Pictures tell the story of making this bird and fish pond and waterfall garden.
It took a team of contractors, machines, a pond expert, and myself as the designer directing the placement of every stone and every plant. The concept was to build a natural looking pond. It was important to create a four season view from prime windows in the house, an amazing place for birds and fish, a garden for four seasons with waves of flowering color.
Using a variety of boulders, large, medium, and small stones placed “randomly” is the key to imitating nature. It’s also helpful to have spent a lot of time in forests with waterfalls. If you look at the “Waterfalls Detail” photo in the upper level is a “bird pool” tucked in for small birds.
Use your imagination to hear the melodies of the waterfalls and cascades–each designed to produce different kinds of sounds. The koi fish love the hiding places built in behind the falls, at the lowest level, and on the left side. The blue heron flying by can’t see the fish when they hide.
The gardens repeat the themes of the surrounding landscape in color waves and plantings. (Designed and installed by me years earlier).
Sweeps and masses of broad-leaf evergreens (rhododendrons -yaks-, pieris-‘Dorothy Wycoff’ and ‘Little Heath’) as well as conifers (picea ‘Globosa’ and glauca) provide year round viewing in winter and play their role adding to the flower gardens. Roses (‘Knock Out’) , hydrangea (‘Endless Summer’) provide color all summer with the perennials adding different supporting notes as the season from early spring to frost progresses.
The Pond and Waterfall Garden provides a great view from house, garden terrace, and drive.
And wonderful to hang out on the sitting rocks and put your feet in the water on a hot day while listening to the bird concert.
Leave a Reply