Stone Water Feature
Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-513 -- More Projects »
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One side of this entry is in shade, the other in full sun, so identical plants can't be used. The solution is a stone water feature.
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Materials
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James chooses Colorado glacier stones for this project, but you can use stones that are readily available in your area.
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Water features are aesthetically pleasing: the sound of running water is soothing and gazing at pools of water brings on feelings of tranquility. Did you know they can also be used to conceal landscape problems? Master gardener Paul James uses water features to solve problem areas that are identical in appearance, but can't contain identical plants because they have vastly different light exposures. Materials:
boulders--these will be placed at the back of the pond mid-sized stones to line the inside of the pond and cover the edges pebbles for the bottom of the pond butyl rubber liner Two small pumps shovelSteps:
Dig the ponds. Slope the sides of each pond inward at an angle of about 20 degrees so that stones can later be stacked up the sides. Leave a ledge around the pond just below the edge of the driveway for the mid-size stones. Remove any rocks or roots from the basin that might punch a hole in the liner. Utility companies will tell you where lines may be buried on your property, so contact them before you dig in the wrong spot and create more problems than you're solving. Line the holes and the surrounding ledges with weed-barrier landscape fabric to further protect the liner from ripping. If you're really concerned that your liner will rip, add a two-inch layer of wet sand, pack it down and then lay the fabric.
Note: James uses this formula for figuring liner size--double the depth of the pond and add that number to both the length and width of the pond. The depth of James' pond is 18 inches, so he adds three feet to the length of six feet and three feet to the width of three feet, and arrives at a liner size of 9' x 6'. If the pond has vertical walls, add another foot in both directions to the overall size of the liner. Err on the side of too much rather than too little. If you wind up with surplus liner along the edges of the pond, you can always cut off what you don't need. Use scissors to cut the liner. With the liner cut to size, position it in place; smooth it as much as possible, but don't pull or stretch it. Put a few mid-size stones on the edges of the liner to hold it in place. Add a shallow layer of pebbles at the bottom of the pond and place the pumps near the back edge of the pond. These pumps have a filter at the pump inlet and a fitting that attaches to a hose at the outlet. After positioning the pumps, run the power cords and the hoses toward the back of the ponds. Move the boulders into position. Each pond will have four boulders; three will go toward the back and one toward the front.
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The finished stone water feature
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Create the stone walls. Add a layer of stone around the base of the pond, scatter few pebbles on top and add another layer of stone. Work your way up one layer at a time until you reach the top of the pond, covering the power cord and pump hoses as you go. Place some mid-size stones around the edge to create the ledge of the pond. Fill the ponds with water.
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