The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Rockweler Rockgardens
Water Features
WATER, in one form or another, may frequently be introduced into the rock garden, adding greatly to its charm.
I would like to point out at the beginning, however, the distinction between bringing water into the rock garden and bringing a water garden into the rock garden—a difference which, despite its importance, is seldom realized.
The water garden is a distinct type of garden just as is the rock garden. A pool of nympheas and other aquatics within a rock garden is incongruous, to say the least; it spoils any effect of naturalness. Where there is plenty of space available, the rock garden and the water garden may be associated; but they should never be actually combined.
To present the subject from another angle, water in the rock garden should be employed merely as an additional medium which will help give variety and charm to the miniature landscape which we create. Again we may profitably go to nature as our instructor. Many things such as ferns, small bog plants, and moisture-loving rock plants and alpines can be used near the water, and will be entirely in keeping with the rest of the picture.
Keep in mind that the smaller the garden the more difficult it is to employ water and achieve results which look natural. With a small rock garden it is better to omit the water all together than to spoil what might otherwise be a passably natural effect by dragging in a palpably artificial pool or waterfall.
TYPES OF WATER FEATURES
In considering the addition of water to the rock garden it is essential to decide in advance just what is to be attempted.
Whatever is done should be incorporated in the construction of the rock garden and not added as an afterthought.
The Pool. The pool is the simplest, the safest, and usually the most satisfactory form in which to introduce water. This is particularly true with rock gardens of small size. It is not difficult to construct a pool which will look natural. Even though it be shallow, it will serve as a mirror to reflect bits of color and catch the ever-changing cloudscapes of the sky. Needless to say, it should be irregular in shape, and bordered with rocks so placed that they will look as though they had "grown" there. With the development of plant life, the effect of naturalness will increase. The pool, if carefully handled, may occupy a considerable part of the total area of the rock garden.
