Waterfalls in Ponds
A waterfall provides a dynamic focal point in small garden ponds that enhances your outdoor living environment. In addition to adding interest and creating a soothing ambient soundscape in your garden, a waterfall also provides many environmental functions that help maintain a healthy aquatic habitat for your plants and fish. From a simple single waterfall design to an elaborate cascade with multiple streams, waterfalls are a flexible water feature for ponds that can be built to suit your water gardening needs. Does this Spark an idea?
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Considerations
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Waterfalls require a gradient change in order to be an effective water feature. If you have a flat landscape, it is important to consider how the mound of earth needed to create the waterfall gradient will look after construction. Waterfalls are easy to create when ponds are sited near a hill and incorporate the natural landforms into the pond and waterfall design. Consider the natural features in your landscape when designing a waterfall for your pond to streamline the construction process and obtain the best results.
Construction
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Lay out a water hose to get an accurate perspective on how the waterfall course will look before you start construction. Make any adjustments needed, and excavate the water course starting closest to the pond and working backward. Shape each pool of the waterfall so it is deeper in the back of the pool where the water falls from the pool above in order to get the best sound from your waterfall. Lay liner material along the course of the waterfall, plumb the waterfall pump and test the water flow and adjust it as needed.
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Landscaping
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Rocks, sand and driftwood make attractive landscaping materials for waterfall channels. Place the materials over the liner gently to avoid creating any leaks. The splashing water from waterfalls makes a small micro-climate near each fall that's perfect for growing humidity-loving plants such as mosses and ferns that add color and a natural appearance to the watercourse.
Benefits
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In addition to providing a dynamic feature to your pond, waterfalls also improve water circulation and increase dissolved oxygen in the water. Pumps that move water from the bottom of the pond to the waterfall help maintain stable water temperatures in the summertime. Increased dissolved oxygen levels facilitate healthy plants and animals in your pond and also help prevent algal blooms.
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References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images
