The spell
of flowing water from
pond waterfalls is so strong, people have
been known to travel hundreds of miles just to see
one.
The soothing splashes and quiet gurgles
are guaranteed to enhance the mood of a garden, and
that of the gardener, too, my friend.
Not particularly crafty?
Don't have a lot of outdoor space?
No worries -- you don't need either to create
small scale, big splash magic in your own yard!
This Guide gives you the
3000 foot overview. Then points you to a step-by-step guide that's
full of videos, pictures, waterfall design ideas, and
great pond and waterfall buiding information.
So use the them to create
your own water sculpture, half art half
technology, and infuse your yard with a serenity that's hard to match with
any other garden feature.
What's your ideal pond
waterfall?
Is it something simple with stacked stones at
one end of a small
pond?
Or is it
huge and ambitious like this image?
This waterfall is way beyond anything I
could do -- or afford for that matter, but it's just
so magnificent, I thought I'd share while I had you
here.
Meanwhile, back at
the ranch...
The most common starting
point for pond waterfalls is somewhere on a natural
incline. This is true of garden pond kits, small
garden ponds
and larger installations.
Ready-made waterfalls make installation really
easy. And several preformed pond
liners come complete with spillways attached.
Pond waterfalls can also be
made from simulated rocks that look almost like the real thing
especially with the right pond
landscaping.
Why not team up a flexible pond liner with a preformed
pond liner, and use a series of spill pans
made from concrete for the falls.
Or play mix and match with any combination of
these pond waterfalls materials.
And don't forget the submersible or external pump.
You'll need at least one of these. They move the water from
the pond bottom back to the top where gravity sends it on its
way down again.
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Step 1: Do the
Digging
Use the garden hose to try
out different pond shapes and pond
falls placement.
Then commit to a shape and mark the
pond and falls layout with bright spray paint.
Use a shovel to
dig out the space for the basin.
You can
even pile up the dirt where the waterfalls begins with the dirt you dig
from the basin to make the incline steeper.
Use rocks,
concrete blocks, or sandbags to shape the
slope and water channel in a step-like formation.
Then
dig a
hole in the slope for the waterfall box.
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Step 2: Install
the Liner
If you're using a
performed pond liner, you can
skip this step.
Line the excavation
with padded underlayment.
Line the hole and the sloping waterfall channel
with flexible EPDM liner.
It will be easier if you put the folded liner at
the waterfall end and unfold it towards the pond end.
Allow the liner to follow the contours of the
pond.
Here's a tip you'll thank
me for later:
Don't trim the edges until after your pond is
filled with water.
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Step 3: Place
Large Rocks
For me, getting the boulders into place is the toughest
part of the pond waterfalls project.
You want to dig out
crevasses for the large rocks so they settle
snugly in the dirt.
Be careful not to damage
or move the liner around too much as you put the rocks into
place.
Complete the basic structure
then put secondary stones, pebbles, and
flagstones at the lip of the pond waterfall.
Light colored rocks
show up well, so lay some around the edges and bottom of the
pond as accents.
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Step 4: Add the
Finishing Touches
Scatter
gravel among the rocks.
I like to fill a small
bucket with rocks and just kind of slowly shake them from the bucket letting them
stay where they fall.
Now, brush small pebbles into
the spaces between rocks.
Randomly toss some cobbles
into the pond to give
it a natural look.
Use a garden hose to wash
the dirt from all the rocks. Then pump the dirty water out of the
pond and refill it.
After the pond is full, it's time to trim the liner. It's
best to leave about a foot of excess at the edges
and just fold the excess under.
The liner might
settle even more after a few days, and you'll be glad
you have the excess.
Now that you've
got the big picture, bounce to this step-by-step pond waterfalls guide for
how-to videos, waterfall pictures, pond
waterfalls ideas, and excellent ponding
advice.
Then, all you'll need is a little
pond landscaping to
bring the whole scene to life!
