Landscape Design Tips For A Natural-Looking Water Feature
Posted on: 21 October 2021
The landscape design includes not only the trees, shrubs, and flower beds in your yard but also the lawn and any special features like statuary or water features. If you like a wilder, more natural-looking aesthetic, you may want to include a natural-looking water feature that mimics a natural pond or stream.
Here are some steps for incorporating a natural-looking water feature into your landscape design.
1. Choose the right feature
The first step is to look for a water feature that resembles a form that water takes in nature. So rather than a birdbath on a pedestal, you'll want to look for an in-ground water feature. Choose one that has irregularly shaped edges, rather than one that's perfectly round.
2. Blend the edges with the ground
For the most natural look, you'll want to obscure the delineation between the water feature and the surrounding ground. Instead of a plastic landscape edging product or a straight line of bricks, you can choose a natural product, such as pebbles, to give the impression of a natural stream bank. Planting creeping groundcovers around the edges can also help give a more natural, organic look to the edges of your water feature.
3. Use rustic elements like stone
Elements that come straight from nature will help give the wild, natural aesthetic you're looking for. One way to do this is to use natural stone slabs in the water feature. For example, you can place stone slabs strategically in the water feature so the water can trickle down over them, creating a natural-looking waterfall.
Another option is to place stone slabs by the edge of the water feature, providing a spot for wildlife to come down and get a drink or bathe in the sun. Or you can add large river rocks at one end of the water feature, stacked high enough that they reach above the surface of the water and provide a rustic visual element.
4. Add native plants
For the most authentic wild look, you'll want to incorporate some of the plants that naturally grow in wet areas in your climate. Depending on the type of water feature, you may want to include some strictly aquatic plants or you may wish to stick with wetland plants that grow at the edges of water in the wild. Some aquatic plants, such as water lilies, may be both native in your area and very attractive additions to a water feature.
These tips will help you get the right look when designing a water feature for a natural look in your landscape. Talk to a landscape design service about the best types of water features for your landscape.
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