My creative mojo is gone...need help with waterfall!

[joesandy1822]

Ok, we got the pond up and going. I still have to place a lot of the edging rocks, which is not hard, but the thing that is stumping me is the waterfall. We have a typical filter falls with a 26" "weir". It sets about a 1 1/2' back from the edge of the pond at ground level (it is not raised or buried). It stands a little over 2' high. I also left a shelf in the pond directly below the filter which is about 5' wide and is about 2 1/2' below the surface of the water. I had intended to use that as a place to stack rocks for the waterfall. In hindsight, I would have left it a lot higher because now I will really have to stack a lot of rock to get a waterfall going.

Anyhow, I do not have huge boulders, which I know look best on the sides of a waterfall. I suppose I could buy some, although I really do not want to because they are expensive, and then I would still have to position them. I don't know how you position a rock that weighs 400 pounds. Are there any simple and inexpensive ways to "frame in" a filter falls other than using huge boulders? I do not have a retaining wall, so do not want to pile dirt up, plus I want to keep the back of the filter free to be able to access plumbing if necessary. I do have medium size rocks (8-12"), but I don't want to make it look like a volcano.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I've looked at thousands of photos and just feel like I don't know where to start with it.....it's like my mind is blocked. I could just leave it as one sheet of water coming out of the filter like it does. But that seems silly considering the work we've put into this thing. Plus the looks of a big black tub is not that attractive.

I also don't understand how people are putting a flat rock IN the filter to make a weir. My filter falls has a built in weir or lip. Water comes out of the filter in a nice 26" sheet. And I want to put hyacinths in the filter eventually, so I don't want to cover the top of the filter with a rock.

Thanks for any help,

Sandy

 

[capewind]

It's coming along nicely. Without grade changes, or rocks, dont have any advice that wouldnt give what you are calling a volcano look, other to remind you that once you have plants in place, it softens it. If you stacked rocks up the sides of the filter, and then planted a pretty/dwarf bush (something that stays green) on either side of the filter, it wouldnt look like a volcano,

 

[koiguy1969]

if it were me... i would dig out for the waterfall box , and lower it about 1/2 the height it is now. and backfill around it with dirt....tapered out away from it. and cover it with landscape fabric, plant the mound and mulch or stone it... youve got plenty of flat stone behind the electrical post to make a sweet low profile waterfall.
sidenote....the waterfall really should have been built before totally filling the pond

 

[Shdwdrgn]

What about splitting up the water flow into two or three sections -- stack some flat rocks on the left side, stack some more on the right side (to a different height), and leave the center open? Then put in some large plants to completely surround the tub... Tall irises or grasses, perhaps some plants with large leaves, anything to make it look like the water is coming from some sort of oasis? The plants will hide the edge of the tub, and can give the appearance that the water is coming from a larger area. As you get further from the tub, use smaller plants to taper off the height.

 

[joesandy1822]

Great ideas, everybody! Keep 'em coming. This forum is so great, I don't know what I would've done without the help I've gotten here.

Ya, I guess I shouldn't have filled the pond quite yet. But the worst case is that I have to get cold and wet. Time to buy some chest waders, which I would like to have anyway for pond maintenance in the Spring.

Can anybody tell me if it is safe to use cement blocks inside a pond without affecting the water chemistry or anything adversely? I also have some landscape bricks that I could use, but I don't know how to tell if something is safe or not for the fish.

Also, another issue I've come upon is that we got quite a bit of rain yesterday. I have not yet installed an overflow on my skimmer, because I read some posts here and other places that it is unnecessary. But after the rain, now the level is to the top of the skimmer and it is obviously not skimming properly. I have a siphon going to pump water out of the pond (albeit slowly). I guess an overflow is really NOT optional as some have said because this can't be good for the pump can it? And obviously the skimmer is not working properly when the water is to the top of the skimmer opening.

Thanks again for all your help!

Sandy

 

[sissy]

stack rocks but leave gaps here and there like pockets and put plants in those pockets it will help shade and hide it at the same time .Just make sure you go out far enough with the rock to keep it looking natural .If you have streams around you it is the best place for free rocks .Thats where I got mine

 

[cr8tivguy]

I prefer a berm behind the waterfall and some ornamental trees and ground cover. For some reason, I visualize this (when it's grown in) as a natural spring emerging from the ground--just "springing" out of the hill so to say.

It could look real natural with some specimen boulders (not too big) placed just right to suggest they are larger than they are (buried still in the earth).

Could be really nice! BTW, the pond is looking great! I really enjoy following your progress.
Tim

 

[addy1]

The people that had my house in arizona before I bought it, redid the front yard in desert landscaping. They put in a ton of huge boulders, the rule of thumb is 2/3 of the boulder buried makes it look like it has always been there. They used ones that had to be brought in by a truck and crane. They sure look great.

I bury maybe 1/4 of mine, want more out of ground, love the look of large boulders. when I stack rocks for the pond or anything, it helps to also put rocks out into the yard in staggered arrangement, they pull the eye from the stack makes a flow of rocks rather than dirt then poof a pile of rocks.

This is a part of the stream during build The stream is to the left extra rocks put into the slope to the right. Ow it would have looked like a rock ribbon coming down the hill, to me.



last year



The plants flowers start to blend everything in together.

 

[Sheetmetalman]

As far as an overflow I would just pick an area of the pond where water drainage into the yard will work out best for you-close to a ditch, low spot in the yard, etc, then just lower the dirt berm in that area enough for your skimmer to work correctly--no need to worry about fish loss into the yard there because you will have rocks stacked up along the top of the rubber for the water to seep thru but restrict the fish. As far as the waterfall I would pull up the rubber to the left and right of the falls and place some dirt there in a gradual hillthere and around the back to partialy bury and hide the filter then stack rock and plant stuff on this hill to hide the rest of it and blend it in without it looking like your volcano (I have ALL my dirt out of the pond dig mounded up and around my falls to make my waterfall mountain so it looks like a waterfall coming out of a hill) also and this is just me--but if possible I would pull the filter and fall back if the rubber allows so as you stack rock or slabs up they are not a straight up and down water fall-there is a kind of slant or stairstep to the rock for more water contact and turbulance--if that makes sence

 

[don't ask]

lots of good ideas for you Sandy, the good news is that you're only playing with the weir filter and you can try different scenarios to see which has the best impact for you.. the bad part if any is that it's more work changing from one look to another...but if it was me I would try several different looks and see what makes you feel happy