Where, Oh Where, Should My Water Feature Go?

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If you have decided that you would like to include a water feature in your back garden, or indeed the front one, chances are good that the first issue you considered is where you would like to put it. Where to locate your water feature is just about as important a matter to consider as what you would like your feature to look like. Even before you shop for the materials you would like to use, you need to first consider where you would like it to go in order to determine size, quantity, and other factors. What follows are a few features that you should think about before you position your water feature in your garden.

 

Where to Place Your Water Feature

 

Sunlight.

The plants most often used in a water garden are heavily dependent on sunlight, and will respond very quickly to any light that is available about six hours each day. Simply put, any place that would make a nice garden would make a nice water feature, but ensuring that it is not likely to be the focus of too much attention from likely thieves is also something to take into consideration.

garden fountain

 

Where you want to enjoy it from

Wherever you would like to have a water feature you should make sure that you have plenty of room to enjoy it. There’s no point in having a beautiful water feature at the end of a long garden where you can’t see it. Whether you plan to include a bench, table set, or any other means of relaxation, it would be nice to have a way to enjoy it for a time. Many people build patios next to their water features for just such a purpose.

 

Keep it Light.

Too much shade over a water feature will encourage the growth of algae. As a result, you should try to keep your water feature from under the shade of these plants as much as possible.

garden water feature

Choosing a level surface

Always remember that water will respond to gravity, so if you provide a way for it to run down an incline, whatever your plan is, it will do so. You need to have your layout control the flow of the water, not your terrain.

What You Can’t See.

Another important matter to consider when you want to locate a water feature is what’s underneath the ground. Many utilities locate their equipment and lines underneath the soil and can make for a very unpleasant experience when you happen to strike them. Before you dig anything, check with your utility company to make sure that where you want to dig is not the site of utility equipment. Most utility companies will come and locate their equipment for you and even mark it so you will clear whatever might be there.

Hidcote Manor Garden

Available Room.

When in doubt, start small. You can make something bigger when you decide to increase it later. Regardless, you need to seriously consider what room you have for your feature as well as what kind of time you need to maintain it.

Park Gardens

Desire for Fish.

Not all water features include fish, but if this is your goal, it’s usually a good idea to start out without them to determine whether you can keep a pond healthy. If it turns out that you can, go for the fish. If you’re having a larger water feature like a pond, then make sure you fence it off so that children and animals are kept safe.

 

With these factors in mind, you should be able to decide what kind of water feature would be best for you–your plans as well as your dreams. Check out the range of water features available at http://www.outdoorlivinguk.co.uk/ to see what options you have, and you’ll soon find the perfect water feature in the perfect location.