Water features can elevate your yard, making it more calming, enjoyable and fun. Whether it’s a cascading fountain, a naturalistic koi pond, or a pool fit for an Olympian, adding a water element is a great way to enhance your very own personal paradise.
Consider the following seven ways to incorporate water into your landscape. They will enhance your space and create a focal point that fits your style.
1. Pools
The centerpiece of every landscape, these oases provide relief from summer's heat and add soothing bubbles for chilly evening ambiance. Since pools and spas come in all shapes and sizes, they can provide beauty and entertainment for everyone. Looking to relax and entertain a crowd? Consider a large pool with a shelf for lounging. Working with a small or narrow space? Compare lap pools or swim spas.
2. Ponds
Designed to mimic mother nature’s beauty, ponds can provide habitat for native species while also housing prized fish or aquatic specimen plants. Natural ponds are contemporary water features that are dug out at a minimum of two feet deep, and with the help of liners, pumps and rocks, create a space that looks like it’s been there forever, forged out of the environment itself. Ponds can be adorned with small or large water features that meander over boulders and stones to create a one-of-a-kind look in your landscape. The movement of water, drops, rocks, and shape all are unique to each pond, creating a truly custom focal point.
3. Streams
If you have a large property and you’d like a water feature to connect multiple spaces in your backyard, a stream is an aesthetically pleasing option. A stream offers a natural landscape effect that includes the pleasing sounds of water flowing but doesn’t require much vertical lift. They come in nearly endless sizes and shapes, usually vary in width throughout, and can incorporate many different types of stones. Streams often are used to connect to other features, like ponds or waterfalls, but can be designed without any other water features. Add paths, bridges and other adjacent decor to enhance your landscape’s style.
4. Waterfalls
These dramatic features offer visual interest while also lending the element of sound to cancel out the world around and lull onlookers with their natural wonders. Waterfalls provide the trickling of falling water and the vertical interest of a water feature without needing to reserve the large space necessary for an entire pond. Whether modern or traditional in design, waterfalls offer extreme versatility when it comes to placement. Near an entrance, a waterfall can help create a beautiful first impression. A waterfall integrated into a swimming pool design can provide fun, visual interest, or even transform your swimming space into an infinity pool.
5. Fountains
From formal and traditional to modern and artistic, fountains offer a garden focal point that is beautiful to look at and fun to hear. These features are highly adaptable to space constraints, as well as your unique style. As standalone features, they can be placed anywhere. In-ground water fountains are great for swimming pool entrances, while planter and bird bath fountains add soothing effects for gardens and patios. They can be freestanding or attached to a wall.
6. Bubblers
To create visual interest in a very small space, a raised basin or bowl can be filled with water and given a little movement and splash with a bubbler or aerator. Any vessel that holds water can be used: a traditional tall vase; a millstone or other large piece of stone; a birdbath-style fountain; or even a metal stock tank. Select materials that suit your style, including metal, glass, concrete, or stone.
7. Water Walls
For a vertical, contemporary accent, consider a water wall that adds the structure and elegance of water flowing down a masonry wall. No matter what texture, colors, or lighting you choose, a water wall is sure to boost your space’s serenity.
We’d love to help you incorporate the water feature of your dreams into your home’s landscaping. Click here to view our portfolio of water features, or contact us to learn more.
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