One way in which you can enable your client’s State College, PA, landscape to stray from conventional designs is by constructing interesting and unique water features. By excluding the pond that older water features are based upon and in which their water collects, you can help your clients achieve a sleeker, more space efficient setup. Here are a few ways to make the most of this technique:

Creating a path through a sloped landscape

If your client has a long slope as part of their landscape, consider utilizing gravity and creating an elegant staircase-like waterfall. Slabs of natural stone, or a concrete alternative, can be placed in a stepwise fashion down the slope. The water feature can then be designed in such a way as to allow the water to run down the slope, collecting on top of large stones while gracefully passing over smaller slabs. Using natural stone can grant this water feature the look and feel of a natural stream. Consider creating a walkway alongside the water feature so that it can serve as a small getaway or conversation spot.

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Embracing unconventional designs

A water feature without a circular pond at its base may be unconventional and fairly modern, but getting creative with water features doesn’t have to end there. Consider, for example, having the water spout from unexpected concrete structures, like an overflowing jug teetering on its edge, half embedded in the soil. Without a pond, this water feature can be made to look even more spontaneous and quirky, creating the impression of the water being a spontaneous addition to the statue. Alternatively, you could suggest a faucet-like water feature that spouts water into a large copper basin that quickly drains. Water features like these make for memorable landscapes.

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Ensuring a tranquil soundtrack

Pondless water features tend to have fuller, clearer sounds due to the steeper angle at which the water tends to fall. For example, many pondless water features have water toppling over the edge of stone slabs, onto other stones below. This results in sounds that are more similar to natural streams.

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Offering low-maintenance solutions

Busy homeowners want nothing more than a maintenance-free landscape that can be left unattended for week-long business trips. A landscape pond requires regular cleaning, patching of leaks, replacement of pumps and filters, and clearing away of fallen leaves. A pondless water feature bypasses all these maintenance requirements without any compromise to beauty and aesthetic. In fact, pondless water features offer a more edgy and original look, favored by many over traditional water feature designs.

Blending into the softscape

Pondless water features can often transition from being hardscape features to being part of the natural landscape. Many pondless water features, like the sloping waterfalls mentioned earlier, can be created using irregularly shaped stones and can be shrouded in plants and moss. Water features are often raised and constructed using wall units. Having a pebbled area as a catchment basin instead of a pond can greatly enhance the natural look of a water feature, eliminating the use of materials that may seem artificial.

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