Who doesn’t love the fantastic sound of cascading water or a bubbling brook? It’s really one of life’s simplest pleasures. Water features are something we all would love to incorporate into our yards or gardens, but we often let the cons outweigh the pros. Whether it be a natural boulder water fall, a water wall with a spillway or a bubbling urn; the intrigue and desire for wanting a water feature that will be the centerpiece of your landscaped, Inland Empire home is there; but…. who wants to deal with the maintenance of a water feature?

Water Features with Ponds

We have to admit, when you see a professionally landscaped home that utilizes a water feature pond with a nice waterfall your first impression is… I want one! But when you consider the maintenance of a water feature with a pond you quickly talk yourself out of it. Prefab fountains and most water features built by a homeowner or contractor have an above ground water basin or pond. This basin acts as a storage area for the water and utilizes a pump to give the water effect.

Utilizing a basin that is large enough to provide proper projection to the water feature and prevent the pump from burning out is important. Water can evaporate (or be consumed by critters) leaving an unregulated pump to burn out.

A water basin can also provide a place for mosquitoes to lay eggs, parasites to form, algae to build and hard water deposits to cling to the sides of the basin. Making sure that the water is constantly flowing will help, but cannot completely prevent nature from taking place. Adding chemicals such as chlorine, chemical treatment tablets and the occasional draining and scrubbing clean of these basins clean will be inevitable if you choose to have a water feature with a ponder basin. 

The Clever Alternative

There is a way to enjoy water features in our gardens and landscaping for our Inland Empire area home without having all of the headaches common to water ponds and basins. Go pondless!

Pondless water features are the key to achieving the visual effect and audible pleasure associated with fountains and waterfalls, without the pain of constant maintenance. By incorporating a simple catch basin underground and covering it with a material such as river rock or pea gravel will give us a natural look, hide and protect our pumps from the elements and more importantly keep our water from being exposed to the air while not in use. This will dramatically reduce the amount of maintenance necessary. Our water will remain cleaner for much longer and keep those pesky mosquitos away.

Get More Creative with Pondless Water Features

With traditional the above ground water basin there are only so many ways that you could build a waterscape because the water had to end at a ground-level or be built up. With a pondless water feature design you can incorporate the natural slope of your yard, add in different large decorative rocks, pottery and more. You can really get creative with your backyard theme when you don’t have to accommodate an above ground water basin.

By utilizing a pondless water feature for your Inland Empire area home you can enjoy the sounds of mother nature and bring serenity to your life without the hours of work and maintenance. (Which kills the whole piece and serenity thing). You can simply flip a switch and instantly be taken away to your happy place with the sound of the water’s magical sounds and calming visual effects.

Your Happy Place Starts with a Skillful Design

At Bella Terra Landscape Design, we utilize our years of design experience to produce a landscape design plan that exceeds your expectations. Beginning with a tour and discussion of the Inland Empire area yard we can create, in detail, a landscape design that will transform your backyard into an extension of your Inland Empire home. When choosing to have professional landscape services done, be sure to start with a competent design by a design team that has a methodical mindset. This mindset will provide the path to perfection for your Inland Empire area home.

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