Contributed by Erik Helland
Fountains, waterfalls, water features, ponds, are awesome ways to introduce water into your landscape. The best part of introducing water into a landscape is that it provides something else for the senses. Water features introduce the sound of water to a landscape. Depending on how fast the water is moving, it can create a particular noise that's very, very inviting.
Bird baths are also really awesome to use because that provides a place for the birds to come in and wash and clean themselves. Those have been around forever, everybody likes to have a bird bath. Some may have memories associated with the feature, because that's what grandma used to have at their place. Bird baths are very popular.
Water fountains, bubbling fountains, are the ones that are primarily for aesthetic purposes. But, they also do provide a lot to the wildlife. Birds need to drink and they also need to clean themselves. A fountain provides a great opportunity to introduce water into a garden.
One thing to keep in mind is that water features are very difficult to keep clean, so don't expect to have crystal clear water or a crystal clear basin. As long as the water is clear, that is good. You will have algae that's going to form on the inside or any of the surfaces, that's going to be normal. To limit that, one should scrub the basin down, wash it out every couple of weeks. Don't use any harsh chemicals, don't introduce any chlorine or anything like that to keep the algae out, algae is part of life. It can be food for other animals or any insects. So just keep it in mind, it does not have to be crystal clear, it's about the sound. The most important thing to remember about any water feature is, do not let the water go stagnant. It will either smell or insects will thrive from that area. Keep the water moving, just a little bit of a bubbler or something like that, is the best way to manage the water. It’s a win win situation for everyone, provide water for your birds and just enjoy it overall.
Water plants can be used in any size water feature, it just depends on the amount of plants that you can have and the space available. In most water features you're going to only need one or two. If you plan to get into lilies, they're going to need a little bit more space. Lilies need different depths of water. Water plants want to have moving water. When you have floating plants, or any other plants, like lilies, floaters, those will provide a filtration system. They will also provide shade for the water, which then helps keep the water cooler. Your algae will be under much better control. Most people will get rid of their pond plants, like they do annuals at the end of the season. Some people have luck and are fortunate enough to be able to place an aquarium in the basement, with a bubbler and then place the pond plants in the circulating water. It would be a good idea to reserve some of the water from the old pond and put it into there.
There are some hardy lilies that you can use that you can just overwinter in the pond, but those are kind of few and far between. There's not a lot of them that are out there. When you’re ready to winterize your water feature, the smaller the fountain, the easier it is. You need to remove all of the water and make sure that none can be stuck or trapped in any confined areas. It needs to be empty so that when it does freeze, it does not break your water feature.
With most water features, they need to be located close to a power supply, usually just a 120 plug will work. It will also simplify maintenance if it is placed close to a water supply. The fountain will be easier to clean and add water. When you have a self-contained water feature, just add water as you need to. In some cases, people would just plug in the fountain when they're going to actually use it on their patio.
The effort is truly about the sound and introducing water into a landscape. It's absolutely awesome, you will not regret it.