Water features can bring a babbling brook to your backyard

As the temps rise, imagine sitting by a lake or pool with the sounds of water splashing in the background. Just the sound of water makes the hot summer days seem not so warm and a little more relaxing. All this can be right outside your door and enjoyed instantly without having to drive to the lake or fight the crowds at the pool. A water feature can be as simple or as extravagant as your imagination lets it.

To start, try to pick a spot in your yard that you will be able to see from the house and your deck or patio. If you can get it fairly close to the house you will be able to hear the running water from inside. Next, make sure you can get power to the pump, water is nice to have next to it but not necessary as all water features recirculate the water within them. Once you find your spot, it is time to decide what type of water feature to install.

Water features can range from a simple preformed, self-contained fountains that you can just set on your deck and plug in to large ponds with streams and waterfalls that hold several thousands of gallons of water. Most people want the sound of running water but not any pond or pool of water. A pond-less water fall is the perfect fit. With a pond-less waterfall the reservoir is filled with rock so that there is no standing water to worry about. If you prefer the look of a pond, there are a couple of things to remember. A pond is not going to be completely clear of algae, the water will be clear but there will be algae growth on the rocks and waterfall. Also, the larger ponds are generally easier to take care of because the temp of the water does not get as high as a smaller pond. Plants are a must to help keep the water crystal clear. Water plants help to control algae and keep the water oxygenated and clean.

Now that you’ve chosen your new water feature it’s time to plug it in and enjoy, or start digging a large hole and carry a lot of rocks. Either way, it is always exciting the first time you plug in a water feature to see how the water moves over the rocks and that ever relaxing sound of a babbling brook in your own backyard. So grab yourself a cold drink and a comfy chair and enjoy.