Garden Machinery
Garden Leisure
- Greenhouse Heaters
- Loungers
- Midgeaters
- Gas Barbecues
- Charcoal Barbecues
- Masonry Barbecues
- Furniture Sets
- Benches
- Greenhouses
- Water and Light
- Garden Sheds
- Gazebos
- Firepits
- Wildlife Boxes
- Rock and Stone
- Weather Vanes
- Rabbit Hutches
- Urns & Planters
- Sundials
- Birdbaths
- Garden Swings
- Climbing Frames
- Croquet Sets
- Wildlife Cameras
- Bird Feed
Water feature – streams and waterfalls
The character of a stream should be determined by the setting through which it flows. As an example, in a garden that resembles an open meadow, a stream should have grasses and iris planted along it to mimic nature, and its fall should be gradual and pebbled, not a steep rocky cataract covered in mosses, which would be more suitable for an alpine garden or a gothic shrubbery.
Shallow streams can be lined with concrete and/or a flexible liner whose edges are covered in gravel or earth. Remember that however much you plan, nature will have a hand in your design! Heavy rain could flood your stream, ice may cover its edges in winter, it may begin to dry out in summer, leaves may choke some areas in autumn, and plants and insects will arrive without your planning, all year round. Dogs and cats, as well as children, love streams so accept that your domestic animals will drink from it and play in it, and make sure that children are supervised near it.
You need to look at your garden with a hydrologist’s eye to see if there is a natural ‘valley’ for it to run through – streams are nature’s way of routing water through the lowest points of the landscape, so the more you can mimic nature, the more successfully your stream will integrate into the landscape.
Waterfalls allow the water to fall faster, adding interest and increasing water speed, which means more water will evaporate from that area. They may be constructed from rocks, cement, or timber. Many highly successful streams flow over waterfalls that are made from old tree trunks which lay across the water.
