Why one should create a water feature in your garden!
A water feature makes a beautiful, multipurpose addition to the garden. Placed in a visible location, its soothing sounds imbue a sense of peace and tranquility. Creating a sanctuary and sense of serenity at home is more important – especially what our resilient Province has gone through these past two years!
The team that looks after the Granny Mouse Country House & Spa gardens would like to inspire you to invest in a garden water feature, it could be a birdbath, or a bubbling fountain or even a pond – basically any type of water feature that will attract wildlife and help to remove pollen or pollutants from the atmosphere.
You would be contributing to the birds, insects, frogs and other wildlife who appreciate fresh water year-round, but especially in our hot, dry summers. With proper pond size and depth, koi and other fish can provide hours of enjoyment. Beneficial wildlife attracted to your water will help control many undesirable insects like “the mozzie”!
If your garden is on a slope, imagine having a small stream with a small waterfall or a wildlife pond, pebble beach maybe; to provide easy access to the water for local wildlife. If you have a patio a container pond, using a sealed container carrying pond plants would also look amazing.
There are a lot of additional benefits to having a water feature in your outdoor living space. It adds to the relaxing effect of running water to your home. It is a great focus for your landscaping.
Water features also create a wonderful entertainment space during the warm seasons. It gives you more gardening options by adding water plants. Best of all, building a water feature benefits the environment.
A self-sustaining water feature is an ecosystem. A water feature benefits plants and wildlife, not just in your yard, but throughout your surrounding area. It creates a safe habitat for fish, frogs, turtles, dragonfly larvae, beneficial bacteria, and a myriad of other wildlife.
It also can serve as a water sources for butterflies and bees, and for mammals ranging from mongooses and birds to larger animals like duiker.
Another positive is flowing water, which dilutes nearby noise pollution, while releasing a continuous flow of negative ions. In some research it’s been shown to found connection between negative ions and reducing stress, providing tranquility every minute of every day, creating natural visual appealing space.
There are a few water features to choose from that may tickle your fancy and all quite easy to do from those as small reflecting pools to elaborate waterfalls.
- Ponds, of which there are four basic types, reflecting pools, ornamental pools, water gardens and fish ponds and each can be made to any size, shape or depth.
- Reflecting pools, are usually the central feature and often have formal shapes with walking areas.
- Ornamental pools are generally located near a deck or patio, designed around an ornamental piece like a spouting statue, a vertically cascading fountain or a bell fountain.
- Water gardens are living water features, with aquatic plant life that is full of vibrant colours and textures. Plants, both inside and outside the perimeter of the pond create a lush natural setting.
- Fish can be added to almost any type of water feature as long as certain life sustaining criteria are met. Goldfish and Koi are common favourites.
- Waterfalls, like fountains, add sound, motion and vitality to your water feature, created with natural stone slabs or boulders, waterfalls bring a vertical dimension.
- Streams are ideal for meandering along paths, walkways or even pool decks. Acting as natural filters, streams are often designed to flow into waterfalls and cascade into a pond to help sustain the entire ecosystem of a water feature.
Next time you in the Midlands, pop into the Granny Mouse House and check out their gardens and get inspired!