It can be done even in a small area - the more tortuous the channel, the more picturesque this corner will look. The seething stream brings an expressive note to the tranquility of the surrounding nature, reminds that movement is life, and creates conditions for endless contemplation. When viburnum blooms by the stream, you cannot find a more picturesque place.
There is no difference angle of decisive importance- after all, the pump will be responsible for the movement of water. A slope of 3 cm on one meter will already provide a visual perception of the flow of the silver stream.
Do-it-yourself artificial stream at the dacha. Site selection and channel formation
It’s good if the landscape of the territory is uneven, then the channel needs minimal adjustment. On flat areas you will have to create elevations here and there to make it look more natural. A do-it-yourself artificial stream is a closed cycle of pumping water from a reservoir and returning it to the lake:
The next stage in creating a real mountain stream will be the formation of a channel. To do this, a ditch is dug 30-50 cm deep and 50 cm to 1.5 meters wide. As in real streams, the width of the channel along its entire length may not be the same. Here and there you can go a little deeper to create the illusion of a pool. The configuration of the channel depends on the imagination and temperament of the owners of the site - from an almost flat line to intricate bends around trees or.
The finished ditch is cleared of stones, roots and other debris and compacted. A water overpass can be built in several ways:
- Lazy - a piece of asbestos-cement pipe cut lengthwise is laid in a straight channel, and the stream will take the form of an irrigation canal.
- Capital - the structure is carried out by concreting the bottom and walls, but this process requires a lot of labor.
- Cheap - the bed is laid out with plastic bottles with a capacity of 5-6 liters cut lengthwise with the neck and bottoms removed. This design is not durable.
It is much more interesting to show your imagination when paving the way for a future river, and use flexible waterproofing as a material.
A layer of sand about 4-5 cm thick is placed in the ditch, then any waterproofing material (butyl rubber, rubber, neoprene, etc.). After this, the riverbed is lined with a thin film.
The bottom of the future stream is decorated with rounded boulders, medium-sized blocks, and fine gravel. In flat areas, sandbanks can be made and laid.
Installation of a water circulation system
At the bottom of the reservoir into which it flows DIY artificial stream at the dacha, is normal . The hose from it can run under the riverbed or to the side of it, disguised with grass or turf. Considering that for the winter pumping system will have to be removed; to supply water to the source, it is better to use polypropylene pipes, which are easy to install. Another advantage of using film is that you don’t have to drain the water. If the base of the stream is made of concrete, frozen water can damage the integrity of the screed.
At the top you need to equip a source, where the silver stream originates. To do this, the water supply hose must be masked. Large boulders, ceramic elements or small stone structures in the form of a grotto or cave are suitable as camouflage. Small looks interesting wooden canopy, stylized as a well. Such buildings are found in forested mountainous areas to mark the outlets of natural springs.
Coast decoration
Plants planted along the banks and stones will add naturalness to the artificial stream. Before you create DIY artificial stream at the dacha, the stones should be sorted. The bottom can be diversified - in places with large differences in relief it is better to install large flat stones. Such rapids will create small cascades. Medium-sized round boulders laid out on flat areas will become an obstacle to even a small current and will simulate whirlpools. The place where the stream flows into an artificial reservoir can be made almost vertical - then the river will acquire its own.
Plants that will be planted along coastline, are selected depending on whether the stream is seething in the dense shade of centuries-old trees, or smoothly carries its waters along a sunny clearing, repeating the bends.
The basic rule when choosing flowers and herbs - love of moisture. Popular coastal residents are:
- a perennial with a height of 10 cm to 2 m. Inflorescences-panicles from pale pink to purple bloom in June-July. In winter, the upper part dies off.
– winter-hardy plant up to 40 cm tall, blooms in May-June
Forget-me-not- A bushy plant with silver-green leaves and small blue flowers. Begins to bloom in April.
Buzulnik- a large bush up to 120 cm high with leaves similar to burdock (about 50 cm in diameter). Inflorescences are yellow baskets.
– ground cover shrub, distinctive feature which is the ability to grow in steep areas.
– spike-shaped inflorescences of blue color, growing on the banks of reservoirs.
Widespread when decorating a stream with your own hands on personal plots received, mosses and lichens. The most common plants with showy leaves are ferns and all types of hostas. In spring, irises, daylilies and swimmers are irreplaceable on the shore. Properly selected plants will ensure that no one will call your stream artificial.
Many people prefer to spend time in their summer cottages in the summer. To make your stay comfortable, the area is decorated and decorated different ways, using all kinds of designs. One of the popular landscape decorations, which pleases not only the owners, but also those around them, is an artificial stream. A moving water stream can be designed in the most in an unusual way. If desired, fish can be raised in the stream. With all this, you can make an artificial stream with your own hands, which means saving money on paying specialists.
Types
Having decided to make an artificial stream on your site, you need to decide on its type:
Natural. This is an excellent option if there is a natural reservoir/stream nearby, from which a ditch is dug around your site, according to the planned plan, then simply taken outside the fence and directed back into the reservoir.
Real. It is constructed if there is no natural reservoir/stream nearby or if the volume of water is limited. A closed stream is simply made, into which water flows from the main water supply; movement along the ditch is carried out using a pump, and then returned to the source.
To choose which type of stream is suitable for your site, you need to familiarize yourself with the terrain, find and study all possible sources of water nearby, and then think over a plan for making the source.
How to plan your source location
Many people are faced with the problem of how to place a stream on their property. To solve it, you must first pay attention to certain features:
shapes of the entire site;
dimensions of other landscape forms;
relief of the site.
The decorated stream should be combined with other elements of the site.
To make a beautiful and creative artificial stream on your site, you need to take into account some nuances:
A narrow and winding stream will visually expand the area, making it larger and more spacious.
If the territory is flat, then it is necessary to make a stream like a meadow, which will have enough a large number of convolutions
If the site has a slight slope, then it is best to model an artificial reservoir like a mountain stream with a cascade design.
The length, width and depth of the stream must be thought out in advance. In this case, you need to rely only on your imagination or personal vision of the landscape at your dacha. However, there are certain standard indicators that are taken into account during the construction of an artificial reservoir:
The width of the stream should be from 0.4 to 1.5 m. If this figure is less than 40 cm, then the stream will become invisible on the site, especially if quite a lot of plants are planted along it. If the width is more than 1.5 m, then such a reservoir will occupy a significant amount of surface and will look like a natural pond.
The depth of the stream is usually taken from 0.3 to 0.5 m.
Procurement of material
Before making an artificial stream on your site, you need to prepare following materials and tools:
crushed stone, soil or others bulk materials that will be required for the foundation;
sand (it is necessary for arranging a sand cushion in the stream bed);
fasteners;
concrete (required if the stream has complex curved shapes);
OSB board for formwork;
pump, pipes or hoses;
decorative decorations (the most popular are natural stones, coarse gravel and various plants).
After everything is prepared necessary materials, you should proceed directly to the arrangement of the future reservoir.
Water volume
If you incorrectly calculate the volume of water required, then making a stream will end in failure. When calculating, one should take into account the fact that the pump pumps water over a distance equal to the length of the stream. When water returns from its end point, its speed decreases, as it has to go around stones and plants. Moreover, take into account the fact that water tends to evaporate. According to some calculations, on average, water in a stream moves 2 m in 1 minute. So, if your stream is 10 m long, then the movement of water in it will be up to 300 liters. When calculating, also take into account the area of the base of the stream, the volume of the lower pond and the diameter of the hose that supplies water to highest point stream.
Automatic watering at the dacha: Types, installation and debugging [+Video 2018] (43 photos)
During operation of the stream, you will need to add water to it from time to time. This is explained by the ability of water to evaporate.
Construction process
If all calculations and preparatory work completed, you can begin the actual construction of the stream. You need to start with its markup:
Take pegs and rope and draw the outline of the future stream. However, it is not at all necessary to comply with any geometric shapes. Try to give the stream a natural look through smooth bends.
After this, you need to dig the ground under the riverbed. If the stream is on a slope, you can add steps or small rapids.
The simplest method for making thresholds is to take boulders and set them on concrete.
The bottom of the dug channel should be cleared of roots and compacted.
Before laying the film on the bottom, add a layer of sand up to 60 mm.
To ensure that the canvas fits tightly to the base of the stream, it is recommended to thoroughly moisten it after installation.
And only after this can polyethylene be laid.
If desired, the bottom can be made of concrete, but in this case it should be decorated by placing pebbles or cobblestones of different sizes on it. Along the edges of the stream, geotextiles are secured with large stones.
It is necessary to dig a trench along the stream, up to 10 cm deep. The pipe coming from the pump will be laid in it. After laying them, this place needs to be masked. Once completed, all that remains is to connect the pump and start the water.
simple stream
We invite you to get acquainted with the stream, which everyone can do. To make it you need to prepare:
Plastic bottles, 5–6 liters in volume.
Black polyethylene film.
Pond pump or pump with hose.
Plastic basin.
Pebbles or gravel.
In this case, the mouth of the stream will be made of plastic bottles, which are cut lengthwise. First, cut off the neck and bottom. So, laying out the halves plastic bottles in a chain, cover them with thick polyethylene. The pump is mounted in a lower reservoir, which is also made from a bottle wrapped in film.
Finally, the stream bed remains to be decorated. You can use pebbles or gravel for this. To organize the lower reservoir, you can use a plastic basin in which the submersible pump will be placed. As for the hose, you can hide it at the mouth of the stream under the pebbles, leading it to the source.
Making a dry stream in the spirit of the East
Other original landscape element, which is quite simple to do and does not require much money, is a dry stream. It will be able to successfully hide imperfections in the relief, as well as visually enlarge the local area.
The advantage of a dry stream over a pond is that midges, mosquitoes and other insects that love moisture will not swarm over it. It is for this reason that many refuse a real stream and prefer a dry one.
Dry streams are especially popular in China. In the East, it is even considered that a landscape is unfinished if there is no water or its imitation. In fact, such an element landscape design maybe the only one the right decision, because it’s not always possible to make a water one. So, we can highlight several advantages of such a structure:
You can plant any plants near a dry stream, not just moisture-loving ones.
There is no need to purchase equipment for pumping water.
There is no need to deepen the terrain for water movement; therefore, land work will not take so much time and effort.
You can make a dry stream in 2-3 days.
A dry stream can be made on a slope, in a ditch, in the shade and in the sun.
At the same time it acts as drainage.
Pairs well with almost any landscape design style.
If desired, you can build a dry lake. In this case, the mouth of the stream and the bottom of the lake are lined with stone and crushed stone. The shore of a dry lake is lined with reeds.
Technology
First of all, you need to decide on the size, shape of the stream and the material used. So, when choosing a shape, take into account not only the terrain, but also the area of the site. If your site is narrow, then a dry lake can fit harmoniously. If the site area is wide, then you can build a winding stream. As for the structure of the stream itself, it can have both a source and an mouth. The mouth can be hidden behind large leaves bergenia or, for example, hosts. And to create the illusion of a stream, make a small depression in the intended place by laying out gravel small fraction.
Fastening the stringers of the upper flight of stairs (6 photos)
If we talk about the material used, in most cases it is gravel and pebbles of a small fraction. In this case, you can choose the appropriate tone of the pebbles from gray-blue to gray. Gravel, in turn, can be used in the following colors: blue-green, blue and blue. Basalt and shale are often used to construct a dry stream.
To place accents, you can use colored granite, blue balls, and glass granules. In the sun and even in cloudy weather they will sparkle and shimmer. As a result, this effect will resemble a real stream.
The process for making a dry stream is as follows:
Sand can be used for marking. Use it to outline the contours of the future dry reservoir.
If the size of the plot allows, then you can make several channels.
In different areas, the width of the stream can be changed, so it will look even more natural.
After marking in the indicated place, remove the layer of turf and level the ground.
As a result, the recess should be up to 150 mm.
The bottom is covered with a layer of sand up to 50 mm thick.
To prevent weed germination, a polymer film or geotextile is placed on the bottom.
After this, you lay large stones along the contour of the stream, and fill the bed itself with crushed stone or pebbles.
After these simple manipulations, your stream will be ready. Finally, all that remains is to plant the plants along the stream. But don't overdo it with flowers. Otherwise, the stream will turn into an ordinary flower bed. It is better to choose plants that are associated with water, for example, with blue flowers or blue-yellow leaves.
If desired, you can use some decorative elements for effective design of dry flow. For example, you can install a decorative bridge.
Tire Pond
Who, if not a Russian person, can instantly find a use for an unnecessary item? The same thing happened with used tires. When they appeared in the yards of many Russians, fences, flower beds, borders and children's attractions made of tires appeared. You can safely add a pond and a tire pool to this list. Their use in the manufacture of ponds and pools will be discussed further.
Planning and preparatory work
The area for the pond must be cleared of stones, bushes and debris. The bumps need to be smoothed out. Ultimately, you should have a level area. Tires come in different sizes, which will allow you to determine the size of your pond according to the tire size. A complex of small ponds located close to each other will look original.
At this stage it is also worth deciding on the location of the pond, whether it will be in the ground or on it. The choice of decor, and accordingly the purchase of necessary materials, depends on this.
The pond, like the stream described above, must be made in one style decision with the landscape of the site. Otherwise, it will be an awkward spot on the area around the house.
When choosing a place for a pond, it is important to consider the following nuances:
size of the pond and land;
burial level groundwater and soil structure;
terrain.
Water from a pond located in the sun will quickly evaporate in the summer heat. In addition, microorganisms multiply quickly in water in the sun. It follows that before finalizing the location for the pond, you need to observe solar activity on the site.
Tools and materials
Pond dimensions are the main determinant of tire size. A small pond can be made from car tires. A larger one - from a tire from a bus, KamAZ or tractor. If you are going to build a pool out of a tire, then it is best to purchase a tire from BelAZ.
Driving piles for the foundation (5 photos)
To work you will need the following tool:
Building level.
Metal hacksaw/jigsaw.
Preparing tires and pit
Initially, you should clean the tire from dirt and wash it. Then you need to cut it off top part tires. To perform this task, use a jigsaw or, if you don’t have one, a hacksaw. Measure the height and diameter of the tire. These measurements will help you calculate the depth and width of the pit.
The pit should be slightly wider than the tire. This will allow you to secure the pond waterproofing.
The water in the pond should fill it evenly. To do this, it is important to make a flat bottom for the tire. Its evenness is determined by the level. To prevent clay from entering the pond during operation, the tire should be installed slightly above ground level. This factor should not scare you, since you can subsequently decorate your pond with stones or plants, so that the edge of the tire remains completely invisible against the general background.
Laying waterproofing material
To prevent water from escaping into the ground from the pond, it is important to carry out high-quality waterproofing. Most economical advantageous material- polyethylene film. But it cannot withstand heavy loads. If you want to make a long-lasting pond, it is better to use waterproofing used for swimming pools.
If the tire is laid on a base, then spread waterproofing material on the bottom and spread it on the walls. The waterproofing layer should protrude 50 cm beyond the edges of the pond. This will prevent the waterproofing from slipping when filling the pond with water.
Experimentally fill the pond with water. If there are no leaks and the work is done efficiently, then the excess material should be carefully wrapped. The edges of the dam pit should be covered with sand or fine crushed stone. This will protect the area near the pond from weeds and also secure the tire and waterproofing.
Pond decoration
The decoration of the pond determines whether it will harmonize with the landscape or not. To do this, you should carry out a number of actions:
Plant plants in water. They can be installed on supplies at the bottom of the pond.
Place plants in pots/tubs around the pond. This will allow you to change the vegetation around the pond if necessary.
If you wish, you can breed decorative fish in the pond.
Stone/flower arrangements near a pond will look very organic.
Making a pool from tires
If the structure decorative pond doesn't seem so interesting to you, then you can make a swimming pool. But to implement this idea, you need to purchase a tire from BelAZ, as mentioned above.
Afterwards you also need to dig a pit, fill the bottom with sand, and compact it. Then you can lay waterproofing material on the bottom and walls of the pool. The same waterproofing that is used for arranging concrete pools is perfect for this.
You can decorate your pool with decking. It does not rot, does not absorb moisture, is durable and strong. You can make a path to the pool from the same material. The ladder for descending or if the pool is above ground, then the ascent into it must be made of moisture resistant materials. It’s easier to buy it, but here everything is left to your discretion.
The water in the pool quickly stagnates, making it unusable. To avoid such trouble, you will need to use reagents to purify water.
Such an inexpensive and quickly equipped pool is quite capable of being made by any craftsman or DIY enthusiast.
So, we learned the technology of making a stream and a pond from tires. Following simple tips and recommendations, you will be able to complete all the work yourself. And if you have fresh ideas in this direction, then write comments at the end of this article.
Video
Useful tips on how to make an artificial stream are provided in the video:
Photo
The provided photo gallery will help you decide on the type of stream to choose:
A beautifully designed plot is the dream of every summer resident. What makes a dacha beautiful?
This is, first of all, work and love for your property, as well as competently designed and created individual elements landscape design, which are interconnected into one whole. stream on summer cottage may become one of these elements.
This option will fit perfectly into any design. We will look at the stages of its creation, basic principles and design methods.
As a result, you will understand that creating a stream is not particularly difficult, and the pleasure of contemplating it is worth all the costs.
How to make a stream in the country? Main stages
First, let's decide what type of stream you want to create.. The classic is running water that intricately meanders and crosses the entire site, going underground. However, it is worth considering that the stream can be of natural origin, and it can flow in a straight line. When you create an artificial stream, you yourself set the trajectory of the water flow. IN in this case In order for the water to move, you will have to connect a pump. However, it should not be visible.
A simpler option is a dry stream where there is no water. This is a kind of stylized landscape element that just imitates running water. Now let's take a closer look at each option.
If there is a natural stream , then it usually does not present a very attractive sight: overgrown, with a swampy smell due to the low speed of water flow, which can sometimes even stagnate. First you need to examine it, see where the narrowest and widest places are.
Then you need to remove the weeds along the banks. Armed with a shovel, you can give the stream several bends and widen it in narrow places. By filling and deepening, try to increase its slope to give greater speed to the water. However, be careful with this.
If the banks are very steep, try to make them flat and, if possible, slightly level the area near the stream by 2 meters in both directions. The stream should not resemble a ditch.
It is also necessary to clean the bottom of debris, and then place pebbles and stones on it in random order, different sizes. This will allow the stream to gurgle happily. You also need to put stones on the shore, burying them 1/3-1/2 into the ground.
The next stage is planting the plants. Moreover, try to select low-growing species, plant not densely, otherwise the stream will be lost behind lush vegetation.
Now let's look at creating artificial stream . We take a plan of the site and plot its trajectory. It is very good if the terrain has a slope, because on a flat area you will have to form it by backfilling, and this extra costs. However, don’t worry, water can run on almost flat terrain with minimum slope, pumped by a pump.
Then we begin to remove the stream into nature. It is necessary to dig a shallow groove (about 20 cm) with gentle banks. With a slope of 3 cm per 1 m, the flow of water will already be visible to the naked eye. It will also not be bad if you make one or more drops that will act as mini-waterfalls.
The bottom is compacted, and a special film is laid on it, which does not allow water to pass through. Make sure that there are no sharp stones, roots or other inclusions at the bottom that could tear the material. It is advisable to pour sand under the film in a layer of 5-6 cm (tamp).
Instead of film, you can make a channel of concrete. While the concrete has not hardened, stones and pebbles are inserted into it. The disadvantage of this design is the need for shelter for the winter. Also, if all the water is not removed and it freezes, the bottom of the stream bed will become covered with cracks through which water will leak out in the summer.
If the slope of the bottom does not allow creating drops, then they can be made using large flat stones, which are laid at a slight slope in the direction opposite to the flow of water.
The stream will flow into a container (for example, an old bathtub) buried in the ground. You can cover it on top with shallow metal mesh, on which pebbles and stones are laid out (mask). A pump is installed in the container, which will supply water through a hose to the source. The hose is buried in the ground.
Decorating a stream with your own hands
After the stream bed has been completed, you can begin to design it. Required materials rocks and plants protrude. It is not necessary to observe symmetry when decorating the bottom and banks with stones; it is appropriate only when creating a dry stream, and then in some cases.
Among plants, the best will be low-growing species. From blooming in spring– primroses, muscori, daffodils, dwarf tulips and other small bulbs. Various low cereal plants (fescue, maned barley) and ground cover (phlox, woodweed, saxifrage) look beautiful, especially among stones. You can also pay attention to the range used for.
Separately planted specimens (creeping forms) of mountain pine will also give the stream a natural look. You can plant a weeping willow at the source.
Arranging the stream in various small forms has also become popular.. This is, first of all, a bridge, which should not be massive and high, otherwise the stream will be lost against its background. It should look more like a slightly arched or straight crossbar, without railings.
The bridge can be made of wood or stone. There are only decorative structures that cannot support a person, but there are those that can be walked on.
You can also improve the stream with other sculptures and structures(mill, small stylized houses, stone lanterns). The mystery and enigma of the stream in the dark will be given by lighting, which should not be bright. It is better to disguise it with stones and plants.
With a little work and time, you will get a wonderful structure that will help you relax after a hard day; the melodic murmur will fill you with calmness and give you vitality and energy.
Nothing can so captivate the eye, make you think and delve deeper into your thoughts, as the sight of moving water, living its own life. There is already a calm pond on your site and it’s nice to relax near it, but sometimes you really want to fill it with movement... Create some kind of similar fast river, albeit in miniature. Well, nothing is impossible! If you already have a pond, then it's time to add a decorative stream to it. However, if you do everything correctly, then none of the neighbors will even guess that it is artificial. The water in it will be real, and the movement will be created by a pump, skillfully disguised in a homemade stone grotto.
Decorative stream - a river in miniature
The first step in creating a stream is to select suitable place. In principle, there will be no choice as such, since the stream should only be located next to a pond or other garden reservoir from which the pump will “draw” water. For an outside observer, the final composition will look like this: from an inconspicuous spring gushing out of the ground, water enters the bed of a stream along which it moves and flows into the pond. In fact, we understand that there is no spring - the water is taken from the pond!
Scheme decorative stream(click to enlarge)
Ideally, the mouth of the stream should be on a slope of the site (slope 30°-45°) so that the water can flow down into the pond by gravity. This is not necessary, since the water flow will still be provided by the pump, but its speed on horizontal flat areas will be less than on a slope.
Step 2. Digging a ditch of the required depth
As a rule, the depth of a homemade stream varies between 25-50 cm, and the width can reach 1-1.5 m. Having determined exactly how you want your stream to look, you can start digging a ditch.
Its dimensions will largely depend on the material from which the bottom and walls of the water structure will be made. We'll talk about this below.
Step 3. Create a stream bed
Now we will proceed to the most important thing - creating a full-fledged riverbed. To do this, you first need to remove all stones, roots and other debris from the dug ditch, and then compact the surface. Subsequent work will depend on the material of the channel. In this capacity you can use waterproofing film or concrete.
If you have chosen the simplest option - film, then first lay sand cushion 5 cm thick, and spread on top of it non-woven material(butyl rubber, for example). Now all that remains is to carefully spread the film over the resulting surface.
If you choose concrete, the principle of operation will become somewhat more complicated. First, a gravel-sand cushion 25-30 cm thick must be laid at the bottom of the groove and covered with plastic film and fill the surface with a 15cm layer of concrete. Thus, the groove depth when choosing concrete surface initially should be 40-45 cm greater than the desired depth of the stream. Accordingly, the width should be larger.
Step 4. Decorating the stream with stones
We can say that the stream is ready, but its appearance is still far from natural. It is necessary to decorate it so that its artificial essence is not visible even close up. First, pay attention to the bottom of the structure - it will never be perfect in a real stream flat surface. In the place of the riverbed where a weak current is expected, small flat stones, preferably pebbles, should be placed on the bottom. Where the speed will be intense, it is better to give preference to large rough stones.
For a waterfall effect, large flat stones can be placed at the bottom of the stream.
The banks of an artificial stream also need decoration - place boulders there, small stones irregular shape. Pick up stones different sizes and shapes, laying them individually or in groups.
Pay attention to the landscaping of the coastline. Shrubs and perennials that prefer moist soil can be planted at the source. Viburnum and astilbe, juniper, bergenia, various ferns - all these plants will not only feel good near the water, but will also decorate the picturesque coastal landscape. Along the banks, between the stones, other moisture-loving plants will find refuge: marsh iris, loosestrife, daylily, brunnera, ostrich. Ground cover plants They will crawl onto the stones and become an interesting addition to the overall picture.
Select mosses, sedum, periwinkle or creeping tenacious for these purposes. Having planted all these plants in the coastal zone, it is worth remembering that most of them take about three weeks to take root. During this period, you should not turn on the pump full power so that the stream of water does not tear out the plants and carry them into the pond.
Step 5. Enter into the system and connect the pump
The stream bed will flow into the pond and this is where you should lower it submersible pump, which will force the water to circulate along a given route. The power of the device must provide required intensity her movements.
Hidden in a clay jug... is a hose from a pump
Considering that the water will rise to the sources of the stream, it is necessary to connect polypropylene hoses to the pump, which are easy to install and quite frost-resistant. It is advisable to decorate the outlet of the supply hose at the source. This can be done by hiding the hose behind a large boulder or by building a grotto from several small stones.
A wooden bridge spanning a stream invites you to approach the cozy pergola
And finally, if the stream is wide enough, it would not be a bad idea to throw a decorative bridge or several large flat boulders across it. This way, the water will not become an obstacle for those walking through the garden, but, on the contrary, will turn the walk into an interesting adventure.
A summer cottage is not only a place for a vegetable garden. Often, owners set up a place to relax, and to make it the most pleasant, you can show your imagination and decorate the area. Various beds, lighting and decorations will help with this. A dry stream looks very beautiful and requires little effort to arrange, so it is an ideal way to decorate a recreation area.
A dry stream is a decoration that illustrates the flow of water right in the middle of the site. The development of a real stream requires special knowledge, costs and subsequent care. A dry stream is easy to build and, if desired, can always be removed and replaced with something new. In addition, a dry stream can also serve a practical function: in rainy weather, it acts as a drainage system.
In addition, unlike real water, a dry stream will never contribute to the breeding of mosquitoes and midges, who love ponds very much.
This decor is no more dangerous for small children than an ordinary garden path and it is difficult to cause irreparable damage to it. This makes this decor very versatile and indispensable for the garden.
How to make a dry stream with your own hands
First of all, you need to determine the location of the decor: where the stream will flow, where is its beginning, where is its end. The future flow must be placed on the site. This is very important stage, because it is on him to depend future view the entire structure.
The second stage is the choice of material for the “water”. As a rule, these are small stones. Their color is determined by design. For the shore you can use large stones, for the current - small flat stones, and you can also diversify it with various highlights using colored stones.
Once the location of the stream has been determined and all the materials are ready, you can begin arrangement. Where the flow is planned, you need to dig a trench no more than fifteen centimeters deep. Then you need to cover it with material which will protect the kidney from the sun. This is done so that the finished stream is not spoiled by sprouted weeds. Lutrasil, geotextiles or similar materials are suitable for this purpose.
Then you need to lay out the stream bed using stones. To give them the required color, you can use waterproof paint. The stream will look more natural if the rocks in it are similar to the rocks on the site. In addition, you can experiment with its width - a non-standing stream will have blurry edges rather than perfectly smooth ones.
Best Dry Stream Ideas
To decorate this element, you can use a bridge - this will give credibility to the idea. A bridge can be made on the way garden path- to cross a stormy stream. The latter can be made with your own hands or purchased in a store - depending on the size.
You can show your imagination in the design of the stream and use various objects to decorate it. For example, it may flow out of a large jug. To do this, you need to put the jug on its side and pour some “water” into it.
Any garden figurines will also decorate and complement the decoration: small statues, frogs, storks, waterfowl fit perfectly into the composition.
In nature, life appears next to water: plants and animals. You can take advantage of this ability of water and attribute the merits of the emergence of vigorous vegetation to a dry stream. The following are suitable for decorating a stream: lobelias, buffalo grass, forget-me-nots, blue fescue, funkia, mosquito grass, bluebells, tenacious.
To create the atmosphere of a pond, you can plant reeds or bamboo. To decorate a small stream, it is better to use small plants - large ones will look disproportionate and visually overwhelm the decor. Small plants against the backdrop of a large stream will look awkward and are unlikely to be visible.
Using large stones, you can give the stream the necessary shape and create the illusion of a waterfall.
At the foot of the stream it is very harmonious and will naturally look alpine slide- a flowerbed that imitates mountain vegetation or plants growing among stones.
To create a stream, you can use multi-colored sand rather than stones; this technique is used to create an arena - a sand garden. She came to our country from the east.
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