Waterfall into pond starting point

[Jennyk]

I like the look of the bigger boulders also but my backhoe is limited to about 500 lbs. also Not quite sure I understand your shape of a U.

Also what do you mean place a new piece of rubber over the whole area? How would that work?

 

[Jennyk]

View attachment 140728

Thank you for the draw but that would be about 45ft of stream. Way too big.

 

[brokensword]

maybe not in your 'vision' but were it mine and I wanted a unique and easy way to disguise the falls/river beginning, I'd create a hole in your hill and put the plumbing underground. It'll look like you have a natural spring that flows downhill to your pond. I'd not put a lot of boulders initially, in this case. Think 'hobbit hole' sort of beginning.

Just an idea!!

 

[GBBUDD]

Build your pond . Let the bug bite you then youll wish that stream was 75 feet long. Build it in stages. I built mine over 4 years .

 

[GBBUDD]

Waterfalls and streams are not hard once you know the tricks but without seeing how the tricks are done it can be beyond stressful trying to getget things to work and look natural. I suggest watching Atlantis water gardens. Aquascape , team aquascape, john g modern design, and tussy landscaping. Water the videos you can pick up a trick from almost every video.

 

[GBBUDD]

Yes you can easily place something like a biofalls in the ground up at your rock and cover it with a false rock or more plants around it. Where it could look to be bubbling up from below.

 

[Jennyk]

maybe not in your 'vision' but were it mine and I wanted a unique and easy way to disguise the falls/river beginning, I'd create a hole in your hill and put the plumbing underground. It'll look like you have a natural spring that flows downhill to your pond. I'd not put a lot of boulders initially, in this case. Think 'hobbit hole' sort of beginning.

Just an idea!!

Interesting . How big would this hypothetical hole be and horizontal or vertical? Do you know of any inspiration pictures

 

[Jennyk]

Yes you can easily place something like a biofalls in the ground up at your rock and cover it with a false rock or more plants around it. Where it could look to be bubbling up from below.

I can’t get to close to the rock because the is a major tree root right in front if it. I need to either make the stream longer(which I don’t really want to do) or come further down the hill which is where i run into an issue of having the starting point look natural

 

[addy1]

I paid to have a boulder drilled makes a nice bubbling stream pond start.

 

[Lisak1]

How big would this hypothetical hole be and horizontal or vertical?

Some of the pro builders are starting to use a waterfall spillway set into the ground to create a pool as a headwater. I've seen it recently in several videos. So instead of building up the spillway, they create a pool (some liner, a few rocks, some foam) and set the spillway down at the level of the pool and let it just fill the pool which then creates the start of the waterfall. A few well placed rocks and you can't even tell where the water is coming from. You could do the same without the waterfall spillway and just plumb a line into the pool - the advantage is the spillway spreads the water out so it doesn't look like a pipe disgorging water. But if it's going to be an area where you won't even see how the water is entering the pool it may not even matter.

Or you could use a biofalls and just set it into your hill. The back of the biofalls would be at ground level, the front would be raised. Typically you build a berm behind the biofalls to make the rise fit the landscape - in your case you already have the rise.

Another idea would be like @addy1 suggested - drill a boulder and plumb it, or use a stacked slate sphere or urn for your headwaters. Not as natural looking, but they are pretty. Or you could use a spillway bowl set at the top. Again - not as natural as rock, but still very cool and it gives your stream a starting point. We watched this installation go in - just an example of what you can do with some slope and a few bowls:

If you have the ability to move 1/4 ton boulders with a machine, you'll be in business. Remember - the fewer rocks you use in a build, the better. When nature moves water through, the small rocks and boulders get pushed out of the way. The ones that remain are the big ones. I've seen videos where they build an entire pondless system with six or seven good sized boulders.

 

[seandelevan]

a few evergreen shrubs can disguise the starting point…to break up the horizon. If there is nothing to distract your eye then yeah it’s going to look like the water just magically appears.

 

[jgrandmont]

mgmine: "The important thing is to make the sides deep enough that the water doesn't run over." Yes, this is critical! Guess how I know.

 

[seandelevan]

Here….I guess the goal would be to eliminate some of your turf…kind of blending in the pond/water feature. The more you do that the less obvious it becomes.

 

[seandelevan]

Here….I guess the goal would be to eliminate some of your turf…kind of blending in the pond/water feature. The more you do that the less obvious it becomes.

a few shrubs, plants, and mulch is definitely cheaper..and easier…than a ton of boulders and liner…

 

[GBBUDD]

mgmine: "The important thing is to make the sides deep enough that the water doesn't run over." Yes, this is critical! Guess how I know.

Ill add its good to have anticipation where splashing will occure and try to have liner , plants or rocks blocking its escape .