Getting a bit bored with your garden recently? Think it could do with sprucing up a little? Well, you’ve come to the right place. As a garden designer, I always get asked for my top tips and tricks for making outdoor spaces more attractive, and I tend to dispense the same advice every single time – create a water feature.
The size and style of your water feature will depend heavily on the shape and aesthetics already within your garden so I won’t go into the design too much. Instead, I’ll spend the rest of this article explaining the constructional elements that generally apply to all.
So, have a quick read through, and I’m confident the job will seem less complicated that you may have previously imagined.
Digging A Hole
Once you’ve decided how you want the water feature to look, it’s time to start planning its location. Take some string and a few 6 inch nails, position them in the area you want the feature to sit and mark out where you need to start digging. It’s never wise to have a water feature too close to your property, so consider placing it at the opposite end of your garden.
Once this is completed, start digging your hole – the depth will depend upon the size and shape of the individual feature, but you need to ensure there’s enough room to accommodate the base, and pump.
Install Underlayment & Liner
When you visited your local garden center to get a water feature, they should have also sold you some underlayment and liner. To start, position your underlayment over the hole and press it down into place. This stuff is used to help stop plants and weeds from rising up and piercing through the liner. Now this is done, place the liner on top and secure.
Positioning The Pump
In most cases, you’ll want this in the center of your hole, but make sure you read the manufacturer’s guidelines first to avoid making mistakes. You’ll want to lay rocks around the edges of the base to ensure the pump stays in position for the duration, so don’t forget this, as some pumps have a tendency to move or even fall over.
Adding The Water
You’re very nearly finished now; all you need to do is cross your fingers and hope for the best as you start to fill your feature with water. You shouldn’t really experience any problems unless the liner has been split, in which case you’ll just have to obtain some more. Arranging more rocks around the edge of the entire feature can add a brilliant effect, and will hide any unwanted sights.
So there you have it friends. That was a short and simple guide to creating a basic water feature in your own garden. I shouldn’t imagine you’ll face any major issues when you do this, the worst that can happen really is that the pump is faulty – so with that in mind, ensure you plug it in and test it before installation.
