Adding a Water Feature
Adding a water feature to your garden can be a fun and interesting thing to do, adding a visual point of interest in the garden for yourself and your visitors to admire.The key decision of course is deciding on what sort of water feature to go for. We've already looked at ponds in the other article in this section, so here we look at other water features.
The level of ambition is the first thing to consider. A very simple water feature could literally just be a fountain pump in a small barrel of water, whilst an all-singing and all-dancing water feature could involve something akin to a waterfall sort of feature, or a meandering stream of water that is pumped round and round, lined with rocks and interesting plants, that the wildlife will no doubt also enjoy!
The key is to plan it very carefully before you start digging! This will ensure that the water feature is logistically possible, and if it requires pumps to make it work, then you will want to ensure it is not too energy inefficient and that the levels are such that any pumping of water against a gradient is possible, for instance, when the water feature is switched on.
Also consider where in the garden the water feature will be, and if you want to have a good view of it, then consider where you tend to sit in the garden and where a good viewing point will be. What size do you want it to be, and what will you plant around the water feature? This too can influence the feature.
Of course, the cost will also be important, but there is a lot you can do with some creativity and a small budget, a good water feature definitely need not cost the earth. If you are struggling for ideas, there are quite a few books you can get from the library, or indeed websites, that offer ideas as to possible water features, with practical information on how to create them.
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