Moving Water & Water Features: Problem-Solving for Streams & Springs

Problem Solving for Moving Water Features

"I have a natural stream with wildly varying water levels. After a winter thaw, it becomes a raging torrent, damaging waterside planting. How can I control erosion?"

When planting alone can't prevent erosion, wood is the easiest, most tasteful solution. Drive treated stakes into the stream bed along the desired bank line, place treated boards between stakes and the eroded bank, backfill with nutrient-rich soil, and plant moisture-loving perennials. Disguise boards with scrambling plants.

"I lack room for a proper stream but have seen old gardens with channels linking water features. How do I build such channels?"

Old gardens often featured a wall mask spouting into a small pool connected to channels (typically 30 cm deep/wide) flowing down a steep slope to a lower pool. To build: excavate a trench 15 cm wider and 10 cm deeper than finished size. Use shuttering to form a mould, concrete the floor, embed wire netting for reinforcement, build walls, tamp firmly, and sprinkle with a fine rose as concrete cures to prevent hairline cracks.

"I have a spring in my garden; how can I turn it into a moving water feature?"

Depends on permanence and flow consistency. If irregular, let it feed a pool that overflows into a small watercourse — good for bog plants. If constant year-round, direct it into a stream or waterfall with a discreet land drain outlet.

Caution: Spring water brings high nutrients, fuelling algae growth (especially green water) in any connected pond. Best to treat a spring as a purely decorative moving water feature, completely separate from a water garden.