Water Features

Bring Your Garden Alive With A Water Feature

Landscape Designer, Sarah Murch, trained as a water specialist 10 years ago and specialises in designing and installing biologically filtered wildlife ponds, water features and natural pools across the UK.

Water is the essence of life. It draws us in, provides a focal point in our gardens, setting the mood of your outdoor space. Include water in your garden, be it in any form, a bird bath, a lively rill, a bubbling fountain or a wildlife pond and you bring it to life.

A magnet for people and wildlife. Visitors come to our garden specially to sit and relax beside our natural swimming pool, watching dragonflies and swallows in summer, birds bathing in the shallows, butterflies and bumblebees visiting the flowering marginals fringing the water's edge. Amphibians are so prolific that we regularly see the grass snakes who live off them. Seven species of bats were recorded hunting over the water recently and if you are quiet enough you might spot our resident kingfisher who uses a deck chair as a hunting perch. Aquatic pond-life is diverse, with diving beetles and water boatmen under water and whirligigs and pond skaters balancing on the water's surface.

Sadly, most of these species are declining in the UK and it is no coincidence that in the last century Britain has lost over half a million garden ponds. You don’t need a huge natural pool to attract wildlife, a small garden pond will support all of these species too. So with many of us spending more time at home in our gardens now is the perfect time to introduce water into your life.

What type of water feature is best for your garden? That depends on the size and style of your garden and your budget. Still, reflective water, has a calming effect on a space. Moving water energises. Any water is a magnet for wildlife, even a tiny birdbath will have the birds visiting daily to bath and drink and will reflect the sky with a bright circle of light.

Drilled water boulder or millstone fountain. If you enjoy listening to the sound of water and are looking for a low cost solution, a drilled boulder or reclaimed millstone makes an effective fountain, sitting over a reservoir of water where a small, submerged pump sends water splashing out over the top.

Place your mini fountain close to a seating area where you can enjoy the sound of water. Choose a large reservoir as fountains lose a lot of water through evaporation. Decorate with pebbles and include plants like hostas, dierama, sibirican irises and zanteschedia to soften the edges.

Lighting the centre creates an iridescent orb of water after dark, which is really effective.

Still water troughs. Still water looks stylish in galvanised or Corten steel troughs, or rustic wooden barrels, set about the garden, as reflective surfaces.

Rill. This is a narrow strip of shallow water running through a garden. Rills are fun. They are especially effective in a sloping garden where you can create changes of levels with dropping pools, splash stones and waterfalls.

Rills can be organic, lined with cobbles to recreate a shallow stream, or formal and geometric, edged with stone coping.

Opposite page: Water plants change with the seasons, just like your garden, spring irises flourish in the foreground. This page from top: A small pond with a decorative safety grill across the top. Spring water iris versicolour flourish. You can make your pond wildlife friendly with shallow edges. A reclaimed millstone water feature in a paving. Rill with scottish cobbles running into a pond.

Rills need regular maintenance, a filtration system and a balance tank to store the water when turned off.

With all moving water there is the risk of filamentous algae. Switching off your water feature at night allows it to dry out and minimises algae growth.

Wildlife pond. The best thing you could do for wildlife in your garden is to install a wildlife pond. These can be a small, large, formal or naturalistic. The key is to have biologically filtered water, sloping sides and pockets of shallow water to give wildlife safe access, and the right planting for added habit zones.

Excavate your pond at least 1.20m deep for water stability. Create shallow pond edges for planting pollinator friendly marginal plants like water mint, water forget me not, and purple loosestrife for a long season of colour and flowers. Include water lilies and fragrant water hawthorne to shade the water and flower throughout summer (2/3 of the pond surface should be covered) and plant a mix of submerged oxygenator plants which help to keep the water balanced. As a guide I usually plant 20 oxygenator bunches per m 2 of water. Choose native species where possible.

All ponds benefit from a biological filtration system, keeping the water oxygenated, clear and free from algae. There are various pumps and filter kits on the market, do your research, size up the filter to work with your pond’s water volume. Only fill or top up your pond with pre-filtered mains water or rain water, never use untreated mains water, it is nutrient rich and will cause algae.

Once you have filled your pond, sit back and watch the wildlife arrive, you will be amazed how fast it finds you. Amphibians are welcome in a wildlife pond, but fish upset the natural ecosystem and are best kept in a designated fish pond with the appropriate filtration system.

Natural pools and swimming ponds. If you enjoy water and wild swimming, a natural pool or swimming pond in your back garden is the ultimate water feature.

Natural pools are filtered and purified using water plants and special biological filters to keep the water crystal clear and hygienic.

Beautiful all year, chemical free, easy to look after, with low running costs, they heat up quickly with the sun. It’s just like wild swimming in your own garden and the health and ecological benefits are immense.

To find out more, visit Ellicar Gardens, Carr Road, Gringley on the Hill and explore Ellicar’s beautiful natural pool. Ellicar Gardens and plant yard open Fridays 11am-4pm Plant yard only Wednesdays 3pm-6pm

Ellicar Gardens landscape services include: Garden design, planting and landscaping. Natural pools, and wildlife pond design and installation. Specialist biological water filtration and consultation. To discuss your project contact Sarah on: 01777 817218 or email: sarah@ellicargardens.co.uk

From top: Water mint surrounding the edge of Ellicar's natural pool is great for pollinators. Swimming in a natural pool. Bespoke water cascade from a reclaimed stone trough into a natural pool. All imagery courtesy of Sarah Murch.

Décor Clever interior inspiration

Into the jungle... Green and lush.

Traveller's Palm Neutral Wallpaper by Mind The Gap. £175

A remarkable tropical design inspired by the so called Traveller’s Palm (Ravenala Madagascariensis) that grows specifically in the regions of Madagascar. The various green and brown shades and the stunning details of the palm leaves against the dark background creates a dramatic and sophisticated atmosphere.

Bermuda Armchair by Mind The Gap, £1,890.

A lush tropical design with bold greenery details on a black background.

Bermuda Cushion by Mind The Gap, £109.

A tropical style design featuring the exotic wildlife and lush of the Bermuda islands, filled with duck feathers.

DCUK Carrington Circles Mirror, £350.

A gold finish mirror, 1040x1040mm.

For all interior decor, furnishings, walls and lighting.

Find the Decor Clever selection on www.decorclever.com

Amazonia Wash Bag by Mind The Gap, £39.

A lush tropical design with bold greenery details on a black background.

DCUK Tate Console Table, £720.

This piece is a desk/console - it's designed to cover both aspects with two functional drawers and the unique detail of the brass wrapped inlays with the Acacia wood sections makes this a real conversation piece of furniture.

Narcisse Yuan Plates - ibride, £65.

Four plates - the Narcisse Yuan set. Each plate has a different beautiful design. A perfect gift for a special occasion.

Barbados Anthracite Cushion by Mind The Gap, £109.

A tropical style design on a dark background featuring the exotic wildlife and lush of the Bermuda islands.

Amazonia Cushion by Mind The Gap, £109.

A lush tropical design with bold greenery details on a black background. Available in 50x50cm or 30x50cm.