ARTICLES Archives - Page 289 of 312

Creating natural-looking cascades and waterfalls requires the deft handling of a range of technical and aesthetic details – the chief of which, observes watershaper Bob Dews, is effective concealment of the water’s source. Here, this specialist in ultra-natural watershapes for residential and commercial clients discusses strategies he uses to hide the headwaters and conjure some distinctly ‘natural’ impressions.

The Hidden Source

Cascades and waterfalls are different from most other types of watershapes. In ponds, for example, the quiet reflective surface of the water serves to accentuate elements within the water, such as the plants, fish and rock materials, while reflecting the features surrounding it. That same reflectivity is a hallmark of pools as well. Our purpose in setting up cascades and waterfalls is, by contrast, to highlight the water itself, and specifically the beauty of water in motion. As it flows over and around rocks and descends through natural weirs and cascades, the water itself creates interest, excitement and soothing sounds. There's also a greater sense of variety when you make the water move. Within relatively small spaces, we set water up to rush and meander, cascade and roll, tumble and trickle - all by way of conjuring impressions of a natural stream moving down a grade. Using moving water in this way - in mimicry of nature - is a true watershaping specialty, and volumes could be written about what it takes to make these scenes believable. For now, however, let's focus on setting up headwaters - a feature we at Xstream Ponds in Cashiers, N.C., have come to see as the key to

Primed and Ready

It should be a given, but it isn't: Despite the fact that proper pump installation is critical to ensuring the reliable and efficient functioning of any watershape's circulation system, too often installers will take shortcuts that compromise performance and shorten a pump's life. In this article, hydraulic expert Steve Gutai opens a new series on proper hydraulics with a concise look at what it takes to get the installation done the right way.

It isn’t unusual for big fountain projects to present unique challenges to their designers, outfitters and installers – and the one seen here is no exception. But this uniquely sculpted project, with its rocks and boulders and state-of-the-art watershaping technology, was more satisfying than most for Jon Mitovich and the staff at Roman Fountains, who immersed themselves in the process of turning a landscape architect’s drawings into a functioning marvel.

Dynamic Confluence

Perhaps the hardest thing for a watershaper to accomplish is to take a set of someone else's drawings, plans, sections and elevations, roll them all around together and come up with an accurate, three-dimensional, living interpretation of an architect's vision. The project shown here is a prime example of what's involved in this process. Designed by senior landscape architect Patrick Smith of the Austin, Texas, firm of Richardson Verdoorn, the plans called for three separate streams ranging in length from 50 to 80 feet (with each dropping 36 inches over various weirs) - all converging on a rocky

In his designs, custom watershaper Steve Oliver finds steady inspiration in the simple grandeur of water as it flows from one level to another. In the project seen here, for example, he uses an array of vanishing edges and gentle cascades to enhance and extend views from a home on the rim of the Arizona desert, weaving multiple water effects into a composition full of visual delights for his clients.

Liquid Layering

One of the things I like most about working with water is that it makes statements that don't require much verbal explanation. In fact, I like to think that the projects I build speak volumes about my clients' desire for something creative and interesting. They also speak to the point that most of my clients grant me the freedom to give my very best effort, both aesthetically and technically, without many constraints. Not all the work I do is so modern in style or approach as the project pictured in these pages, but this one illustrates a principle that's become a

A Gallery of Icons

If you're looking for a broad overview of the world's most significant gardens, their styles and the designers who created them, Icons of Garden Design may well be just the book for you. The 174-page text, edited by Caroline Holmes and published by Prespel Publishing in 2001, consists of dozens of well-illustrated articles from a variety of writers who cover an amazingly broad range of famous designs and designers. The book's coverage reaches back to 300 B.C. and comes to a close in the here and now. Along the way, you visit the grounds of Versailles in France, Chatsworth in England, the Peterhof in Russia and an array of gardens less well known to most of us educated in the Western world, including fantastic spaces in

Good Groundings

Last time, I mentioned initial meetings and discussions having to do with a retrofit project in Pacific Palisades, Calif. I call it a "retrofit" because we're using a portion of an existing pool shell as part of the new one, but in truth this is really a ground-up reworking of the entire environment. This project displays the influence that architects Ricardo Legoretta and Luis Barragan have had on my thinking about shapes, colors and spatial relationships. As soon as I saw this place, in fact, the work of both came to mind because of the strong colors and materials and the expressive

Ornamental Choices

Last month, we discussed ornamental grasses and their place as the most natural of all companions for watershapes. Now it's time to look at a few of your grass options, including something for just about every need and taste. Ornamental grasses come in such a wide range of sizes, climate preferences and colors that there really is at least one choice that will work in any client's yard. With so many choices, I'll have to narrow the list down to my personal favorites here. I'll also be suggesting some plants that aren't traditionally considered to be ornamental grasses; these are some "grass-like" plants I use as required to meet a particular design's needs. As always, I recommend

Just the Opposite

Is it honest to say that too few of the swimming pools you find in America's backyards are what one could call well built - and that even fewer of them are well designed? I think so, because so many of the pools I see run like junk and look like junk, and it's way too easy to find installations that lack any apparent relationship to their settings, their homes' architecture, the landscaping or any recognized

The Heart of the Art

There's a natural tendency to think of artists as dreamy, distracted types devoid of any aptitude for or interest in things technical. When you study just about any art form in depth, however, you soon realize that

Numerous approaches to the illumination of decorative watershapes have been around for decades, but there’s keener interest in specific techniques for the lighting of moving water as the ‘fountain phenomenon’ reaches past the commercial realm and makes its way into the residential market. In both settings, observes Crystal Fountains’ Paul L’Heureux, it’s always about maximizing the visual beauty of water. (Photo by John Max Llorca)

Guiding the Lights

It's a simple notion: When designing illumination for fountains and for watershapes in general, we as designers have the opportunity to choreograph the interaction of light, sound and motion to create visually compelling experiences. Just as painters mix colors to create desired shades, moods and movement within their compositions, watershapers can use the sounds created by moving water, the water's visual effects, various materials of construction, the ambient (natural) light, any surrounding architecture and the tools of modern illumination technology to take these masterpieces to