Blog Post

Tips For Adding and Maintaining a Water Feature In Your Landscape Garden

  • By Paul Day Tree Surgery
  • 11 Nov, 2020
Garden pond

There’s a primitive impact that water has on our psychology. Being beside the ocean or a slowly trickling river can have a calming effect on people. The presence of water can put people into an almost meditative state which breeds increased creativity and a sense of tranquillity. However, you don’t always need to be by the sea, a river or a lake to experience this change in your mood. Many people introduce water into their properties by installing a water feature in their landscape garden!

 

Whether you have a large garden or a small landscape garden, there’s a water feature which can suit any size and shape space. To give you a helping hand in the decision-making process, we’ve created a guide which will help you understand which water feature is right for your landscape garden, as well as some tips on what you need to know about maintenance. Read on to find out more.

The Types of Water Feature Available For Your Landscape Garden

Depending on your style, the size of your landscape garden and your budget, there is a range of types of water features available. Here are just a few.

Pond

Ponds are probably the most common and popular water feature for landscape gardens. They come in a vast array of shapes and sizes and can be expansive for a large garden or humble for a smaller one. Once you have your pond installed, you can then create bigger and better ponds with the addition of extra water features like waterfalls and rocks. As well as this, ponds can help the local wildlife to develop and thrive by introducing another habitat into the area.

Fountain

Self-contained fountains are a popular choice for those who don’t quite have enough space for a large pond. Fountains come in a dizzying array of shapes and sizes for any stylistic taste or sized garden. You’ll need to have a proper pumping system installed and be hooked up to the electricity. However, once installed, fountains can be a great addition to any property.

Streams

Man-made garden streams, or ‘rills’, are a great feature for larger gardens. They can be used to connect up to one or more water features within a landscape garden or section off areas of outside space. These channels can be used to guide water into a pond or pool or are used as a design feature to draw the viewer’s eye to another area of the garden. For those with enough space and enough spending capacity, streams and rills certainly add the ‘wow’ factor to a garden.

Waterfalls

Waterfalls can either make up part of another water feature - like a pond - or they can be a standalone feature of a landscape garden. A pondless waterfall uses pumps in a similar way to a fountain. Water is pumped at the top and then the water trickles through a bed of rocks until it makes it way back to the pump where it is taken to the top again. These can be an expensive addition for your home but they can have a fantastic impact. You must seek professional advice and help for this installation to ensure that you use the necessary equipment.

Blades

Water blades are a more contemporary style of water feature which has grown in popularity over the last decade or two. These installations facilitate a cascading curtain of water which will often end up in a pond or pool. Blades are often installed onto a wall above a pond and can even be illuminated with LED lights which can provide an impact for your guests.

Rock Water Features

Finally, rock water features are created by drilling holes in a large rock, with water pumped through the holes. This creates a simple, minimalistic and striking water feature for a landscape garden. As well as being impactful, they are also relatively small and, therefore, are suitable for a wide range of gardens or as part of a larger water feature.

Choosing The Best Water Feature For Your Landscape Garden

There is a wide range of water features that you can install in your garden. However, not every type of water feature will suit every garden. Particularly if you have a smaller garden, you’ll have to be picky about the type of water feature you can choose. 

If you have a much larger garden, a large pool, pond or man-made stream could be a suitable addition to your property and will make the greatest impact. For smaller gardens, you might want to go with a more compact fountain or small pond. 

As well as choosing the right size, it’s important to consider the best placement for a water feature in your landscape garden. If you have a patio area, you can enhance the alfresco dining experience by placing a water fountain nearby. The sound of trickling water can have a great impact near the area where you eat. 

As well as choosing the placement for the aesthetic and atmospheric impact a water feature has, you’ll also have to keep in mind how the water feature operates. If you are choosing a fountain, you’ll need to have it hooked up to the electricity. This means placing the fountain near the property might be the best course of action. 

When choosing your water feature, you should also keep in mind the design style of the rest of your property and match the feature in your landscape garden accordingly. Also, keep in mind your budget and work within it.

Maintaining Your Water Feature During Winter

During winter, in particular, you must take extra care of your water feature. If the pipes and pumps freeze over, you can cause a huge amount of damage which will cost you an arm and a leg. Many water features are frost resistant, however, when the really cold weather begins to set in, it’s still worth draining out the water in the system until spring. 

As the colder weather begins to drag on, take this opportunity to do comprehensive cleaning in all of the pipes as you drain the water out. This will ensure that your system is clean, grime-free and ready to go for when it gets hotter and you start using your garden again.

Do You Want To Wow Your Guests With a Landscape Garden in Rotherham, Sheffield and Worksop? Look No Further Than Paul Day Treecare

For help with your landscape garden in Rotherham, Sheffield, Worksop and the surrounding areas, look no further than Paul Day Treecare. We provide an extensive and comprehensive range of landscaping services to improve your garden and even increase the value of your home! From paving, fencing and tree surgery services, we can clean up your garden, help you install new features or even work on a large landscaping project. 

We can be available 24 hours a day for emergencies and tree and landscape related enquiries. If you have an overhanging, overgrown or hazardous tree in your garden, the simplest option is often to have it felled or trimmed back. We’re experts and can ensure that your garden is safe for you and the public. As well as this, we can also make your garden more practical and aesthetically pleasing. 

To find out more, please feel free to contact us today. We operate within a 10-mile radius of Rotherham, Sheffield and Worksop. You can call us on either 01909 519 675 or 07909 743 488. Alternatively, call us on paul.daycountryside@btinternet.com.
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Spending time in the garden has been proven to provide a range of mental health benefits. From improving the connection we have with the world to reducing stress, gardening can make us happier, healthier and more fulfilled people. Having the perfect garden to unwind in only helps to improve these benefits and, as the summer arrives, working with local gardeners can ensure your outdoor space is summer-ready. 

From large-scale projects, like landscaping and patio installations, to more generalised maintenance, local gardeners can breath new life into your outdoor area for the ensuing period of parties and entertaining. To give you some inspiration, we’ve provided a few tips on how to create the perfect summer-ready garden.

Have Local Gardeners Perform Landscaping and Garden Improvements

When summer begins to peek over the horizon, it can inspire us to change our homes to accommodate living outdoors. This process may require some improvement in your garden, but investing in the below additions can create a much more habitable environment.

Paving

Paving your garden is an excellent way to create an entertainment area for the summer. If you’re lucky enough to have a large outdoor space, you can section off an area dedicated to dining and parties. 

Similarly, paving is a great way to section off other areas of the garden and create a ‘zonal’ space. Using paving intelligently, local gardeners can dissect areas of your garden for different purposes. For example, you could install paving as a perimeter to your flower bed, for entertainment space and for dining.

Decking

Similarly to paving, a decked area will create a more habitable environment for friends and family to dine outdoors. By installing a decked area at the top of your garden, you can create the perfect space to utilise for summer parties and gatherings.

Local Gardeners Can Improve The Privacy of Your Garden For Summer Parties With Fencing

Creating a new entertainment space in your garden is all well and good. However, you may also need to improve the privacy of your garden at the same time. Local gardeners can provide quality fencing products to ensure that you have the privacy you want. 

Particularly if you have a young family and live in a built-up area, it’s important to have adequate security. Every family wants to be able to enjoy the summer in their garden without the unease of limited privacy measures. From timber fences to bespoke solutions, there are plenty of options which ensure your garden is summer-ready.

Employ Local Gardeners To Prune and Thin Trees To Allow More Sun In

As summer approaches, your trees and bushes will begin to become more unruly. If left to their own devices, the plant life in your garden may become obstructive and can even hinder the growth of other plants. That’s why it’s always a good idea to contact local gardeners to prune and thin your trees before they get too difficult to manage. 

By pruning your plants, bushes, hedges and trees in the lead up to and during summer, you’ll facilitate better growth, improve the aesthetics of your garden and increase the sunlight streaming into your outdoor space. 

As well as pruning some of the larger trees in your garden, hedges and smaller bushes can also be trimmed back. Having your hedges trimmed by local gardeners will ensure they remain healthy and neat. Having a well-maintained hedge during the summer can even act as a natural alternative to a perimeter fence and can improve the biodiversity of your garden.

Prepare Your Vegetable Patch and Fruit Trees

One of the many benefits of having a garden is the ability to grow your own produce. However, doing so does require some maintenance work. 

If you have a fruit tree growing in your garden, the timing of pruning can greatly impact the quality and quantity of your crop. Particularly if your fruit tree is still in its infancy, it’s important to help it grow thick branches and canopies by pruning. The best time to prune fruit trees is in early spring before any significant budding. If your fruit trees are pruned properly in the first few years, they will provide much better fruit in higher quantities. 

As well as preparing your trees for fruiting, the lead up to summer can also be spent preparing your vegetable patch. The first step in the process should be preparing your soil for planting. Loosen the soil, add compost, level the soil and water it adequately. 

In the spring, plants like tomatoes and peppers should be incubated indoors whilst it’s still chilly. These can be moved outside once it gets hotter. However, you can begin planting vegetables like potatoes and onions outdoors straight away. When the summer does arrive, you’ll have a healthy and happy crop ready to eat.

Some General Upkeep To Consider

As well as some of the significant improvements covered here, there is also some more generalised upkeep you can enact in the lead-up to summer.

Weeds

Weeding isn’t one of the most well-loved gardening projects in the world. However, it’s a necessary evil every gardener will have to go through to ensure their garden remains healthy. The lead up to summer is the best time to tackle this problem. During spring, remove any weeds from the garden and from in between the cracks in your paving. By de-weeding, you can ensure that your plants, rather than the weeds, consume the nutrients in the soil. 

At the same time as de-weeding, you should also spend some time getting rid of any pests. Using natural solutions, like crushed eggshells for slugs, you can future-proof your plant life and vegetation.

Plant Summer Plants and Tidy Flower Beds

The blossoming of flowers is one of the most satisfying experiences of summer. It signifies the changing of the seasons and begins to bring colour and warmth into your garden. During the autumn, dead leaves and twigs will have fallen down and collected in your flower beds. With summer on the horizon, now is the time to clear that up ready for summer plants. Prepare the soil of your flowerbeds, tidy the borders up and plant flowers like lilies, dahlias and others that thrive in the warmer period.

Start Your Compost Heap

By using high-quality compost, you can greatly improve the quality of your soil and, therefore, your plants. Begin making your own compost heap months in advance to ensure it’s ready for summer. If starting during the summer, your heap should be ready for the following summer. You can then recycle much of your garden and kitchen waste to add to the compost.

Clean, Treat and Varnish Your Furniture

Finally, summer poses an opportunity to give some of your garden furniture some TLC. Dust, wash, varnish and treat your furniture to ensure it’s in the best possible condition for the summer. The spring is the best time to make these small improvements to have your garden summer-ready for friends and family.

Our Local Gardeners Provide Specialist Tree Services in Sheffield and Beyond

Do you require the services of local gardeners at your property in Sheffield and the surrounding area? If so, look no further than Paul Day Specialists. We’re experts in the industry and provide a wide range of services for both domestic and commercial clients. Whether you need a tree felling or simple hedge maintenance, we can help. 

If you want to get your garden ready for the summer, with services like hedge maintenance, landscaping and pruning, one of our specialists can be on hand to help. 

To find out more about our services, please feel free to contact us today. You can call us on either 01909 519 675 or 07909 743 488. Alternatively, email us at paul.daycountryside@btinternet.com.

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