Running or still water adds calm and refreshing effects. The sound of running water is relaxing, delivering white noise that can minimize ambient noises. And, since spring is in existence, most homeowners are in the throes of beautifying their garden.
Beyond everything, there’s no better way to overhaul the area or amplify the curb appeal of your property than adding a beautiful water feature.
Continue reading to acquire ideas on how to make a water feature conveniently to your garden that you and your family will adore.
Things To Consider When Making A Water Feature
There are no water features that require zero maintenance. However, detailed planning can ease the project. There are several beneficial points to give thought to, including:
- The size of your outdoor space
- Your preferred layout
- Installation
- The ongoing cost of electricity
- Through what medium will the water feature be powered?
- The most suitable spot for the water feature
- Will the water be cleaned through plants or via a filtration system?
- Where the water will be pumped from or drained
- Do you prefer a permanent water level or one that changes due to natural rainfall?
Ways To Add A Water Feature To Your Backyard
Choose A Location
The water feature will not use a lot of space, though the decided spot must be flat. Steer clear from areas underneath dangling trees or shrubs since fallen leaves will obstruct the water feature and make cleaning more demanding.
If you want a solar-powered fountain, you must create your water garden in a location that receives optimum UV rays regularly.
Make Water Supply Available
It’s not a requirement to constantly have a water supply. Ready-made water features are self-contained, with a requirement to refill them with water every now and then. Suppose your garden water feature contains flowing water, you will have to spend money on water supply and electricity to operate the pump. By contrast, you can make a water feature that has a solar-powered water pump.
Deciding DIY Water Features For Your Outdoor Space
Pond
When someone thinks of a water feature in a garden, most people will think of a pond. Well-made and symmetrical, a pond requires little upkeep as opposed to what homeowners may believe. A pond can easily match your landscape and offers beautiful scenery.
Digging no more than 12 inches is a great approach if you’re not planning to house large fish like Koi in your water garden. However, if you’re planning on putting large water plants and fish in, your pond’s depth should be at 24” by 48”-72” in length. Reinforce the pond with sand about 2-3 inches, and add the PVC pond liner on top (it’s better to use a thicker one). The sand prevents stones from making a hole in the liner. Place a filter and water pump for a moving water effect. For the border, add pea gravel and flower pots.
Bathtub or Old Washtub Pond
Transforming your old washtub or antique bathtub into a pond is not really a burden and incorporating a few plants makes set a lively garden renovation. Both a washtub and bathtub are a recent trend right now, especially for individuals who don’t have a large space but want to have a water garden. Since the pond will be small, aquatic plants will maintain the aeration, indicating that you don’t have to add too much intricate stuff.
Bird Bath
Among the easiest and most budget-friendly outdoor water features is a birdbath. Without a filter, pump, and expensive installment, a birdbath is an affordable way to create a DIY water feature, blending with your landscaping sideline. On top of this, they appear in different colours and shapes, making it effortless to decide what suits both your location and your preference. Aside from that, this will attract more feathered friends to your garden that you are very likely to like seeing during the spring and summer seasons.
Always take the feathered friends’ safety into account. Choose a birdbath that has a carefully sloping wall with a rough texture. Furthermore, ensure that the water has no more than three inches in depth to prevent smaller birds from drowning. You can likewise place stones and rocks in the base, as necessary, making the water depthless and helping the flying friends bathe with no trouble. Don’t forget to change the water on alternate days to maintain its cleanliness and freshness, and do not use any chemicals.
Bubbling Containers
A bubbler fountain is a small water fountain that grants your backyard new life and offers a good place to relax. Apart from drinking fountains, each bubbler fountain is a classic design that can boost the suaveness of your yard, along with creating tranquillity. Underwater bubblers can be fit to pools and ponds for a bubbling effect like a hot spring.
Since the water doesn’t plunge on the side, this fountain is perhaps the calmest fountain. They lose minimal water to wind or splashing, reducing your refilling tasks.
To begin building your water fountain, drill a small hole at the bottom of the pot that is big enough to equip the pump power tubing. Clip the tube in half, incorporate it into the hole, and then weave it back together. Pile the upside-down pot at the bottom of the larger pot. Add some larger rocks around the base of the pot and locate a riskless position for the pump to stand. Heap up the smaller pot on the large pot and determine the location of the hole for the tubing. The end of the pipe must seat under the waterline. Close the drilled hole with silicone caulk. Load the top pot with rocks and pea gravel. But remember not to put any on the pump. Fill with water and turn on the pump to know if it’s already within your desired fountain. Make some adjustments by cutting the tube little by little to obtain the right bubbling.
Pondless Waterfall
A small waterfall can be soothing and calm in the form of a gravel-filled reservoir, or it can be more scenic with a longer drop. A pondless waterfall is perfect for a small backyard that doesn’t have sufficient room for a pond.
Rather than water gathering at the bottom, this waterfall operates by pumping water held in a big, in-ground waterbody up and through the waterfall spillway, letting the water stream back down into the waterhole. A pondless waterfall is an ideal option if you are worried about the possibility of kids or pets drowning.
Start by marking out the basin, then dig the hole needed for the reservoir. Then, the lowest part must be the location of your pump and pump vault. Using the soil dug out from the basin to create the waterfall is fine. Cover the basin with an underlay and pond liner. Make sure that the liner runs over the borders to avoid leaks and that the borders are higher than the waterline. Backfill the outside to make sure it’s secure. Position your water spillway at a higher elevation than the basin.
Put your water retention cubes and the pump vault in the reservoir. The pump vault prevents any rocks or other waste from being siphoned into the pump and enables the pump to be effortlessly removed from the pond without ruining the gravel. Hook the spillway to the pump via a pipe. Adjacent to the pump, have a check valve to stop the water in the pipe from draining back into the reservoir if the pump is switched off.
Place landscape rocks, and begin around the spillway and stream. Start with your largest stones and fill in with a fine layer of stones. Apply premix cement to seal the edges of your water trail to stop water from flowing underneath.
Cover the water retention cubes and pump vault with decorative stones and gravel. Fill it with water and switch on the pump. Make sure no water is being redirected from the stream by the landscape rocks. Add plants to your pondless waterfall.
Pot Fountain
This fountain consists of a covered, watertight basin, durable framework, and your favourite pot. The asset of this fountain is in its plainness. It doesn’t waste a great deal of time or effort in creating this fountain and depends on the flower pots you pick. Flower pots can be seen in your backyard, making this a fantastic, affordable choice.
First, dig a hole to bury a huge bucket in your patio. Place a submersible pump in the bottom of the bucket. You can set the pump on plasticware loaded with rocks. Cut aluminum L-brackets to place on top of the bucket as these will hold the weight of your pot and water for the fountain. Then, place your flower pot on top. Create a circle by cutting a sheet metal using a shear to place over the pot with a hole in the center for the pump pipe to pass through.
Insert the tubing through the metal and the pot above, and connect it to the nozzle kit to the top. Use rocks to secure the tubing at the base of the pot. Seal the hole with premixed, quick-drying cement. Let the cement dry completely. Likewise, immobilize the pot’s interior with a liquid water sealant if your preferred pot is wood, terra-cotta, or made from a porous material. Let the sealant dry thoroughly.
Put gravel or stones on top of the metal to conceal the reservoir. Fill the pot with water and connect the pump to the outlet. Make sure the water level does not drench underneath the pump.
Water Rills
Water rills are channels that can be constructed into your outdoor area in a straight line or paralleling a more complicated path within your garden. You can come up with your own shape and size, and choose if it’s flowing or still. Water rill is among the work-intensive DIY water feature choices functional, though the by-product is truly spectacular.
Most of the time, a rill must be 9-18 inches in depth and 12- 24 inches wide. The size and length will be based on your liking. For flowing water, you have to build a gradient over the length of the rill. Concrete is a convenient bed and then cover the gaps with a butyl liner. Additionally, any gentle gradient that is needed should be checked along the entire length to secure the continuous flow of water.
Secure it along the edges temporarily with large stones. Mix a waterproof additive into your mortar. You may need to consider incorporating a layer of overlaying slabs or smooth, dark-coloured paddle stones along the floor of the rill to produce an ornamental effect.
Add water to the rill. Cut the liner but leave approximately 6-8 inches to rest beneath the edging stones of the rill. Edging stones are what provide the rill with its classiness. Choose a stone that is befitting your general landscaping layout.
Other Water Features Idea
DIY Water Fountain
DIY fountain is a great complement to a deck, patio, yard, or garden focal point. This voguish water feature consists of a self-contained fountain, spouting fountain, disappearing fountain, and pipe fountain. The following simple, DIY fountain is typically the most budget-friendly option for making a water feature to the garden:
- Tea Pot Fountain - Introduce a bit of DIY scheme to your backyard or lawn with this fountain created from an iron teapot. With a fountain pump and some old stuff, you can create a creative fountain yourself that will amuse everyone.
- Rock Fountain- Rock fountain adds a new element to your garden that can take it to another level. This DIY water fountain might take some days to complete, though the result will be worth the effort.
- Mixed Metal Water Fountain - Transform your fountain into the main property centrepiece with the help of some stainless steel, corten steel, or copper and flora. Take into account the proper watering can for the final detail.
- Galvanized Bucket Solar Fountain - Using a galvanized fire ring and an old tub, you can construct this delightful garden centrepiece. Enjoy it throughout the year, and transfer it efficiently to a safe place during winter.
- Wooden Barrel Water Fountain - Create a comfy look of the old country with a simple whiskey barrel fountain for your patio or deck. This fountain can help induce a tranquil oasis filled with the gentle splash of water and dazzling elegance.
Bamboo Fountain
This small fountain uses bamboo, pots, stones, and anything that you can find in your backyard. This classic bamboo fountain is typically seen in Japanese gardens to scare off deers. Although your garden isn’t a local haunt for deer, you might appreciate the gentle knocking sound this bamboo fountain offers to your lawn.
A trickle of water into the upper end of the tube receives water, and the bamboo stick tips down and spills out the water. The bamboo then tilts back against the rock, making a sharp sound, and the cycle repeats.
Water Wall
A water wall is another water feature that is flawless for your patio and has a comforting sound of a waterfall. A fountain is more classic though a water wall would produce a real impact in a garden. Water wall does not usually need a lot of water in their maintenance. The water recirculates, but you will want to check on it occasionally to make sure you do not need to add more.
Water Blade
Water Blade is a detailed design to build a sophisticated-looking waterfall, without a header pool or stream. Commonly, it’s a bit louder than your standard water feature, but that only indicates you can set them further away from your lawn’s center and still adore its flowing, splashing sounds.
Benefits of Having A Water Feature In Your Backyard
Curb Appeal
A water feature in the garden boosts the general package of the curb appeal, making the property more attractive. Prospective buyers tend to feel more comfortable and stay longer while they assess the house.
Reduces Noise Pollution
With the sound from a waterfall or fountain, you’ll be diverting your attention to the soothing sounds of running water rather than focusing on the unwanted noise from the surroundings. Creating a bit of change like these to your yard must make the time spent there pleasurable.
Stress Relief & Relaxation
Water features have numerous health benefits, such as focusing and relaxing the mind. The gentle sounds can also keep your mind from roaming to distressing thoughts or concerns, conveying general improvement to your well-being.
Improve Your Air Quality
Not only does a water feature improve the look of a property and generate a refreshing setting, but it can cleanse the atmosphere. The water in any water feature will produce negative ions. And these negative ions purify the atmosphere, making it more refreshing to breathe.
Final Thoughts
Water features make great additions to any garden, no matter what size it is. There are several perks to installing a water feature, it’s hardly surprising that they are to-die-for. Of course, some styles of water feature need bigger budgets and more know-how than others. However, even with little room and a tight budget, there is no excuse why you mustn’t own some water features within your property.
