There are over 200 5-star reviews of my garden on TripAdvisor and it’s interesting how many refer to the soothing sound of water heard as they traverse the plot. Here are just a couple that make reference to water in the garden.
In August 2022, Louisa from London wrote: “We enjoyed a really warm welcome at Driftwood today. The garden is colourful, whimsical and teeming with interest in the different rooms. Our favourite parts were the soothing water features, impressive succulents and glinting stained glass ornaments. Also, delicious cakes. Thank you Geoff
While in July 2023 Gillianna wrote: “We would have stayed all day if we hadn’t had another engagement. The garden is crammed full of plants, flowers, ornaments, artwork. Particularly liked just sitting and listening to the sound of water from several water features. You can walk around several times and keep seeing something new.”
If I’m being honest, I never set out to create a garden with several water features, I’ve actually got 7 different ones at the moment, all free standing, self-contained and mains supplied, it just happened. Originally, there was a pond in the garden which I added 3 tumbling ponds and a fountain to. This created the lovely sound of water both trickling down from one pond to another and the tinkling of the main fountain in the pond.
There are many different garden rooms in my plot and I’ve tried to place a water feature in each of said rooms to allow the impact of soothing water to hit you as you walk through the garden. I’m very fortunate that I made a decision, at the onset of creating my plot, to have mains power installed throughout. This has meant that there are 4 double sockets, located across the back garden making it much easier to install water features.
Let’s walk through the garden and capture the essence of what both Louisa and Gillianna were getting at.
Corten steel pond
Back in 2022 I opted to remove the pond described above and replace it with a free-standing corten steel pond and fountain. This is a focal point on entering the back garden and really makes a statement both in terms of visual impact and the tinkling sounds of the water from the fountain. When investigating options, having removed the pond, I came across this by pure chance and fell in love with it immediately. I admit not a cheap option but well worth the investment.
Hidden plastic barrel
Located by the shed door and also close to the garden entrance is my first purchased, free standing water feature. Bought in about 2006 it is still going strong, although I have had to replace the pump. To be honest, it is quite cheap looking, but it is now located behind plants and it’s the sound I want visitors to hear, not necessarily to actually see it. It certainly does the trick because it is usually the first thing people notice on entering the garden and remark on the soothing sound of water.
Column water feature
When I created the railway sleeper patio area back in 2021, I wanted to include a water feature there too and was pleased to find this one that complemented the upright sleepers. In hindsight, while it looks great, you can’t actually hear the flow of water but once you catch sight of it the mind soon imagines it. One bonus is the fact that it has small lights in the base too.
Small half barrel
This is one of my favourites! It was bought for me by my father, a few months before he died, back in 2007. It’s a fairly cheap and cheerful one that has stood the test of time. I usually empty the smaller features through the winter to make sure freezing water does not crack them. This one is quite noisy for such a small unit and really makes an impact for visitors sitting and enjoying tea and cakes close by.
Imitation rock pond
I saw this unit at Hampton Court Flower Show quite a few years ago now and thought it would work well in the garden. I have placed it in the corner of a small gravel bed, beneath the pear tree, with the green bench close by so it can be fully appreciated by anyone sitting there.
Half barrel cask
One of the first water features I installed back in 2007, when I created the upper patio, in front of the summer house, was a large half barrel cast filled with large rocks with one having a hole drilled through the centre to allow bubbling water to blow through across the rocks. It looks great and once again creates the water sounds for the summer house. To be honest, it is a little more subtle than some of the other features but certainly does the trick.
Cheap Cheerful Plastic feature
A few years ago, I found a very cheap and cheerful water feature for £20 in a local department store. I bought it and once home, my partner said that’s not very nice it looks so cheap! I pointed out to him that I had planned to locate it in a corner where it would not really be seen. It had been bought so we could hear the sound of water, not necessarily see where it was coming from. There’s no question it fits the bill and achieves what I set out.
Whether you got for 7 features or just 1, choose carefully for the location you plan to use and you too can capture the essence my visitors experience and enjoy.
