Designing Trends - Water Features

The soothing sound of water, it will calm the senses and bring inner peace to a hectic day. The best way to have a water feature and minimize maintenance is to go pondless. There are several ways to achieve the sound of water without the headaches of a pond.


A waterfall and disappearing stream is most naturalistic looking water feature. The water starts at the top of the waterfall and flows down the stream until it disappears into an underground storage tank. From there the water is pumped back to the top of the waterfall.

If you still want the sound of water and want something more naturalistic, but you do not have a lot of space, your best bet is to do a boulder outcrop water feature. Upright boulders are drilled in the center so the water can bubble up and flow down the boulder into an underground storage tank. The upright boulders are usually grouped in odd numbers with boulders of different heights. This gives a nice effect and doesn't take up a lot of space.

Are you are looking for something more contemporary, a spillway built into a wall can give you a soothing sound and an elegant focal point for your yard. The spillway is built into a wall and a smooth sheet of water flows in front of it and disappears into an underground storage tank. This is a simple yet very effect water feature.

The freestanding fountain water feature will give you the most amount of flexibility (it can be moved around your yard to different locations), but achieving the desired sound can sometimes be a challenge. Before you purchase a freestanding fountain, you will want to hear what it sounds like with water running though the system. Some of the freestanding fountains have a very nice soothing sound, while others provide only visual effect. The style of freestanding fountains, range from classical to whimsical - chose the one that fits you.