Few things have the power to make or break the magic of a garden quite like a water feature.
A bad one is equivalent to trying not to listen to a bluebottle in a closed room; try as you might, it’s impossible to ignore. A good one, on the other hand, is transportive, channelling a sort of elemental life-force that helps to reaffirm our connection to the natural world.
Soothing, playful, stimulating and fascinating all at once, the very best connect with our senses in ways that science is only beginning to understand. All we know is that human interaction with these “blue spaces” can positively affect our mood and mental health, lower blood pressure, reduce stress levels and foster healthy social behaviours.
These impressive superpowers aside, versatility is another part of their great charm. Garden water features come in all shapes and sizes, with many suitable for the tiniest plot, for example, and others that are right at home in the grandest of historic demesnes.
An example of the latter is Triton Lake at Powerscourt Gardens in Co Wicklow, an elegant oval of water with a central dancing fountain guarded by twin gilded statues of Pegasus. Another is Killruddery Gardens’ glorious twin long ponds or “miroirs d’eaux”, also in Wicklow. On a more domestic scale, think of Helen Dillon’s famous Ranelagh town garden, where its rather magnificent water feature took the form of a long rectangular pool edged in silvery limestone, a tranquil sliver of still water that acted as an everchanging mirror to the sky.
Moving water adds another, very different quality. In Danesmoate, the Dublin garden of Adam Clayton, U2’s bass player, the chattering, singsong voice of the Little Dargle river that runs through its shady woodland is part of its great charm, its course ingeniously manipulated by a series of shallow weirs. Something similar is true of Hunting Brook Gardens in Co Wicklow, and the gurgling mountain stream that dances through its steeply plunging glen.
But even in the smallest of gardens, a well-designed water feature adds a special, hard-to-pin-down quality to a space. I’ve seen tiny city plots where they’ve taken the shape of simple, watertight, circular steel bowls or boxes sunk into the ground, or handsome stone basins fed from wall-mounted plaques, or steel tanks, decorative zinc troughs, or even simple wooden barrels sawn in half. Despite their petite dimensions, what they all share in common is that same magnetic ability to draw the eye, quietly inviting us to sit, contemplate, rest and repose.
Nature, of course, adds another magical layer, in the shape of a never-ending series of opportunities to learn about the many other creatures that visit. The cartoonish antics of frogs mating in spring, for example, and the night-time visits of shy hedgehogs. The pond skaters, mayflies and dragonflies that quickly make the teeniest of garden ponds their home, or love to flit above its surface, as well as the many species of wild birds that come to wash, drink, feed and preen themselves.
The most common design pitfalls to avoid?
The first rule of thumb is to not attempt to compete with the real thing, a contest lost before it has even begun. If, for example, your garden already enjoys a commanding sea view or is home to a river or stream, then the addition of an artificial water feature – no matter how handsome – is likely to invite odious comparisons as well as introduce a jarring quality to the design.
Next – and this one is crucial if you’re going to be using moving water – is to consider the sound it will make. As a rule, the best garden water features are subtle and musical in this regard, while the worst sound like an unhappy cross between a flushing loo and a men’s urinal. Reducing the height of the water’s fall or breaking it up into a series of shorter falls are simple but effective ways to soften and alter the sound, as is adding some ornamental stones to break the impact.
Equally important is the need for a nearby source of electricity if you’re planning on using a pump to filter and aerate the water, something that should always be left to a professional electrician to install. If you live in a hard water area, then the latter will also be able to advise on the best ways to stop limescale forming on both the pump and water feature itself.
Not all water features need pumps. A wildlife pond, for example, can do just fine without one so long as you position it well, use a good balance of oxygenating, floating and marginal plants, and create different depth of water within it, using a minimum depth range of 20cm-60cm.
In this case, bear in mind that these kinds of informal garden ponds are generally best sited away from the deep shade and falling autumnal leaves of large shrubs and trees that will sully the water, but shouldn’t be completely in bright sun either. For reasons of health and safety, especially when it comes to young children, it’s also advisable to install a layer of rigid wire mesh in large garden pools, concealed a few inches below the surface of the water. For reasons of sustainability, consider linking it to an existing rain harvesting system, something that’s also much better for pond wildlife.
If you’re considering installing a fountain, jet or cascade, bear in mind that a windy spot is best avoided for obvious reasons. Lastly, don’t forget that every individual body of water acts like a natural spirit level. Get this part even the tiniest bit wrong, and you’ll never be able to stop seeing it.
This week in the garden
If dry weather continues, then recently planted young trees, shrubs, perennials and climbers will need to be watered, especially bare-root specimens whose immature root systems are more vulnerable until they get established in the ground. To be most effective, watering should always be gently directed to the soil immediately at the base of the plant.
April is often the month when seedlings raised indoors start to become leggy and weak, typically the result of receiving too much heat and not enough light, as well as not being pricked out into cell trays or individual containers in time. To encourage healthy, sturdy, resilient seedlings, they need a cooler, brighter, frost-free spot with shelter from wind, rain and hail. A glasshouse or polytunnel is ideal, but a cold frame will also do the trick just so long as you offer extra frost protection at night in the form of several layers of horticultural fleece. If very cold weather threatens, add a protective temporary box of roof insulation.
Dates for your diary
Irish Specialist Nursery Association show Farmleigh House, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Saturday, April 20th, 10am-6pm. The first show of 2025 with many specialist plant nurseries taking part. irishspecialistnurseries.com
Howth & Sutton Horticultural Society Spring Show and Plant Sale St Nessan’s Community School, Baldoyle, Dublin, Saturday, April 26th (2.30pm-4.30pm). With exhibits, plants and repurposed garden tools for sale. New exhibitors welcome. hshs.ie
Festival of Gardens and Nature Ballintubbert Gardens & House, Stradbally, Co Laois, Saturday, May 3rd & Sunday, May 4th. With a host of guest speakers including Nigel Slater, Fergus Garrett, Catherine FitzGerald, Andrea Brunsendorf, Rory O’Connell, Giuliana Furci, Amelia Raben, Charlie Harpur, Kitty Scully, Dominic West, Sally O’Halloran, Sean Pritchard, Sean Ronayne, Tom Stuart-Smith, Darina Allen, Diarmuid Gavin and Jamie Walton. festivalofgardensandnature.com
