Water brings magic to the garden, says designer Matt Keightley, adding movement and sound to muffle unwelcome noise
Whether you are organising the wholesale redesign of your garden or simply looking to enhance your existing space, there are always endless opportunities for you to make space for water. Regardless of the size or style of your garden, water always brings a sense of calm that allows you to forget your everyday troubles and relax in your own private sanctuary.
Water can help to enhance a garden space like no other feature. It will reflect the light, ripple in a breeze, and perhaps introduce a gentle splashing sound that will muffle noises from beyond the boundaries of the garden.
It will also create different moods and stimulate different senses – still water will bring a sense of calm and tranquillity to the garden, while falling water can create drama and have an energising effect.
A further benefit of water is that it will attract a variety of wildlife into the garden, from birds and insects to amphibians and mammals. After planting, water is the element that will most effectively bring any garden to life.
Garden water feature ideas
Tanks and water walls
In an urban environment where space is at a premium, a self-contained unit can be practical and extremely effective. Steel tanks have become increasingly popular. Their origins lie in agricultural water troughs for cattle, but they look very striking when bedded into a voluminous planting scheme. Usually they won’t even need a water supply, just the right pump and filtration equipment.
Water walls are another form of self-contained unit, albeit in a completely different style. They are a great way to make the most of vertical planes in a garden, especially in a confined space, and they will create a really dramatic focal point.
Garden rills
I am also a big fan of a rill – a formal channel of water – and I usually design with one of two effects in mind. I either create an area of deeper water that appears still within the rill itself, but ultimately spills out into a pond or reservoir at the end of the run, or I keep the rill shallow and rely on the base material to create turbulence, movement and interest as the water flows over it.
The first option is usually more appropriate for smaller gardens where a sleek and simple steel chute might do the trick. A shallow, turbulent rill can work in many different settings, including very grand gardens.
I find that broad rills are incredibly effective for their reflective qualities and the sense of depth they can give to a space. I also enjoy exploring the opportunities presented by the exit point of the water. If it is sited very close to the water line of the reservoir, a rill will provide a discreet, gentle sound and minimal water movement.
In contrast, increasing the level difference will increase the volume and turbulence, heightening the sense of interest and excitement. This can be useful in a very practical sense to drown out the noise of traffic or neighbours but, if you were to place this change of levels out of sight where the water can be heard but not seen, it will also introduce an air of mystery and romance into the garden.
Rills can work in many different styles of garden, thanks to the infinite choice of materials available. In a contemporary setting you might use polished steel, but in a more classical garden perhaps natural or riven stone would be a better option. A rill can dissect an area of planting, or carve through pathways and terraces. It can be purely formal and ornamental, or double as an interactive feature in a space designed to be enjoyed by children – although if you do have visions of children splashing and paddling about, avoid sharp, vertical edges and go for a rill with a gentle scalloped shape instead.
Water bowls
Water bowls are the simplest way to introduce water. For just a few pounds you can get hold of a shallow bowl that will throw out fascinating reflections. The bowl’s diameter could be as small as 30cm, or as large as a couple of metres. It can be small enough to sit on a coffee table and maybe even double up as a bird bath. During the day, float a few flowers from the garden on its surface, and then by night light floating candles.
Bear in mind that small bodies of water will heat up quickly, especially if they’re in sunlight, and containers can become green with algae. You will need to change the water once a week, but that is a small price to pay for such an attractive feature. You could also add aquatic plants, which help clean the water naturally and look attractive too.
These micro ponds are simple to manage, and you can even introduce water movement if you place a reservoir underneath and continuously pump the water to the point of overflowing. Buy an off-the-peg recirculating unit, or drill and seal an inlet into the base of your chosen bowl. If you do go down this route, think carefully about your choice of container. A bowl with a textured surface will help exaggerate the effects of rippling and sound, while a smooth surface will create a more calming flow.
I prefer using shallow bowls, with a diameter that is far greater than their height. This is an utterly subjective aesthetic choice, but my reasoning is that the lower the surface of the water is to the ground, the more you can exploit the possibilities for reflection – from the surrounding planting, larger trees, and even the sky above. A small, moveable bowl allows you to find the best position for your water feature and exploit the effect natural light has on the water as the sun moves around the garden throughout the day.