Moving Water: Waterfalls & Cascades Design & Construction

Waterfalls and Cascades: Creating Dramatic Effects

Waterfalls and cascades offer great dramatic opportunities. Tumbling water conveys awesome power and beauty, changing with flow strength and light effects.

Follow Nature

Character should copy nature, even with artificial materials. Understand waterfall formation for right ambience. They occur where ground level changes, formed by water cutting through soil/stone. Most spectacular: water wearing through solid rock. Translate this strength — be bold, generous. Nothing worse than small fall with inadequate pump. Pump technology makes or breaks a waterfall. Adequate pump with spare capacity essential. Modern equipment leaves no excuse for anything less than a moving spectacle.

Suitable Materials

Rock is most chosen — tough enough to withstand battering, safest design-wise. Often part of rock garden, providing niche for moisture-lovers (maidenhair fern, dwarf mimulus 'Whitecroft Scarlet'). Natural link between rock garden and pool.

For natural look: select rock carefully, build with strata in same plane. Waterfall must appear integral, not imposed — major problem with pre-formed plastic/fibreglass cascades. Blending them is extremely difficult; better for soil banks disguised by heavy planting.

Rock garden outcrop waterfall needn't match material. Alien material works if rock feature is "stage" and waterfall tucked behind — like adding sculpture. Slate, marble recommended (marble = deep pocket). Glass (with steel) increasingly used in modern formal gardens: reeded, smoked varieties offer artistic possibilities. Flow needn't be turbulent; constant, consistent flow vital. Cut drip channel under flat glass spill to prevent water running back.

Integral Element

Integrate waterfall/cascade into landscape. Danger of becoming an appendage imposed by desire for moving water. Must look like it belongs. Use as linking element: lead eye down slope, follow level change. Strengthen path/step lines by running feature alongside.