drop than one should be created large enough so that it does not look like it was just put in place. This can be done by cutting and filling on the site as needed. (Note: you do not want the water feature to protrude from the ground you want it to look like it comes out of the ground naturally.
- The site should include some trees and plants for shading during some part of the day. This will help to keep algae from taking over your water feature. The large mature trees should be a minimum of 15 feet from the edge of the feature. This way they provide shade but will not drop leaves and debris directly into the feature.
- The site should be visible from the homeowners
view exclusively, if on a residential site. If the water feature is
in the front of the residence it should be close to the house for the
home owner to see from a window. The water feature may be seen from
the road but it should not be located near the street. The feature should
not be blocked from the road but it should not be blocked from the hone
owners view. It should be easily visible from inside and outside (near)
the house.
If the water feature is in the rear of the residence it may be anywhere the home owner would like it. The best place is around a patio or deck and if the yard is small than it could be in the corner or on the back property line. The best would be to keep it insight from inside and outside (patio or deck).
The site for a commercial property should be where all visitors and many of the employees will be able to view the feature on the way in r out of the building. This could be some where near the main entrance to the building. These features may be very big or small depending on the business.
How to maintain a Water Feature
How to Design a Water Feature
- The design of a water feature may take a long time to construct. You will need as much input from the client as you can get and do not be afraid to ask for the budget up front, this will help you think while they tell you what type of feature they have in mind.
- Talking to the customer will help to determine the size, location, type, and material you need to use for the water feature.
- The home owner may have good ideas and many wants and need but you need to think of the budget and what you have to work with from the site analysis.
- Design for the home and make sure you do a site inventory as well so you can incorporate the existing landscape into the water feature. Look at the architecture of the home as well so that the feature and home match well. For example if the home is in a wooded area than use ferns and understory plants to accent the feature so it looks like it belongs in the woods not in the jungle.
- The design may include a rigid pond shell or a flexible liner. The flexible liners give you the freedom to design any shape and size you would like. The liners come in many color and type check with the local retailer to see which would best suit you design.
- The feature should include at least three layers and be a minimum of 30 inches deep for plants and aquatic life.
- You should include marginal, oxygenators, floaters, and flowering plants to your design (discussed in Plants and Aquatic life section)
- the rest f your design should look like a regular
landscape plan with plant material from your area. The area directly
around you feature should include round coves of some sort to stabilize
and keep soil and debris out of feature
For large commercial sites you should contact a landscape Architect or designer for help.
Note to all contractors do not design a water feature that is too much for your company to construct and do as much research as needed on plants and aquatic life as you can to better the design. Use the right plants for the right area.