Make your garden flow

A water feature is always a welcome place of refreshment in any landscape – Antonella Dési explores how it can create a sense of natural serenity, add tranquil acoustics and draw interesting creatures into your garden.

Essentially, a water feature can be defined as any outdoor element that has anything to do with water, such as natural ponds, koi ponds, fountains, mini waterfalls, birdbaths, simple rockeries or bubbling streams for example. The draw card of an attractive water feature is three-fold – it is good for the soul, good for aesthetics and good for the garden.

Good for the soul

There is nothing quite comparable to the soothing sounds of flowing water – gentle splashes and trickling sounds are gentle music to the ears and they have an almost magical way of relaying a sense of calm and quietude. Catching a glimpse of the sunlight sparkling and dancing on the water, and seeing reflections of all the colours of your garden mirrored in the water, can have a significant impact on your mood. The harmony and cool watery ambience that water features offer, are no doubt behind the increasing fascination that homeowners across the country have toward constructing or installing water features in their gardens.

Good for aesthetics

Water features can add untold visual interest to any outdoor area they grace and can create that individual touch that will make your garden really stand out from the rest. No matter whether you own a small townhouse garden or a large sprawling expanse of land, there are water features available to suit every possible size, style and budget. You can purchase ready-made water features from any of the plethora of home centres, garden retail stores, nurseries or directly from specialist water feature outlets, or you can opt to custom-build your very own feature that has been specifically designed to suit your unique outdoor area.

The more simple water features are the perfect project for DIY enthusiasts, however, professional landscapers or water feature experts should be called in for more complicated installations. You can choose to have a water feature with moving water, or one that hosts still water. Moving water can create a desirable sound, but it will require a power source to run the pump. Still water on the other hand, offers a glassy, calm surface that can serve as a spellbinding reflection pool.

Good for the garden

Water is attraction for wildlife – from birds, to frogs, dragonflies and other garden creatures – all of which are great guests to have. Not only is it enjoyable to watch these creatures, but many of them, such as dragonflies, birds and frogs, serve as a great means of natural and free pest control, negating the need for any kind of chemical repellant. Their droppings will also serve to improve the fertility of the soil, and it is a proven fact that birds with a good supply of water will eat less of the fruits and berries grown in your garden.

You can add fish and plants to your water feature. Fish are an especially great way of keeping the pesky mosquito population under control. Moving water features are a better choice for fish, as the moving water keeps it well oxygenated, which helps the fish to breathe easily. If you are deciding to add plants to your water feature, bear in mind that the water feature will need to receive a minimum of five hours worth of sunlight per day to make this a feasible option. If your water feature is shallow, a large amount of exposure to direct sunlight will cause the water to evaporate quickly, and so it is advisable that you install a float valve in order to maintain the proper water level.

Good considerations

Whether you decide to install a simple, ready-made water feature, or you have opted for a grand and complex feature, there are a few considerations that ought to be well thought out before you make you final decision. These are:

• Location: Make sure your water feature is not placed over any kind of utility or electrical lines, or drainage pipes that might have to be accessed in the future. Try to avoid placing your feature close to trees or bushes to avoid having to spend too much time cleaning up falling leaves, which look messy and can clog up the filter.

• Size and style: The water feature ought to matchthe style of the home it will be complementing, as well as the size of the garden in which it is featured.


• Regulations: Very large water features will require plans to be passed before it can be built, and those features that require electrical wiring, will need to get an official approval by a qualified electrician guaranteeing its electrical compliance.

• Safety: If you have small children of your own, or friends or family who visit often with small children, it is highly advisable to take certain safety precautions to avoid them falling in and drowning. You can do this either by the design of the water feature, or by installing a heavy-duty and weather-resistant netting over the water feature.

• Eco-friendly: Because water feature pumps need to run 24-hours, seven days a week, they can add a significant amount to the month-end electricity bill. For a more environmentally friendly option, water feature manufacturers, De Stijl, advise that you install a solar powered pump: "By simply choosing a solar pump, which is fuelled entirely by the sun, once it is bought and installed, your water feature won't cost you another cent." – Antonella Dési

For more information contact De Stijl on 082 329 5343 or send an email.

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