DIY Network

Varieties of Water Gardens From "Waterscapes" episode DWAT-101

	Water gardens come in several distinct styles. The style you choose will depend on the location that you select and the focus and purpose of your water feature.
	Figure A

In DIY's five-part Waterscapes workshop, you'll learn the basic steps in how to build a water-garden that could add a slice of elegance and tranquility to your own backyard. Host Heidi Robinson, with just a little help and guidance from some pros, shows the steps that went into the planning, designing, excavation and installation of an attractive water feature at a local middle-school. Once finished, this water garden will serve as a learning lab for the schools students as they learn about aquatic flora, fauna and ecosystems. The fifth and final episode of the workshop features two indoor water features that you may consider building.

The location for the water garden installed in this workshop is a lawn area at the rear of the school (figure A) with a space about 10 feet by 12 feet.

The first segment in this episode provides an introduction to waterscaping and some basic information about types and styles of water gardens.

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	Guest Randall Tate, waterscape expert and owner of The Water Garden®.
	Figure B
	Figure C

The key to success in a do-it-yourself project of this magnitude, and one with so many possible variations, is to gather as much useful information as you can before you break ground. For that, we enlisted the help of water-garden expert Randall Tate. He discusses some tips for planning a water garden as well as the attributes of several popular styles.

Water Gardens: Preliminary Considerations

• Location: When selecting a location for a water garden, Randall advises installing it as close to the house as possible to maximize enjoyment.

• Size: Randall advises making your pond as large as you feasibly can since they can soon fill up with aquatic vegetation and fish.

• Purpose : Consider what you want most from your pond. Some enthusiasts, for example focus on growing water lilies (figure B) and therefore plan to locate their pond in full sun. For those who focus on raising pond fish such as Japanese koi (figure C), shady areas are preferred.
  
• Edge technique: Many people edge their ponds with stones or boulders, but there are other edge techniques including edge plantings (figure D). Some larger ponds incorporate a variety of edge techniques that may include beaches, docks, plantings and boulders (figure E).

  Figure D

  Figure E

  
  

• Some natural style ponds are built to create the illusion of a mountain stream with waterfalls (figure F). Larger boulders and flat stones are used in combination to create the look of a naturally formed stream and to provide for cascading effect that will create an attractive, naturalistic look as well as a relaxing sound of falling water (figure G). The sound of the falling water in this type of fountain can actually be "fine-tuned" to modify the sound through the careful arrangement and placement of the stones.

  Figure F

  Figure G

  
  
• Urban style ponds are typically smaller in area, and are designed to fit well in smaller backyards (figure H). The one shown in this segment holds about 1000 gallons of water, and is large enough for some water-lily plantings and several goldfish. This particular pond is edged with cut stones rather than natural stone (figure I), giving it a more designed appearance, but nonetheless pleasing. The stones are cemented in place around the edges of the pond for enhanced stability.

  Figure H

  Figure I

  
  

  Figure J

• The fountain feature on this particular pond utilizes a flat-stone design for the waterfall -- creating a sheeting effect with the cascading water (figure J), rather than that of a rippling stream. The water falling directly into the pond in this simple design still provides a pleasant and relaxing sound.
  

  	Figure K
  	Figure L
  	Figure M

• Specially designed koi ponds are preferred by those whose focus is on raising the attractive domestic goldfish known as "koi." These beautifully colored members of the carp family have been raised traditionally in Japan for centuries, and have become popular in western countries as well. Since these fish can grow to about 2-1/2 feet in length, raising them requires a pond that's fairly large -- providing adequate surface area for absorption of oxygen into the water. Ponds for koi should also be at least 3 feet deep and should have very good filtration. To remain healthy and happy, Koi require clean water and plenty of room to exercise.

• The koi pond shown in this segment has a decidedly Asian feel, and was carefully landscaped to provide a tranquil setting (figure K). Many koi ponds contain no plants, but this particular one has a few water lilies. Evergreens are planted around the pond to give it a backdrop that remains attractive year-round (figure L). Dwarf weeping-hemlock trees make an attractive edging for this spare design.

• The fountain feature in this koi pond utilizes a single-sheet waterfall; the water is broken into two sections as it cascades over a natural, flat rock that has been installed in a vertical orientation (figure M). This creates a visually interesting waterfall and makes for a pleasing sound. Another Asian-inspired feature in this pond is the placement of large boulders to simulate stone "islands" completely surrounded by water. Though, from above, they look completely natural, these boulders were actually mounted on concrete pallets to level and orient them so that their top portions were raised just the right amount above the surface of the water.
  

  Waterscapes host Heidi Robinson with the students of the middle-school where our water garden was installed.

RESOURCES :

The Water Garden Design Book
ISBN: 0764153730
Authors: Yvonne Rees, Peter May
Barrons Educational Series
(August 2001)
To order this book from Amazon, click here.

The Master Book of the Water Garden: The Ultimate Guide to the Design and Maintenance of the Water Garden
ISBN: 0821227963
Author: Philip Swindells
Publisher: Bulfinch
(April, 2002)
To order this book from Amazon, click here.

GUESTS :
Randall Tate
Owner, The Water Garden
5212 Austin Rd.
Hixson, TN 37343
Phone: 423-870-2838
www.watergarden.com