Like many activities, success in water gardening is rooted in good preparation. Good planning is essential to reaping the full rewards of a water feature and adequately nurturing aquatic plants. While you may be motivated to pick up a shovel and start digging out a streambed, knowing how that act fits into your overall project will make your efforts easier, more meaningful and more successful.
All water features consist of similar components. Even this elaborate pond with its dock-like deck has the same waterproof liner, recirculating pump system, aquatic plants and attractive finishing touches that smaller water gardens need.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Try out your ideas on paper before you start shopping (and digging). Photocopies of your base plan make exploring ideas easy. Use tracing paper overlays to sketch your ideas with colored pencils. After you’ve decided on a shape, layout and design, copy your working diagram onto the base plan.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Even simple water features need a good plan – and don’t be afraid to play around with different concepts. A small water fountain can create big impact if placed properly in the landscape.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/Doug Dealey
How do you go about designing a water garden? Whether your feature-to-be is modest or spectacular, the process begins with selecting the exact spot for it, determining the style and scale of your project, then compiling your decisions for ready reference onto a garden plan. Once your plan is in place, you can use it to select liners, pumps, fountains, plants and any other finishing elements necessary for implementing your design. If you plan to add utility systems (like lighting) for your water feature, use your garden plan to note the location of existing underground water and electrical lines running through your landscape, as well as the new ones you’ll need for your water feature. (If you’re unsure of the location of your buried utility lines, check with your local municipality.)
The payoffs from completing a garden plan are many, and design is often a regulating force. Taking the proper steps before you dig will help you simplify and refine your ideas and will answer many questions before they arise. It’s better to document the location of a utility line on paper, for example, than discover it after you’re knee deep in an excavation. It’s especially important to have a garden plan if you intend to install your project in phases. With a plan, you can organize your building projects as time, money and other resources allow, while keeping your long-term goals in focus.
A garden plan also hastens permit or regulatory approvals, usually required by building codes in your locale. It’s a handy reference if you plan to use professionals – electricians, plumbers, masons, carpenters – to help you with the installation, too. Take it with you when selecting all materials and supplies to avoid return trips mid-project, and use it when discussing plant choices with nursery and garden center staff. Finally, a garden plan assures that your project will harmonize with your existing landscape, helping to create a water garden of timeless beauty and healthy vitality.
You can create a garden plan on graph paper or use a landscape-design software program and your computer. A good plan combines common sense with a few universal design principles, while recognizing past successes learned through experience. In other words: If the concept and vision feel right, they probably are; if you’re going with conventional wisdom, the probability of your success increases.
Begin with a base plan to indicate everything that exists on your site now. Start with a copy of your property’s survey for an accurate rendering – usually available from your county office, if you don’t already have a copy – or measure your property and carefully transfer the distances to scaled graph paper. Mark the placement of your home, other permanent structures and any features you want to retain on the site, like existing trees, planting beds, paths and the patio or deck, and remember to mark the location of all underground utility lines. Accurately record the dimensions and locations of these components, then add all the information you’ve discovered about your garden: its sun and shade pattern, the wind direction and any elevation changes.
Place an overlay of tissue paper on your base plan, or make several photocopies of it for experimentation. Try different shapes and placements for your water garden. Consider different configurations, sizes and styles. Once you’re satisfied your design meets your needs for use and purpose, transfer the shape, scale and placement of the feature to a fresh tissue overlay. This will be the master plan for your water feature – use it to prepare details and elevation drawings.
Working on your master plan, use different colored pencils to indicate existing features and structures and those that will be newly built. Show existing and new plants by indicating their planting location with a point, then drawing a colored circle around the point to indicate their spread when they grow to their mature size.
Date your plan, as well as any changes, for a clear record of your decision-making process. (Record any adjustments you make later, using another color.) Once you’re satisfied with your design, make photocopies, using the machine’s enlarging function to make detailed drawings at larger scales.
If your project is complex, make separate detail drawings for each construction element. Show elevations – a cutaway profile – of the site, material specifications for utility runs and any construction details.
Remember that most locales require you to comply with regulations, codes and covenants. Use your plan when applying for building permits and approvals, and when inspectors come to call.
The purpose of an accurate and scaled bird’s-eye view plan for your water garden is to specify every necessary component, to help with permits and approvals, and to serve as an important reference and record. What’s more, it’s a crucial step in successfully building the water garden you’ve been dreaming of.
To create your plan on paper, take the steps shown in the following pictures and described in their captions.
