24 July/August 2015 Landscape and Irrigation www.landscapeirrigation.com
LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
The Stuff that
Streams are Made of
It's nearly impossible for anyone to ignore the lure of water.
Whether it's a pond stocked with plants and fish or a fountain
projecting a soothing melody, water features in the landscape
command attention.
Ponds, pondless waterfalls and fountains are the most com-
mon water features among landscape contractors and their cli-
ents. While these elements incorporate the appeal of a water fea-
ture into a grander landscape design, a less considered feature, a
meandering stream, offers a unique opportunity for landscape
contractors and their clients to discover a new approach for add-
ing water to the landscape.
"Streams can tie together multiple features in the landscape,"
said Brian Helfrich, construction manager at Aquascape, Inc. A
stream can lead people from a central gathering place to a remote
location on the property. The curiosity of discovering where a
stream leads to or where it beings encourages property owners
and their guests to explore the larger landscape.
In addition to unifying multiple features within the landscape,
a stream provides habitat for wildlife of all species, but especially
birds. "Birds have a hard time bathing in deep pools, but a shal-
low pool created by a stream is perfect," he added.
Streams provide the added benefit of creating an escape from
the hustle and bustle of daily life. Using the existing grade or
slope changes to produce a range of sound effects creates a natu-
ral symphony that can range from a gentle, bubbling brook to a
cascading waterfall or the aggressive sound of a swiftly moving
current.
Perhaps best of all, each stream is unique to the property in
which it is installed. Your clients will be pleased knowing that no
one else in the neighborhood has an identical landscape design
in their yard.
INSPIRED BY NATURE
Technically, a stream is a "body of water flowing in a channel as a
river, rivulet or brook." However, there aren't specific descriptions
relating to the depth, width or length. "Everybody's definition of
■ BY KATIE NAVARRA
ALL
PHOTOS
PROVIDED
BY
AQUASCAPE,
INC.
