The right site will ensure you get maximum enjoyment and satisfaction out of your water feature. The old real estate slogan says location, location, location, and this principle applies to the placement of your water feature, too.
Take the time to find the best spot for your water feature. While it’s possible to move a pond or pondless waterfall, it’s labor intensive and expensive. But these steps will help you avoid aesthetic mistakes and love your new feature to the fullest!
Install the Water Feature Close to Your Home
That area in the back corner of your yard where nothing grows may seem like an enticing spot to fix up, but it’s not an ideal location for your water feature. In fact, the further something is from your home, the less likely you will use or interact with it. This is true with pools, hot tubs, and – you guessed it – water features!
If you’re going to invest in a water garden, we want you to get the most bang for your buck. Being able to enjoy and interact with your feature just steps from your door is going to be much more satisfying than squinting at it from a distance
Consider Viewing Areas
Next, think about the areas and vantage points where you will see, hear, and interact with your water feature. Start with the areas where you’ll be spending the most time, such as a patio, deck, or screened porch. Select locations where you’ll clearly see your feature from these ideal vantage points. All too often, we find water features that aren’t visible from obvious locations. Enjoying your beautiful water garden should be easy.
Also, take into consideration the views from inside your home. When the weather gets too hot, cold, rainy, snowy, or windy, you’ll still be able to enjoy your water feature from climate-controlled comfort. Rooms where you spend a lot of time – like living rooms and kitchens – are enhanced by the view of a waterfall or a pond. This especially true when large windows are present.
Don’t forget about the sound factor. A waterfall placed near the window of a master bedroom will provide a relaxing, tranquil lullaby on a warm spring night.
Plan for Your Terrain
If you have any sort of hill or natural slope that faces your house, it might be the perfect starting point for a meandering stream and waterfalls. But if your yard is completely flat, don’t worry. Creating a natural berm is relatively simple and you don’t need a lot of height to create an impressive display – we’re talking less than 24 inches.
Yards with slopes that pitch away from a home can be a little more challenging. But with proper terracing and berming, a water feature can look like it’s always been there.
Design for Your Size
Decide if you want to go small, medium, or large and consider specific locations. This usually depends on budget and usable space. If you have the flexibility, we recommend making your water feature larger than you originally envisioned. Call us biased, but the number one complaint we hear from customers is that they wish they made their water feature bigger from the start. While an existing pond or waterfall can be made larger at a later time, it’s much more expensive. Oh, and we have yet to receive a complaint from a customer that said their water feature is too large!
Once you determine one or two potential locations for your water feature, you can start designing an outline. Laying out a garden hose or an extension cord to form the shape is a helpful exercise to help you envision the area in your yard. Be sure to look at your outline from all of the vantage points both in and outside of the house. Make any necessary adjustments to your outline to decide on the final ideal shape and location
Leave Space for Landscaping
Last but not least, save room for plants. If you were out hiking in nature and came across a natural stream, the last thing you’d expect to see is a manicured green lawn right next to the water’s edge. Landscaping helps blend your water feature with nature while adding different textures and colors and also softening the rocky look from the boulders and decorative gravel.
Expert Help for Your Ideal Water Feature
Finding the right spot for your pond, pondless waterfall, or fountain can be a bit of a puzzle. But you don’t have to solve it on your own.
At Good Earth Water Gardens, we love partnering with homeowners to create peaceful and beautiful water gardens. If yo
u need help choosing the ideal location for a water feature in your Kansas City-area yard, we’re happy to help. Reach out to us at 816-720-7577 or email us at info@goodearthwatergardens.com.
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