(SBA) - Type ‘backyard water feature’ into your Internet browser and you’ll find a plethora of resources on how to create or purchase a water feature. Everything from outdoor fountains to ponds to small waterfalls to hang on your patio wall – the sky is the limit! The National Gardening Association estimates 15% of US households have an outdoor water feature. The water gardening category is one of the fastest growing areas of gardening. People love the sound of running water and the attractiveness of a water feature.
Just like us, birds, butterflies, frogs, dragonflies – they all need water too. So, installing water is a win-win for us and wildlife. Birds are attracted to the sound of running water so including a moving water feature in your yard will help them find the water source. Many wildlife such as dragonflies and amphibians like frogs and toads depend on water for a portion of their life cycle and can use a permanent yard water feature.
While there are many benefits to adding a backyard water feature, there are a few things to consider when deciding whether you want to want to join the trend.
It’s always good to start small before "diving in too deep". Maybe add a pedestal bird bath while you plan for a bigger project.
Water features can be effective year-round but in the warmer months, mosquitoes can be a concern. Standing water leads to mosquitoes. An egg laid in water can be an adult in as little as 4 days under certain weather conditions! To avoid a horde of mosquitoes, if you have a standing water bird bath, it’s a good idea to change out that water completely at least weekly.
In larger ponds, where you can’t just tip it over and dump the water out, mosquitoes can be a bigger problem. There are chemicals you can use or you can try various ‘natural’ controls such as; adding a pump or fountain to keep the water moving, adding fish, or creating habitat attractive to frogs, dragonflies and other aquatic insects that eat mosquitoes.
Or you could do away with the standing water all together and create a pond-less stream!
These are available at most home improvement stores and are relatively easy to install. The most common are pre-formed pond inserts which are available in a variety of sizes and shapes. You dig a hole slightly larger than the form, place sand underneath and around it to conform to the shape of the insert, then fill it with water. Some come with a fountain that will spray water to keep it moving.
The advantage of this system is that it is easy to maintain and install on your own.
The disadvantage is that it is often relatively small and can be overlooked in a larger yard.
If you want something larger, you can build your own backyard pond. Dig a hole to the size and shape you wish, line it with a heavy plastic or rubber liner, and fill it up. We built this one in our backyard with the help of a younger friend – digging that much dirt is hard work! We planted native bushes along 2 sides of the pond, planted native aquatic plants along the pond edges, and lined the edges with flagstones. It was less than 2 feet at the deepest point and had a pump at one end to keep water moving. We did not include fish as I wanted native frogs to use it but we did battle mosquitoes.
So, to recap, the advantages of this system are that it is larger, easier to see, can be shaped and sized exactly as you want it to look, and can be easily kept open in the winter.
The disadvantage is that you need to keep an eye on it to make sure the water level stays high enough to not let the pump be damaged and it can be harder to combat mosquitoes.
When we moved to a different location, we decided to install a pond-less stream in order to avoid the mosquito issue. Plus, birds especially love the moving water! Being even older now than we were when we installed the pond, we did not try to do the work ourselves. Similar to the pond, our contractor used a rubber liner to create the shape and structure we wanted. It is deep on the lower end (again, about 2 feet) and we built up soil to create a small waterfall effect. While the lower end is deep, it has a layer of rocks that results in not having an exposed ponded area (the 2-foot well is ‘underground’). It also has a pump in the deep end which pushes the water back up to the top of the waterfall, so water is always circulating.
Similar to the pond at the old house, the advantages are that it is the exact shape and size we wanted, it sounds beautiful, and I think there are fewer mosquitoes (plus we also installed Purple Martin houses and they eat mosquitoes).
The disadvantage for us relates to the water line. We sprung a leak in the liner and did not catch it until a very large water bill arrived. That disadvantage isn’t due to the pond-less stream itself. Any of the features mentioned above could have a water line, so it’s just something to consider. Another disadvantage is we cannot (or chose not) to have it heated in the winter, so we turn it off, pull out the pump to prevent the pump from freezing, and use a heated pedestal bird bath, which we fill with water (or snow) every few days to provide for our feathered friends.
For us, providing a water source for birds and other wildlife brings great joy. Water is a wildlife attractant and with a little care and planning, a water feature brings wildlife to you!
