Making a splash. For homeowners with a passion for plants and wildlife, water gardens are a natural outlet

Transcription

1 Making a splash For homeowners with a passion for plants and wildlife, water gardens are a natural outlet There are many ways to integrate water features into a residential or commercial landscape. Ponds, waterfalls, fountains are some of the options available. Eammon HugheS By Marty Wingate The four classical elements are earth, water, air, and fire. Of these, water ranks high. Water ranks high in gardens, too, as the one way to take a garden from a lovely planting to a landscape that lives. A water feature of any size may do the job to enliven the garden with movement, sound, and wildlife, whether the feature is a large-scale waterfall, naturalistic pond or self-contained bubbling granite column. Water is good. That s a given. But educating customers guiding them along the path from the desire for a water feature, through choosing and installation, and all the way to enjoyment and maintenance takes managing. According to Drake Snodgrass, owner of Drake s 7 Dees Landscaping & Garden Centers, homeowners are aware of the benefits of water in the garden. It s on the radar screen for large or small lots, he said. Garden designer Mary-Kate Mackey has seen, photographed, and written about hundreds of water gardens. People feel that any size of water garden allows them to commune with nature, she said. There are off-the-shelf kits and one-size-fits-all water features available, but these may not satisfy the cus- 28 MAY 2011 DIGGER 27

2 Making a splash This simple reflecting pool with aquatic plants and a statue, circled by a path with chairs and tables for eating and socializing, serves as a suitable anchor for someone's backyard oasis. OAN Digger - Sun Gro Stop the Line ad HHDPS.pdf 4/7/ :27:55 PM tomer. When design and construction services are employed, a more thoughtful approach can lead to a better outcome. A professional designer will go to the extra effort to match the water feature design to the homeowner, as well as the space. We look at how they live, their lives, who they are, and then guide them to the landscape best-suited to them, Snodgrass said. The result, more often than not, will be a more integrated and successful landscape and a happier customer. What the customer wants What do customers like in a water feature? Often, they re inspired by a scene they ve witnessed in nature or elsewhere.

3 Some people want to bring something out of the Cascade Mountains and plop it into their garden, Snodgrass said. Neal Lucht, president of PWG Distributing (formerly Pacific Water Gardens), believes likewise. He said that homeowners often are inspired by memories of water landscapes that they ve loved, and sometimes they want to recreate that very scene. Sometimes, the desire for the grandest elements can hold homeowners back from committing to what seems like a big project. Sometimes, it s the medium- to smaller-water features that get put on the wish list for homeowners who 30 This entry water feature at The Oregon Garden in Silverton, Ore. makes a dramatic statement. It's one of the first things people see as they enter the garden, setting the tone for the rest of the garden.

4 Picks from the Pros It isn t hard to get growers to talk about plants. The tough part is getting them to narrow down their list of favorites to just a handful. Here are some of the varieties our sources recommended: Making a splash Eamonn Hughes Hughes Water Gardens, Tualatin, Ore. Pontaderia cordata The pickerelweed plant adds great beauty to the margins of a pond from May through October. It produces spikes of deep blue flowers up to 6 inches long which bloom in succession from the bottom up, prolonging the flowering period for several days. This emergent aquatic is found typically in shallow quiet water. The seeds can be eaten like nuts, and the young leaf-stalks cooked as greens. Victoria amazonica The gigantic scale of the leaves and blooms of this native water lily from the Amazon River wows the senses. The blooms open at night and exude a powerful pineapple fragrance, which permeates the air for quite a distance. Leaves can grow to 7 feet in diameter, and the 1 foot blooms open pure white on the first night and red on the second and third nights. It is indeed a wondrous plant. Nymphaea Blushing Bride This beautiful newly introduced hardy water lily is certainly a breathtaking plant. It blooms from April through October and the 10-inch blooms are among the largest of all the hardy water lilies. It radiates golden yellow and pink tones as the sunlight strikes it a great addition to any water garden. 30 MAY 2011 DIGGER Mary-Kate Mackey Garden writer and speaker Eugene, Ore. Tasmanian Pepper Bush (Drimys lanceolata) This evergreen 8-10 foot tall shrub grows in part shade with dark red shoots and white flowers in late spring. I use it as an upright accent. Partial to full sun. Zones Euphorbia Glacier Blue The silvery blue and cream variegated leaves glow in my winter garden. Seems even sturdier than E. Tasmanian Tiger. Grows to 18 inches wide by inches tall. Enjoys full sun to part shade. Likes well-drained soil. Zone 7. Hebe Purple Shamrock A lime and green variegated hybrid. The maroon new growth in winter makes it a standout. Lightly scented blue flowers in summer are a bonus. Grows to 2 feet by 2 feet. Takes full sun. Zones 7 9. Helleborus Winter Jewels Golden Lotus (pictured) is a double yellow, standing upright in all kinds of winter weather. The long-lasting doubles give added visual punch from a distance. Grows to 2 feet wide and 1 foot tall. Takes full sun in the Pacific Northwest, or dappled shade elsewhere. Needs good drainage. Hardy to zones 5 8. Water gardens can be delightful in small or narrow spaces, such as this gap between buildings in Portland, Ore. may not be able to afford what they really want. Ponds are one popular type of feature. Some homeowners can t resist their lure. Each year, Eamonn Hughes of Hughes Water Gardens puts together some type of still-water display at the annual Yard, Garden & Patio Show in Portland, Ore. They always draw many admirers. This year, Tranquility, a wide, shallow pond accented with lighted plantings of Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire, had the amazing ability to provide serenity in the middle of a busy show. In a previous show, Hughes design of Monet s garden, complete with red bridge, made a big splash. Lucht consults on construction, design, and the mechanical systems for water gardens. He finds that consumers may be filled with questions or want to be inspired by a water-garden design, but can feel confined by retailers who provide only generic kits. The retailer benefits most who can develop deep knowledge about water features, and who can offer systems that suit customer desires. This retailer will create not just a water garden, but also

5 a valuable, long-term relationship with a homeowner. According to Snodgrass, water gardens appear on the wish list for most homeowners. They re often accompanied by a new patio, outdoor cooking space, and fire pit. Occasionally, the water garden functions as a swimming pool, but one with a naturalized edge. In many cases, the homeowners with this type of list are often people who have been settled in their houses for a few years, Snodgrass said. They have taken their time to decide what they want from the landscape. Not just size matters Anchoring the water feature to the rest of the garden and to the house 32 People who cannot afford a full-scale water feature installation can still incorporate water into their garden through the use of urns, recirculating fountains and other smaller features. MAY 2011 DIGGER 31

6 Making a splash Before After The addition of a water feature with lots of lush greenery transformed this blank and dusty space into a soothing and beautiful environment....better screening and filtration systems may cost more, but they will lighten the maintenance load and provide a better overall experience. makes it a more integral part of the landscape. Even large, natural-style elements can come quite close to the house without seeming out of place. A feature right off the deck makes the deck look like a dock, Mackey said. The drama of a waterfall can be irresistible, but the element suits some landscapes better than others. A waterfall tumbling from the sky onto flat ground makes no sense, but a waterfall cascading from a rise in the land carries with it the intrinsic idea that the water was up there already. Elevation in a garden lends itself to a waterfall, Hughes said. Moving water or still water? That remains a big question. For most folks, it s a matter of individual preference. Some people on small city lots look for a feature that creates enough noise to mask nearby traffic, Snodgrass said. Certainly the sound of water changes depending on how it s produced. A single spigot shooting down into a pool may not have the same calming effect as the multiple accents of a bubbling pool. 32 MAY 2011 DIGGER

7 Invasives Water-garden plants add a lush layer to the landscape, but some have escaped cultivation and become nuisances in natural areas. Even self-contained water features may provide a way for an aggressive plant to get to waterways if the pond or container is emptied for regular maintenance near enough to a natural stream, seeds or plant parts can make their way to open water. The International Water Garden Society keeps a current list of invasive water plants, showing which states have listed what and if the Federal government has listed. Marion Ag Service, Inc. Plant Health Specialists Our team has the knowledge and experience to assist you in making sound decisions. You don t want to overwhelm with too much sound, Hughes said. Especially in smaller areas, where sound can be magnified, the sound of tumbling water may soothe, but a single sheet waterfall loud and monotone can grate. Maintenance and materials Surprises are bad. The educated customer is more likely to be happy in the end. Ideally, they should go into the project with knowledge of the pros and cons of different materials and methods that are commonly used. To help that process along, Hughes offers pond-building classes. He teaches customers about everything from pond liners to plants. Material upgrades can also make the customer happier. No one wants a water garden to be so much work for the homeowners that they end up resenting its presence. Snodgrass often tells customers that better screening and filtration systems 34 Patrick Home of the St. Paul Rodeo David COMPLETE LINE OF PLANT NUTRITION & SOIL AMENDMENT PRODUCTS Custom blending of fertilizers Dry fertilizers Liquid fertilizers Complete line of organic amendments Custom preplant fertilization programs Pest management products Testing & analysis services plant tissue, soil & water Marion Ag stocks the largest and most complete inventory in North America Farm Store Main St St. Paul, Oregon Main Office 7746 St. Paul Hwy. St. Paul, Oregon MAY 2011 DIGGER 33

8 Making a splash may cost more, but they will lighten the maintenance load and provide a better overall experience. In creating a surface to retain the water, Snodgrass uses natural rocks along with gunite, which is a mixture of Portland cement and sand that gets blown on. Water is added to the mix at the hose opening. Hughes installs with a flexible pond liner made from EPDM a rubberbased material resistant to breakdown from ultraviolet radiation and elastic enough to conform to any shape. Mackey suggested that for the least maintenance, customers may be interested in pondless water features. They provide all the ambiance and none of the fuss. You can get the sound of water without the trouble of water, she said. One example of a pondless feature would be a waterfall that tumbles down into rocks, then recirculates back to the top again. Another example would be a single container with water sheeting over the sides and down into a receptacle. Even the smallest balconies can accommodate a water drum feature, Lucht said. A self-contained tall ceramic pot with a bubbler can have a footprint as small as 20 inches. The addition of sculpture to a water feature will often take the design up another notch. Landscapers can often source wonderful sculptures by working with local artists, and many of these artists will produce work that fits the end client's specific desires. Plants and fish For some homeowners, fish are the very reason to have water, whether the fish are boutique koi or pet-store-variety goldfish. People love little goldfish, Mackey said. Of course, the addition of fish adds to the maintenance. Fish require clean water from a good filtration system, and they need enough room. The general rule for goldfish is one fish for every 3 square feet of surface; one koi needs 10 square feet of surface. In addition to the proper temperature, fish need the right food and protection from fertilizers and pesticides. Water-garden plants can be the MAY 2011 DIGGER

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10 Making a splash Quality Bark Wholesale Prices Fir Bark Dust Hemlock Sawdust Compost Hog Fuel Fines Marr Bros. Bark Dust has been serving the area with quality products and competitive pricing for over 30 years. And we deliver anywhere in the Willamette Valley! When you want the best... Marr Bros. is your only choice! Call to schedule a delivery Conveniently located at: 875 S. Pacific Hwy, Monmouth, Ore. The addition of fish to a water feature adds to the experience, but also the maintenance needs. icing on the cake. Even container water gardens can include a few dwarf water lilies; Mackey suggests Nymphaea Pygmaea Helvola with yellow flowers and Arc-en-ciel with mottled leaves. Gardeners often tell themselves, I should have some water in the garden, Mackey said. Just as water is an element of life, so a water garden should be an element of every landscape. Marty Wingate, based in Seattle, writes and speaks about plants, gardens, and travel. Her latest book will be published by Timber Press in December. She can be reached at martywin@earthlink.net. 36 MAY 2011 DIGGER