Garden

Pondless Waterfall

By /

Credit: Lisa Payne

Lisa’s garden before the waterfall was built.



Credit: Lisa Payne

Carving it out.



Credit: Lisa Payne

Hole dug out.



Credit: Lisa Payne

Laying the rubber,



Credit: Lisa Payne

Laying rubber & rubber & weir placement.



Credit: Lisa Payne

Placing the rocks.



Credit: Lisa Payne

Placing rocks, plants and statues.



Credit: Lisa Payne

Let the water run!



Credit: Lisa Payne

308502



Credit: Lisa Payne

308503



Credit: Lisa Payne

308504



Credit: Lisa Payne

Lisa’s garden after the makeover.


The photographs in this slideshow were very kindly submitted by GardenWise reader Lisa Payne.

Knowing she wanted a water feature in her garden but not the hassle of “taking care of fish, chemicals, pH balances, mosquitoes, and the like,” Lisa searched the web to see what her options were and came across this pondless waterfall feature, which seemed to fit the bill.

“There’s not much information out there on the process,” Lisa explains, “only the finished product.” Lisa ordered a Savio kit from eBay, and the challenge began. She learned a great deal as she went along, putting together much of the information gleaned from several websites.

For those wanting to tackle a similar project, Lisa shares the following pointers:

  • Once you know how big you want your waterfall to be, make sure your pump is powerful enough to take the water to the top.
  • Take good measurements before you start digging out the waterfall or bringing in dirt for it: “I started with a flat surface, brought in dirt, compacted it and watered it down, then waited a week or so before carving out the waterfall,” Lisa explains.
  • Be prepared to dig a large hole to accommodate the pump and well and allow a more shallow surface area for the water and the rocks.
  • Be sure to start with enough rubber lining—the hole for the pump and well takes a large amount of the rubber supplied with the kit.

When asked if she would do anything differently, Lisa responded, “I would pay my stepson to wash all the rocks for me!”

It seems the member of Lisa’s family who has the most fun with this new addition to their landscape is Sandy, the labradoodle. Sandy was so intrigued with the work in progress that she had to have “her nose right there,” to the point where Lisa couldn’t see what she was doing and the dog had to be restrained behind a roll-out fence during construction. Sandy apparently loves the waterfall now that it’s up and running, drinks from it all the time and has even claimed her own special rock to stand on at the bottom of the waterfall.

Thanks again, Lisa, for sharing this fun project with us. The end result looks fabulous!

—Sally Spires