Artificial waterfall: original ideas in landscape design

Beautiful, tastefully decorated suburban area is now not a luxury, but a sign of good tone. Artificial waterfall is a popular element of landscape design, which is an excellent way to decorate any garden. It creates an atmosphere of peace, tranquility and disposes to rest. Ornamental plants and stones will add to its appeal.

Many gardeners would like to have a waterfall on their site because of its natural, natural beauty, the benefits it brings to the garden, the peace that contemplation of water gives. But not everyone will decide on this step. It seems that the case is too complicated, expensive, time consuming.

In fact, the creation of an artificial waterfall is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance. Only need take into account the features of the landscape area, its size, as well as the distance from the house - The waterfall should be located at a distance of at least three meters from it.

If there is a reservoir in the garden: a pond, a small lake - we can assume that half of the work has already been completed. After all, a waterfall consists of ledges and a tank into which water flows and from where it rises to the top of the ledges. If this capacity is already available, it remains to do only cascades.

What exactly will be the waterfall - depends on the style in which the entire site is decorated. If it is minimalism, hi-tech or another modern style, then strict geometric lines, precise proportions, appropriate materials will be appropriate.

Optimally, if the forms of the waterfall seem to continue the natural relief of the site, they resemble natural formations and merge with the landscape.

Decorative elements - stones, plants, shells, etc. - should also emphasize the stylistic orientation of the reservoir and be combined with the design of the entire site.

After the depth of the waterfall was determined, the height of its ledges, on the basis of this, the required pump power was calculated,You can purchase equipment and consumables.

To create a waterfall will require not so much. It:

• sand (better to take medium-grained);
• decorative stones for decoration;
• cement;
• waterproofing materials (it can PVC film, EPDM or butyl rubber film, concrete - if you plan to make a coating of it);
• pump.

Each coating has its own advantages. PVC the film has high strength, well withstands water pressure and temperature drops, it is absolutely waterproof and affordable. Among the shortcomings can be identified a modest range of colors, the presence of seams, which on the general background are quite clearly visible, and sensitivity to mechanical damage.

EPDM (or butylrubber) film has good elasticity, is insensitive to ultraviolet and frost, it is not afraid of the movement of the soil and shrinkage of the bottom.

Concrete coating will take more time to build, but it provides additional protection against damage and leakage. Concrete coating is created in three stages:

1. Laying on the bottom of a thick film of polyethylene.
2. The construction of the metal frame.
3. Pouring concrete.

You can use the finished bowl. In this case, when marking the contours, the bowl is turned upside down and outlines all the contours. Along the outlined lines, dig a trench in size slightly larger than a bowl. After its installation, the voids between the walls of the bowl and the pit are filled with sand.

As for pumps, they are divided into two types - submersible and non-submersible. The first are set in the bowl of the waterfall or fountain, the second set on the shore. Onshore pumps are more difficult to mask than submersible models.

When choosing a pump, two factors play an important role:

1. how high it raises the water (must be at least the height of the cascade);
2. its capacity (l / min; how much water can be pumped in a minute).

You can create a waterfall or fountain at home, for example, in the winter garden. In this case, fewer materials will be needed, and the pump may be less powerful.

Create your own waterfall in the country will help step by step instructions, a kind of master class, where everything is clearly and clearly described.

• First of all in the garden you need choose a placewhere the reservoir will be located. The distance between it and the house must be at least 3 meters.Optimally, if the selected place is a natural elevation of the desired height. If there is none, it can be formed independently using the ground that was excavated when digging the pit.
• The next step after choosing a place - Mark the shape of the future waterfall. This is easy to do using a bag with a torn corner filled with sand. When the bag is shaken, the sand will become a neat stream of strewing on the ground, and the contours of the reservoir will be clearly visible.

• Having outlined the contours of the waterfall with all the ledges, you need remove the turf and proceed directly to digging the pit, forming in the process ledges. The height of the ledges should not exceed 30 cm. The depth of the pit itself should be no more than 1 m (unless it is planned to launch fish or other animals in it).
• In the finished pit to remove all foreign objects - stones, branches, branches - which can break the film. Bottom, ledges align, seal. Cover with a layer of sand (5-10 cm), flatten it and carefully spill it with water. In order to avoid further germination of plants in the pond, it is desirable to cover the bottom and the ledges with geotextiles.

• Spread the film. Align it.Bottom and ledges to lay stones, making sure that the film is not viewed anywhere. You can use pebbles or small boulders. Laying will be easier if you give the material about 15 minutes to lie in the sun - it is softened and installation will become easier.

• Installation of an electric pump. If the model is submersible, it is installed on the bottom of the reservoir in a basket filled with stones. The submersible pump is placed on the shore and carefully masked. This need for masking makes working with a pump submersible longer and more laborious. When installing a pump of any model, it must be remembered that power supplies must be at a distance of not less than 1.5 m from the reservoir, carefully covered with moisture-proof material and protected from mechanical impact. In addition, it is necessary to provide a convenient and easy removal of the pump - for cleaning and possible repair.
• Running water and checking the tightness of the coating.

The use of natural stone - the best solution when you make a waterfall. The stone has good decorative properties, durability, is not sensitive to temperature changes and precipitation, and therefore, will ensure the durability and aesthetics of the reservoir.

It is important to completely cover the film with a stone so that it cannot be seen anywhere. The sections of the waterproofing coating that glimpse between the stones spoil the appearance of the reservoir, create the impression of untidiness, negligence, and carelessness.

If the style of the reservoir allows, you can use a variety of household items: clay bowls and jugs, pipe trimming, construction waste, even plumbing (of course, within reasonable limits). A mosaic of fragments of dishes laid out behind the water wall will wonderfully complement it. On this background, the flow of water will sparkle with new colors. This technique will be good when you make a waterfall in the Moroccan, Arabic style.

It is not necessary to use only traditional colors - blue and white. The more colorful the mosaic will be, the brighter the waterfall itself will look.

You can place plants (both in the waterfall and along the banks), run fish or other animals. They will feel very well in mobile, oxygenated water.But in this case it is necessary to take into account the depth of the tank - if it is less than 1 m, the water will freeze in winter and the fish will die.

Planted on the shore of the reservoir plants contribute to the organization of a unique living space in which frogs can live, insects, and other lovers of wet and shady places. Even from an aesthetic point of view, planting plants along the banks of a waterfall is a good idea. This creates a kind of symbiosis - the plants and plants that are supplied with the right amount of moisture, and the owners of the site, who receive a picturesque corner in their garden, benefit.

In general, the device of the coastal zone is a very important moment in the design of the waterfall. It should naturally fit into the landscape, highlighting the features of the site.

Of course, everything depends on the stylistic orientation of the waterfall. In some cases, rocky shores without a single green spot will be more appropriate than lush vegetation - for example, if the reservoir is decorated in a minimalist style, or if a garden of stones is “grown” on the site.

But in any case, it is necessary to restrain their creative impulses.

Making cascades stones, you need to consider that their surface has a significant impact on the nature of the flow:

• smooth flat stones will help to get a mirror water wall;
• if you use rugged, striated boulders - the water will flow in separate streams;
• indentations in the middle of the stones will create a smooth, unhurried flow - the water will gradually gather in these pits and slowly flow further;
• to get a powerful, rapid flow, which scatters with small splashes, hitting the lower level, you need to put water under pressure between two cobblestones close together.

Near the pond, you can install a gazebo, a bench or hang a hammock - you get a great place to rest. The noise of falling water, the rustle of leaves of coastal plants will give peace, peace and harmony.

Any, even the smallest reservoir will serve as a wonderful decoration of the dacha. Its creation will not require a large expenditure of effort, time or money. And he is able to bring considerable benefits.These are not only decorative properties, but also practical - moistening the soil and air (which is very useful for plants, especially those growing on the shore), attracting birds and beneficial insects that can settle in the garden and protect it from pests.

At the dacha, you can create a variety of waterfalls - depending on its size.

Large-scale options, with a lot of vodoskatov and a large bowl, will be appropriate in a large garden, where they will not occupy most of the area. In this case, you can play with the height of the slopes, their location relative to each other, their number, power and direction of the jets, decor. A large waterfall will “sustain” a small embankment and even a bridge.

True, the creation of such a masterpiece will take more time, and more materials will be needed, not to mention a pump of higher power. But it's worth it.

If the suburban area is not different solid size, you can arrange a mini-waterfall. He is in no way inferior to his big brothers. Of course, except for the size.

A small, unpretentious waterfall is no less attractive than multi-tiered options.He is also able to give peace, harmony, decorate any part of the garden, become the center of the entire landscape.

The hill, in which the ledges are made, can also be decorated with plants, turning it into a kind of alpine slide. Moisture-loving succulents, mosses, ornamental lichens will help to realize this idea.

If you want something extraordinary, you can make a dry waterfall. In this case, the water flowing from the ledges is not collected in the tank, and disappears, at first glance, it is not known where. It looks very impressive.

In fact, the water flows into a disguised reservoir hidden under the ground, from where the pump pumps it back to the top of the ledges.

For the garden, decorated in a modern style, where preference is given to geometric shapes and clear proportions, suitable falls made of concrete. The strict geometry of the lines, concrete structures perfectly fit into the overall design.

How to create an artificial fountain with a waterfall with your own hands, see the next video.