Thorough planning is half the battle
Please create a true-to-scale plan sketch in advance. Specify here exactly the area over which the Watercourse extends where the reservoir and spring are located. In order to get a three-dimensional idea of the finished appearance, ideally insert the planned one Stream off with cords and wooden sticks. On this occasion you also mark the location for the electricity and Water connection.
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The planning work also includes considerations as to how the necessary gradient is created. This requirement is naturally fulfilled on the hillside property. The excavation of ponds, swimming pools and others has proven itself in practice on level terrain Water worlds to use for this purpose. A gradient of 2 cm to 100 cm is enough for the water to flow.
Complete sets make shopping easy
A wide variety of complete sets for a watercourse are available for purchase in hardware stores, garden centers and online shops. This has the advantage that you receive all essential materials from a single source, from the source stone to pond liner or stream basin to a powerful pump. The rule of thumb for the optimal pump strength is: For every centimeter of the width of the watercourse, 1.5 liters of water per minute must gush at the source.
In addition, you will need root protection fleece, sand, spade, Spirit level, wheelbarrow and plenty of muscle power if you want to create your watercourse expertly.
Digging a stream - how to do it right
First, cut the outline of the watercourse with the spade. Peel off any sod or turf at this point. In practice, a depth of 25 to 35 cm and a width of 30 to 60 cm have turned out to be recommended. How to proceed properly:
- Dig the stream bed along the markings, remove stones and roots
- Important: Banks are on exactly the same level on both sides so that no water runs out later
- Firmly pound the subsoil so that the earth does not sag
- Create a 5 cm high layer of sand around the pond liner or Stream bowls to protect against damage
- Ideally, lay a root protection fleece on top of the sand layer
At the end of the stream, dig a collecting basin, unless there is already a pond there. A water depth of at least 80 cm is advisable so that the pump works smoothly and does not freeze in winter.
Creating a watercourse - this is what you should pay attention to
Lay the pond liner 25 cm above the bank. Otherwise it could slip into the watercourse. In addition, the film acts as a capillary protection so that the surrounding soil does not draw water from the stream. The technical heart of the watercourse is the pump. You use these on a platform in the collecting basin or pond. The distance to the ground ensures that the pump does not become silted up.
The pressure hose lay either under the pond liner or along the bank in a 30 cm deep channel. With a source stone, source pot or Gargoyles the water connection is hidden decoratively.
Design ideas - how to give your stream a natural flair
Once the technology for your watercourse is in place, the visual design comes into focus. You can decoratively frame the bank with natural stones and gravel and at the same time stabilize the pond liner against slipping. Funny pond figures, like a fishing frog, spread a good mood on the watercourse. So that the floral aspect is not neglected, we recommend this planting along the stream:
Dry bank areas:
- Gold basket (Chrysogonum virginianum) with golden yellow flowers from May to August and evergreen foliage; 8-10 cm high
- Rose cowslip (Primula rosea) with purple-pink spring flowers; 3-10 cm high and 15 to 20 cm wide
- Swamp-forget Me Not (Myosotis palustris) with a sea of white flowers from May to August; 30-40 cm high
Damp bank areas:
- Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) shines with yellow flowers in April and May; 30-40 cm high
- Colorful lizard tail (Houttuynia cordata) furious leaf decoration ground cover with red-edged leaves; 30-40 cm high
- Bachbunge (Veronica beccabunga), the classic for the watercourse with blue summer blossoms; 30-40 cm high
Pretty ornamental grasses with a preference for moist soil complete the planting plan for the stream. We would particularly like to recommend the delightful cotton grass (Eriophorum vaginatum) to you. After a silvery-white bloom from March to May, the piece of jewelry with white pompom heads as seed pods inspires. Wherever cotton grass likes it, it surprises with a second flowering period in early autumn.
Tips
With a romantic lighting you put your watercourse in the right light. You can use low-voltage lighting systems yourself in the garden to install. It works independently of the cable with solar lamps, which however often remain dark during the winter due to a lack of solar energy.
