Ideas for making this waterfall not look so man made

[Pond skipper]

Hi all, the title says it all, I’m limited as to what I can do where I am and with what I have so I had to go this route. After I tore apart my waterfall and bog to find a leak I decided to change the waterfall completely. Instead of coming right straight down and into the bog garden I’m trying to have it gently curves around the outside left of the bog. I have a small catching basin made from liner midway down the fall because the birds like bathing around the bog. I just am really unhappy with the jarring edges and man made look. Any ideas?

 

[Pablo]

I am no expert by any means, I am in the middle of building my pond and bog. We just finished rocking in the framework of the waterfall yesterday. We are going to split the stream so there will be two small waterfalls (at least that is the plan, lol, god only knows if it will work).
I think what you want to do is to be able to frame the plastic waterfall with two larger stones, maybe find a rock that can go across as a bridge between them to try and hide where the water is coming from. I am sure others will have better ideas.

 

[combatwombat]

Fun project.

1. Ditch the flagstone pieces as spillways. Use large stones instead. You’d never see that type of waterfall in nature.

2. Plant like crazy around it. If you can’t dramatically enlarge the berm around the falls, you can disguise it with lots of plants. Hide the volcano.

 

[Pond skipper]

Hi thanks for the idea. I haven’t finished the top of the falls yet, I’m just not happy with the way it looks at the bottom where it comes back into the pond. .

 

[Pond skipper]

Fun project.

1. Ditch the flagstone pieces as spillways. Use large stones instead. You’d never see that type of waterfall in nature.

2. Plant like crazy around it. If you can’t dramatically enlarge the berm around the falls, you can disguise it with lots of plants. Hide the volcano.

Thanks, I just can’t figure out how to get the water from the garbage can filter all the way to the pond without using that last piece of flagstone. Any idea about that? Right now the water travels in a stream of epdm liner carrying the water to the flagstone piece and then the last 25” is the flagstone. I can’t get any big stone into the area (at least anything that needs a machine to move or place) I hear you about the planting, for sure that’s in the plans. Do you think I should run liner on top of the flagstone (flashing to support the liner) all the way to the pond at the elevated level and have it still in from there and just line the epdm with rocks etc?

 

[RMaynard]

Usually the liner would go under the rocks. Start with the liner overlapping into the pond and work back from there. However much liner you have is how far you can go back. The barrel doesn't have to be right at the end like that, either. You can have it off to the side and have the outlet dump into a pooling area at the top.

I have a similar tree/fence area. I have a stock tank bog rather than a barrel, but you might be able to hide the barrel in a similar way. The outlet from the bog into the stream is mostly hidden behind the tree.

In the second pic you can see the white pvc pipe at top left. That dumps into a pool behind the tree and overflows down the stream.

 

[YShahar]

Here's what I would do if I were rebuilding this one:

1. As @combatwombat mentioned, use chunkier rocks for the spillway. I would also play with perspective, using a slightly wider spill at the bottom, and a narrower one behind it. This gives the illusion of depth.

2. Build back and around the tree, in order to get rid of the volcano effect and add depth. Wrapping it around the tree also gives it a look of having been there before the tree grew. Use larger rocks in front and somewhat smaller ones in back, again to give an illusion of depth.

3. I wouldn't make the whole thing more than half a meter tall; you don't need much height to get good sound and aeration. In fact, a longer, flatter stream/waterfall is better for both, plus it looks way more natural. Between each cascade there should be a small pooling area.

4. Put one rock at the base of the falls, just in front of the waterfall. In Oriental gardening, this is called the "carp rock" and helps to give an impression of depth-of-field, while naturalizing the scene.

5. Plant behind each level, and also behind the last cascade, such that one can't see at a glance where the stream originates. If you have a bog back there, even better!

Lastly, if you put a really large flat stone in front of the pond (as seen from your main viewing area, it will give the illusion that all the rocks are just as large, but just much farther away. You'd be surprised how much bigger your pond and falls look!

Just for the fun of it, here's a visualization of what I have in mind:

 

[Pond skipper]

Usually the liner would go under the rocks. Start with the liner overlapping into the pond and work back from there. However much liner you have is how far you can go back. The barrel doesn't have to be right at the end like that, either. You can have it off to the side and have the outlet dump into a pooling area at the top.

I have a similar tree/fence area. I have a stock tank bog rather than a barrel, but you might be able to hide the barrel in a similar way. The outlet from the bog into the stream is mostly hidden behind the tree.

In the second pic you can see the white pvc pipe at top left. That dumps into a pool behind the tree and overflows down the stream.

Nice pond. It never even occurred to me to not have the barrel at the end.. I almost did mine raised like that too as I had so many roots in the ground but I just went a lot shallower than I had planned. How did you get the final spill into the pond that good? I used to have a more natural looking rock like that as my final spillway but the water always clung to the edge and flowed back under it making the water “ fall” more of a water dribble.

 

[combatwombat]

Nice pond. It never even occurred to me to not have the barrel at the end.. I almost did mine raised like that too as I had so many roots in the ground but I just went a lot shallower than I had planned. How did you get the final spill into the pond that good? I used to have a more natural looking rock like that as my final spillway but the water always clung to the edge and flowed back under it making the water “ fall” more of a water dribble.

Look at the picture closer. That’s YOUR pond. Or at least what it could be.

 

[Pond skipper]

Here's what I would do if I were rebuilding this one:

1. As @combatwombat mentioned, use chunkier rocks for the spillway. I would also play with perspective, using a slightly wider spill at the bottom, and a narrower one behind it. This gives the illusion of depth.

2. Build back and around the tree, in order to get rid of the volcano effect and add depth. Wrapping it around the tree also gives it a look of having been there before the tree grew. Use larger rocks in front and somewhat smaller ones in back, again to give an illusion of depth.

3. I wouldn't make the whole thing more than half a meter tall; you don't need much height to get good sound and aeration. In fact, a longer, flatter stream/waterfall is better for both, plus it looks way more natural. Between each cascade there should be a small pooling area.

4. Put one rock at the base of the falls, just in front of the waterfall. In Oriental gardening, this is called the "carp rock" and helps to give an impression of depth-of-field, while naturalizing the scene.

5. Plant behind each level, and also behind the last cascade, such that one can't see at a glance where the stream originates. If you have a bog back there, even better!

Lastly, if you put a really large flat stone in front of the pond (as seen from your main viewing area, it will give the illusion that all the rocks are just as large, but just much farther away. You'd be surprised how much bigger your pond and falls look!

Just for the fun of it, here's a visualization of what I have in mind:

View attachment 158557

OMG !!! How did you do that, it wasn’t until looking at this five times that I realized you’ve done that somehow to my photo, it was when I noticed the birds feeder I realized it! And you’ve managed to capture exactly what I visualize in my minds eye when I dream about my pond. Unfortunately I don’t have the money or the ability to have rocks of that size but I’m definitely going to try and play with the perspective as you mentioned.. I’ll pretend I’m one of the Disney imagineers building Disneyland! I do have quite a bit of l extra liner tucked behind the pond (I’m always afraid to cut it off and make things permanent). Good thing! I can definitely lower the back and stretch it out a bit although I don’t know how I’ll transition from stream to regular old back yard between there and the shed where the ground level would still be quite a bit lower. But you’ve definitely given me the germ of an idea. Thanks, and you’ll have to fill me in how you did that magic with the photo! Lol thanks again

 

[RMaynard]

Nice pond. It never even occurred to me to not have the barrel at the end.. I almost did mine raised like that too as I had so many roots in the ground but I just went a lot shallower than I had planned. How did you get the final spill into the pond that good? I used to have a more natural looking rock like that as my final spillway but the water always clung to the edge and flowed back under it making the water “ fall” more of a water dribble.

I set the 3 big rocks in front on top of the liner, then pulled a fold in the liner up behind them so the water was forced over the fold. Makes a small pool behind those rocks, and the lowest point in that fold is right where I want the water to go over the middle rock.

 

[Pond skipper]

Look at the picture closer. That’s YOUR pond. Or at least what it could be.

Lol I was just writing that in my reply! It took me a few times looking at it but I just started giggling ridiculously when I noticed it!

 

[Pond skipper]

I set the 3 big rocks in front on top of the liner, then pulled a fold in the liner up behind them so the water was forced over the fold. Makes a small pool behind those rocks, and the lowest point in that fold is right where I want the water to go over the middle rock.

Are the three rocks you’re referring to visible in the photo or are they hidden in the picture or are they not visible from any angle and purely structural to hold the liner?

 

[RMaynard]

OMG !!! How did you do that, it wasn’t until looking at this five times that I realized you’ve done that somehow to my photo, it was when I noticed the birds feeder I realized it! And you’ve managed to capture exactly what I visualize in my minds eye when I dream about my pond. Unfortunately I don’t have the money or the ability to have rocks of that size but I’m definitely going to try and play with the perspective as you mentioned.. I’ll pretend I’m one of the Disney imagineers building Disneyland! I do have quite a bit of l extra liner tucked behind the pond (I’m always afraid to cut it off and make things permanent). Good thing! I can definitely lower the back and stretch it out a bit although I don’t know how I’ll transition from stream to regular old back yard between there and the shed where the ground level would still be quite a bit lower. But you’ve definitely given me the germ of an idea. Thanks, and you’ll have to fill me in how you did that magic with the photo! Lol thanks again

I used landscape stakes to create a silt fence to help stabilize the mound of dirt under the rocks (it's only maybe 2' tall anyway). It's in a U shape behind the pond, keeping the mound from spreading and away from the fence enough to walk around behind it. I backed up the woven landscape fabric with galvanized chicken wire and I'm going to replace those stakes with rebar this summer to make it a little sturdier/more permanent.
Maybe put the barrel behind the tree (from the perspective of your first photo), and then put up a simple fence (like the reed stuff I used around my bog) between the tree and the shed to shield that side. You can have an entrance for easy access to the barrel, and eventually grow plants in front of the fence to blend it all in.

 

[RMaynard]

Are the three rocks you’re referring to visible in the photo or are they hidden in the picture or are they not visible from any angle and purely structural to hold the liner.

The main spillway into the pond and the rock to either side of it.