Not every summer resident can boast of a natural pond in a personal plot. At best, this is a small pond decorated with improvised materials. We propose to make a stream - flowing, gurgling and sparkling under the rays of the summer sun. Agree that the dynamics of moving water among stones and greenery completely changes the landscape picture, more precisely, turns it into a real living corner of nature.
Types of streams: choose the best option
If you are not lucky with a natural brook, we will try to make an alternative option, like two drops similar to a real one, but having a secret, or rather, a secret hidden at the bottom of the reservoir. The role of the secret will be played by a submersible pump, known to all owners of a well or a well.
With the help of the pump we will arrange a vicious circle along which the water of the artificial stream will circulate as follows: go up the hose to the source, and then go down the channel to a small reservoir
This scheme of the device of the stream is universal, however, if desired, it can be varied with one of the proposed solutions:
- a waterfall;
- thresholds;
- chain of cascades;
- a small fountain.
For the landscape composition to look natural, a height difference or at least a slight slope, for example, a gentle slope of a hill, will be required. Depending on the steepness of the descent - the place where the proposed channel will be located - we will choose the type of stream.
On a small hill it is better to arrange a calm, unhurried, with smooth bends and quiet murmur, flat stream. It will be an ideal option even if the terrain is absolutely flat, without hills and hills.
The tilt of the channel can be achieved in two ways:
- make a small artificial mound;
- gradually deepen the bed closer to the mouth.
Do not overdo it by digging out the channel and forming its banks - everything should be extremely natural. Nature does not like clear geometry, which means we make smooth bends, an uneven line of the coast, an inhomogeneous filling of the bottom.
A difficult terrain, inconvenient for planting a garden or a garden, in this case will play into our hands.
A high hill, a cliff or a steep slope is a great opportunity to build an unusual bed of a mountain stream. Unusual, because it is a series of rapids, rifts, waterfalls and short straight sections
But do not get involved in the construction of complex structures, otherwise your stream will turn into one big waterfall. The course of a mountain stream is faster than that of a plain stream, the speed of water movement is higher, the height differences are sharper, which means that a more powerful pump is required.
Step-by-step instruction on the arrangement of the stream
So, what is an artificial stream, we briefly explained.
If you can find a plot of uneven terrain, provide water and purchase a submersible pump, you just have to study several nuances of the technical side of the issue, and then you can get down to business. The best time of the year for construction work is spring or summer, for the winter period it is better to conserve the pond.
Layout: location, direction, size
The first stage, preparatory, is both the simplest and the most difficult. For its implementation, you will need office supplies: pencils or markers, a ruler and a large sheet of paper, preferably millimeter or checkered.
On paper, it is necessary to display all the objects already available in the summer cottage area, including a house, garden, paths, etc. Pay special attention to the area where your stream will be located.
Think about where its source and mouth will be located (the direction of the current depends on them), to what height you need to raise the upper point, how you can decorate the coast, whether it is possible to use ready-made flower beds or decorative objects to decorate the coastal zone
Keep in mind that the stream forms a zone of high humidity, so you need to consider planting moisture-loving or aquatic plants.
If there is a garden or flower garden with exotic flowers nearby, consider whether additional moisture will damage the already planted crops. The same applies to garden trees, shrubs, and even wild flora.
The best place for the location of any body of water is the so-called recreation area - a small area located away from flower beds, beds and plantings of fruit trees. Usually, a bench for relaxation, a table for tea parties are set up in such a place, and if the place permits, a gazebo or a patio
The length of the stream can vary: you may prefer compact compositions or, on the contrary, you need a source that crosses the entire garden, enveloping buildings and flower beds. But remember: the longer the channel, the more difficulties with its arrangement, and the main problem concerns the slope of the terrain.
The width of the channel usually does not exceed one and a half meters, but more often from 30 to 50 cm. Depth - from 15 cm to half a meter. Note: the larger the volume of water, the more powerful and more expensive the pumping equipment
Do not forget that our stream is decorative, and this is its advantage. You can make a completely sealed channel and pond so that the water from the source does not penetrate into the coastal soil.
The shoreline will remain constant, will not be eroded by water in the springtime, as is the case with natural reservoirs during snowmelt.
Instructions for the installation of the channel
The main stage is the construction of the channel. We decompose it into points so that it is more convenient to work:
- We carry out marking on the ground. When developing the project, you have already determined the location of the stream, its dimensions, source and mouth points, it remains to transfer the markup from the paper scheme to nature. This will require small pegs and a skein of twine. We stick pegs along the proposed channel and connect them with twine or cord to outline the boundaries of the future reservoir.
- We tear out the groove for the channel and the pit in which the pond will be located - the end point of our stream. The pond is not only a picturesque object, but also a necessary functional part of our project, since it is in it that we will locate the pump that supplies water to the source.
- We make soil finishing, concrete the riverbed. If you have chosen a mountain stream - in an arbitrary form we place stones, boulders, plates, we fasten them with concrete mortar. For a flat stream you need a gently sloping base with smooth bends. The result should be a trench of a given width and a volumetric bowl for a pond.
- We put a waterproofing layer - we cover the entire working surface with geotextile or a special waterproof PVC film (butyl rubber), we fix the edges with stones, pebbles, sand.
- Along the channel, from the pond to the source, we tear out shallow trenches for laying a hose or pipe.
- We decorate the bottom of the reservoir with sand, multi-colored granite crushed stone, pebbles, covering as much as possible all artificial details.
- We bring water, fill the pond, test the pump.
The pond is not really necessary, but if it is absent, a deep container will be required to collect water and place the pump, for example, a large plastic container.
Before installing the pump, carefully read the instructions and once again check whether the technical specifications of the equipment correspond to the volume of water that needs to be pumped
If the soil is hard, rocky, and the length of the stream is small, additional concreting is not required. It is necessary to stabilize the channel if the flow of water is more powerful.
When creating a stream design, do not be afraid to fantasize: create small rapids, sandbanks, stone islands. Attract children to work - the creation of an artificial reservoir perfectly develops creative imagination and introduces some of the laws of physics
Coastal decor and small architectural forms
When the technical work is completed, you can begin to design the banks and the riverbed with all kinds of decor. It can be small architectural forms made of wood - a bridge, scaffolding, arches, as well as picturesque statues, funny ceramic animal figures, flowerpots for hygrophilous plants, wooden boats and rafts.
A bridge is appropriate if one of the garden paths crosses the stream - it is a continuation of it and harmoniously fits into the overall composition
The construction and design of the bridge depends on both the surrounding area and the size of the stream. A large stone structure on the background of a brisk brook 30 cm wide would have looked more than ridiculous, and small wooden bridges would come in handy.
Heavy structures are good for decorating a large body of water, so if you still want to build a real bridge, use the area of the pond, not the stream.
The material for the construction should be natural, as well as the frame of the channel, that is, the decoration of stone, ceramics or wood is welcome
On the shore, a small open pavilion for relaxation or a platform with a table and benches will look good. Try to make the design of buildings consistent with the style of the suburban area.
A mini-pagoda against the background of a wooden log house with a carved ridge will look rather strange, and a cozy arbor with openwork carvings instead of walls - just in place
On the banks of the stream, to emphasize its naturalness, we plant plants, but, given the decorativeness of our structure, we can safely use trays or containers with herbs.
Suitable flowerpots on high legs with ampelous plants, compositions with aged clay dishes, stone decor and handmade wood products, for example, a miniature water mill
Plant World of the Pond
All crops designed to decorate the stream can be divided into two large groups: growing along the banks and located directly in the water.
Both categories include herbs with beautiful carved or smooth leaves, as well as plants with inflorescences of various colors.
Do not forget about the lawn grass, if there is a lawn nearby, or moss with lichens, if a small park is provided on the shore. Trees, shrubs and grassy crops must be alternated with artificial decor, stones, pebble placers and sandbanks
Lush flowering bushy flowers will close the channel of the stream, so we plant low-growing plants along the banks of the water: coin loosestrife, creeper tenacious, multi-colored primroses, daisies, stunted veronica, kaluzhnitsa, marsh violets, goose onions, spleen.
A little further from the coast there are higher specimens: fern, ostrich, common bracken, female coder, thyroid, hosta.
Plants can be grouped by height or splendor, or alternated, making up a variety of floral arrangements from a variety of species and varieties
If the plant composition includes trees or shrubs, select low moisture-loving species that grow in the wild along the banks of ponds: goat or white willow, evergreen magonia holly-leaved, tree-like karagana, Tunberg barberry, cotoneaster, euonymus.
Some shrubs, such as forsythia or lilac, in addition to beautiful flowering will give a fresh spring aroma, which can also be enjoyed while relaxing on the shore of a pond.
Directly to the bottom of a stream or pond, if it contains fertile soil, you can plant an elodea or shred, and the pemphigus or hornwort does not take root, but floats freely on the surface of the water surface.
Pods, water lilies, water lilies and swamp flowers feel great even in the northern regions, therefore they are permanent residents of both wild and ennobled Russian water bodies
Artificial Creek Care Rules
To ensure that the water in the pond is always clean, and the banks are well-groomed, it is necessary to regularly care for plants and carry out preventive maintenance of pumping equipment. To do this, you must follow a few simple rules:
- check the tightness of hoses and pipes, clean or change filters in time;
- in the hot period when water evaporation occurs, from time to time restore the necessary volume;
- to maintain the functionality of the equipment for the winter, completely drain the water, and clean the pump and place it in the auxiliary heated room;
- clean concrete fences, wooden structures and stones from silt and dirt;
- completely change the water if for some reason it becomes opaque.
Plants require the same care as ordinary summer crops. Trees and shrubs need to be trimmed so that they do not obscure the view of the water composition with wide crowns.
Perennials need to weed, feed, if necessary transplant, clean old and diseased plants. Annuals should be planted at a favorable time, monitor their growth and flowering
Examples of dynamic ponds in landscape design
We present to your attention several examples of the successful location of streams in personal plots.
Perhaps, in some cases, water compositions are called by streams only conditionally, but all of these are artificially created water sources in which the flow of water moves due to the action of a submersible pump.
A great example of a plain stream, absolutely no different from its natural counterpart. River pebbles and stones were used as decor; instead of bright flowering crops, grasses were sown, usually growing in the coastal zone of forest streams
If you have the opportunity to decorate a pond with beautiful stones, be sure to use it.
The channel of the stream and the coastal zone are lined with stones of various sizes and shapes. Pay attention to their color: the combination of contrasting shades - white, black and brick - enlivens the composition, makes it more dynamic
The stream bed does not have to be even and uniform.
The main decoration of this sample is a series of rapids decorated with large boulders. "Ladder" forming picturesque rapids, it is necessary to equip at the stage of preparation of the channel
See how diverse decoration is used to the maximum - and nothing more.
The authors of the project literally thought out everything: the natural bends of the channel, and the cascade of low waterfalls, and the neat bridge with a lantern, and the stone cladding of the shores, and even tastefully selected and skillfully planted plants
Feel free to use non-standard solutions and ideas.
Pay attention to how skillfully the designers beat the source of the brook: it seems that it originates from the neck of a large inverted jug
If we take into account all the stages of planning, building and decorating an artificial stream, we can conclude: anyone who knows how to fantasize is not afraid of physical work and appreciates the natural beauty of nature.
