Water works (Spring 2006)

“It’s hard to even describe how wonderful it is,” says Donna Halsey, who is in love with the sound of the waterfall pictured on this page. “It’s just a calming, soothing sound that is always present. Even from our living and dining rooms, where you can’t see the water, you can hear it. Also, you would not believe the wildlife that is drawn to the stream. We never know what we’ll see.”

Perhaps the animals are so comfortable because all of the rock came from the Halsey’s property. The contractor used a backhoe to place each major stone, then asked Donna and Greg if that was where they wanted it. “The work was done piece by piece, without a formal design process,” Donna says. “We’re just really happy with our stream. Now it’s hard to imagine our property without it.”

In fact, this exotic irrigation system allowed Ken to turn an old orchard into a showplace of a forest. The dead and dying apple trees gave way to a beautiful blend of pine, spruce, and aspens. During the growing season, the trees are balanced by several large zinnia beds that add bursts of color. The job, however, was no small task. Ken hand-dug the ponds and stream, using the dirt he removed to level other areas of the property. The displaced sod was used to fill in grassy areas that needed help.

“Liners are another crucial part of the system. To avoid wasting our water rights, everything is lined with plastic,” he says. “Water rights are a use-it-or-lose-it affair, and I want to use every drop I can. My goal was to combine practical with pretty, and the combination of trees, grass, flowers, and reflections made all the work worth it.”

“When we built this house, my husband knew exactly what he wanted,” Sharen says. “He wanted a waterfall with a stream and pond, and he wanted it big. Our landscaper used a skid-steer to dig the moss rock out of our hill, and he created exactly what we wanted. Since then, there have been improvements. My son added a concrete curb to make a border for the grass, and we cemented a lot of the rocks in. We also added a little elevation to the waterfall to improve the sound.”

For Sharen, the new pond is bigger and better than the first one, a home-made affair that her late husband Steve built in 1984 at another house. That one was built into the hillside and used garden hoses for running water, rather than properly configured pumps. For Sharen, though, it doesn’t matter whether water projects are simple or sophisticated, it’s the sound and the “feel” that matter most. The splash and gurgle from the waterfall and the stream is just very soothing,” she says, “but there’s a lot more to it. My granddaughter just loves watching the fish, and at times I’ve had 15 deer gathered around out there. They tromp around and knock rocks over and all, but who cares? They are just delightful.”

She has also learned that you don’t have to be fussy around projects like this. When an invasion of a clover-like plant threatened to take over the pond, Sharen simply put on a pair of waders and tore out the invaders. She has the same attitude about selecting aquatic plants for the pond. Just do it.

“What you do,” she says, “is go buy whatever plants you like and put them in there. When you first plant them and start up the pump, it gets cloudy. But just wait a couple weeks and everything will clear up. What will surprise you the most is how well everything does. You don’t have to worry about plants dying, you have to get in there to clear them out when they overgrow the space.

Sometime this year, Sharen plans on moving to a smaller house. There will be one constant, though. Her new house will have water in the landscape. It’s a lifestyle now.