It would seem as though water is an essential ingredient in a garden.  It is the most photographed feature in all of the world’s most famous gardens, and often the reason to visit. We’re drawn to water. As one of the elements, and one of the requirements of plants, it is the garden’s most natural ornament, even when it employs plumbing, electricity and man-made materials. For those of us not fortunate enough to have a stream or a pond on our property, a water feature can be achieved with something as simple as a bird bath, or with some effort to install and maintain, a small pool.

This gardener will not give advice on installation, for I would never claim to have even a smidgeon of expertise. We installed one under the direction of Mike Chapel, who suggested we set it into the ground in the rain and mold the mud around the basin – it worked, miraculously, and it was fun — another one of those trade secrets he shared with amateurs like me. Nor is there room here for directions; there are entire library shelves dedicated to the topic and that’s my first piece of advice — procure a book on water gardening. This article will, instead, encourage gardeners to dip their proverbial toes into the water, starting with the initial step: setting, scale and style — interrelated questions all. Where the gardener wishes to place the water garden, its size, and degree of formality are decisions which depend on one another.

The first consideration is, of course, the pool’s placement. Whether the water garden is in the sun or the shade is largely dependent on the plants you want to use to embellish it. Often a water feature is the focal point of a flower garden where blossoms rim the water and water lilies, which require a lot of sunshine, flourish. Water contributes the quality of light into a dark space, like a brook or a vernal pool in the woodlands. The aura you wish to create determines the setting: a pool in a grove of trees provides a cool and intimate space; in the center of a sunny garden, the water becomes an island in a sea of flowers.

Whether the gardener is deciding on a sculpture to place on the lawn, or a flower to plant in the garden, proportion is always important. And whenever one is imposing something permanent onto the landscape, scale is especially crucial. Consider the area that accommodates a pond, or the expanse of forest lining a stream; the water garden must complement its environment without overwhelming it. If the water garden is near the house, the dimensions of the building will dictate the size. If it’s far away, it must blend with its surroundings, neither disappearing within, nor dominating, the landscape.

As with all features, proximity to the home plays an important role in the garden’s formality. In formal gardens, geometric shapes are employed – ovals and circles, rectangles and squares. The water garden’s edges are uniform and constructed of concrete, pavers or bricks, with the home influencing the materials,  as well as the size, style, and shape of the pool. They are sometimes raised, and often serve as the focal point of a formal garden – as seen in courtyards, and are very effective on decks where the wood provides the edging. And though the house necessarily places restrictions on the water garden’s style, size, materials, and plantings, you’ll visit it more frequently when it’s nearer your home. The further away from the house, the more natural the water garden. Informal pools nestle into their surroundings proportionately and are irregularly shaped, sometimes serpentine. Stones native to the environment form the margins, and plants are particularly important, as the informal pool is an extension of the garden, rather than the house.

The pool’s accessories are also dependent upon its type.  Since water, like fire, is mesmerizing and encourages contemplation, seating is a must, wrought iron chairs in a formal setting, a stone bench in a natural one. Lighting, with an emphasis on subtlety, is important if you wish to enjoy the water garden at night, especially if it’s near the house. A bridge crossing the water always enriches the scene, a decorative arched bridge, rustic planks, wooden decking across a large expanse, stepping stones across a smaller one — these especially must be part of an existing path, though all bridges should be segments of garden trails. And then there’s the alluring element of running water. With a waterfall for an informal garden, and a sculptured fountain for a formal one, circulating water provides a soothing rhythm, captivating movement, and a cooling quality. Scale is crucial — whether a fountain or a waterfall, the feature cannot over, or underwhelm, the pool. For those who find it too much of an expense in terms of installation and maintenance, the visual suggestion of running water may be simulated with a dry stream, a shallow trench filled with carefully placed river rocks meandering toward the water garden. The illusion is further enhanced with plants; plants, an essential ingredient in and around the water garden, are a topic for another time.

Though effort is required to develop and maintain its balanced ecosystem, the benefits of the water garden are worth the labor. With the naturalness of its presence and its attracting charm,  its entrancing reflections and the music of its fall, its gold fish and frogs, the birds that bathe there, the dragon flies skimming the surface, there is no place as simultaneously tranquil and alive as the water garden.

Dayna McDermott