Do you dream of a picturesque watercourse in the garden? Then give your vision tangible form. You don't have to dig deep into your pocket to implement it. These instructions explain how to create a stream on your own with tips for creative design.

Streams bring movement to the garden

Thorough planning is half the success

Please create a true-to-scale plan sketch in advance. Specify here exactly the area over which the watercourse extends, where the reservoir and source are located. In order to get a vivid idea of the finished appearance, ideally mark out the planned course of the stream with string and wooden sticks. Also use this opportunity to mark the location for the power and water connections.

The planning work also includes considerations as to how the necessary gradient is to be created. On a hillside property, this requirement is naturally met. On level ground, it has proven useful in practice to use the excavation from ponds, swimming pools and other water worlds for this purpose. Even a slope of 2 cm to 100 cm is enough for the water to flow.

Complete sets make shopping easy

Various complete sets for a watercourse are available for purchase in hardware stores, garden centers and specialist internet shops. This has the advantage that you get all the essential materials from a single source, from source stone to pond liner or stream bowl to a powerful pump. The rule of thumb for the optimal pump power is: For every centimeter of width of the watercourse, 1.5 liters of water per minute must bubble up at the source.

You will also need root protection fleece, sand, a spade, a spirit level, a wheelbarrow and plenty of muscle power if you want to create your watercourse properly.

Dig a stream - this is how you do it right

First, cut out the outline of the watercourse with the spade. Peel off any grass or lawn sod at this point. In practice, a depth of 25 to 35 cm and a width of 30 to 60 cm have proven to be recommended. How to proceed professionally:

  • Dig the creek bed along the markings, remove stones and roots
  • Important: the banks are at exactly the same level on both sides so that no water runs out later
  • Firmly stamp the ground so that the earth does not sag
  • Lay out a 5 cm layer of sand to protect the pond liner or stream shells from damage
  • Ideally, lay a root protection fleece on top of the sand layer

At the end of the stream, dig a reservoir if there isn't already a pond there. To ensure that the pump works smoothly and does not freeze in winter, a water depth of at least 80 cm is advisable.

Create a watercourse - you should pay attention to this

Lay the pond liner 25 cm beyond the banks. Otherwise she could slip into the watercourse. In addition, the film acts as capillary protection so that the surrounding soil does not withdraw the water from the stream. The technical heart of the watercourse is the pump. You use these on a pedestal in the collection basin or pond. The clearance from the ground ensures that the pump does not silt up.

Lay the pressure hose either under the pond liner or along the bank in a 30 cm deep channel. The water connection is decoratively concealed with a spring stone, spring pot or gargoyle.

Design ideas - How to give your stream a natural flair

If the technology for your watercourse is in place, the visual design comes into focus. With natural stones and gravel you decoratively frame the bank and at the same time stabilize the pond liner against slipping. Funny pond figures, such as a fishing frog, spread a good mood along the watercourse. So that the floral aspect is not neglected, we recommend this planting along the stream:

Dry shore areas:

  • Goldbasket (Chrysogonum virginianum) with golden yellow flowers from May to August and evergreen foliage; 8-10 cm high
  • Cowslip (Primula rosea) with purple spring blooms; 3-10 cm high and 15-20 cm wide
  • Marsh forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris) with a sea of white flowers from May to August; 30-40cm high

Wet shore areas:

  • Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) shines with yellow flowers in April and May; 30-40cm high
  • Colorful lizard tail (Houttuynia cordata) furious foliage ground cover with red-edged leaves; 30-40cm high
  • Bachbunge (Veronica beccabunga), the classic for the watercourse with blue summer flowers; 30-40cm high

Pretty ornamental grasses with a preference for moist soil complete the planting plan for the stream. We would particularly like to recommend the delightful vaginal cotton grass (Eriophorum vaginatum). Following a splendor of silvery-white flowers from March to May, the jewel with white fluffy heads as seed pods inspires. Where the cotton grass likes it, it surprises with a second flowering season in early autumn.

tips

Put your watercourse in the right light with romantic lighting. You can install low-voltage lighting systems in the garden yourself. Solar lamps can be used independently of cables, although these often remain dark during the winter due to a lack of solar energy.

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Care tips