HUNTSVILLE — I’ve always believed that in ones garden, water is the most essential of design elements. The introduction of a water feature either a free standing fountain, in-ground pond or wall mount water feature brings wildlife and sound to our landscapes. Gardeners without water of some kind are void of movement and their landscapes are still except for the sounds of nature.     

In our garden we choose a free standing fountain with water spouting into a basin from four sides and cascading out the top. The fountain is approximately six feet in height and six feet in diameter. It is nestled in a grove of trees and installed on a solid base of crushed granite. Sitting on our front porch we can see and hear the splashing of the water and through an open window in our bedroom the sound sings us to sleep at bedtime.     

When we began our garden 10 years ago, we had an ideal sight in the middle of our property for a modest sized pond. Back then I didn’t own a tractor, so a shovel and wheelbarrow were my options for earth moving. I dug the pond approximately four feet deep and around twenty feet long and twelve feet wide in an irregular oval shape.

Having no electricity that distance from our barn made the pond un-filtered. To keep the water as pure as possible I put in a number of aquatic plants. I believe that I had almost 60 percent of the water surface covered in some type of aquatic vegetation. Racoons were a problem so instead of purchasing expensive Koi fish, I bought 20 goldfish at the discount store for $5. Over the next three years with no supplemental food provided, three of the goldfish thrived and grew to twelve to fifteen inches in length. Eventually they succumbed to an unknown predator.     

For seven to eight years the pond was a focal point of our landscape. A pesky leak at the bottom had me topping off the pond every three or four days with our precious well water. Eventually I decided to far go the pond, fill it in and create an elevated grassed sitting area in its place. I am currently in the process of completing this project.      

Our free-standing fountain mentioned previously has been a complete delight. I am constantly amazes at the variety of life that water attracts. I understand that astronomers are searching the galaxy for stars with planets revolving around them and that the presence of water will be used to indicate the possibility of life on that planet. Where there is water there is life of some kind. Deer drink from our fountains basin as well as bees, birds, butterflies and I’m sure any number of after dark visitors.     

Since we no longer have our pond, I am toying with the idea of adding a second water feature to our garden once more. I’ve always desired a wall mounted water spout dripping into a small one half round basin. My only problem is deciding on an appropriate location. The choice of a location has to be dependant on visibility, sound and distance from our fountain and electrical supply. My alternatives are; our back porch, the side of our barn or the large oak tree next to our potting shed. The back porch is to crowded, the barn inappropriate so the oak tree wins by process of elimination.    

Several years ago I purchased a ram’s head solid lead wall mount fountain. It has sat on the work bench in our barn all this time.  I never bought a basin to catch the water from the ram’s mouth. The basin has to be of such size and depth to correspond to the fountain head and of such depth as to hide the submerged recalculating pump.     

The garden center in Houston that is my favorite place to find antique garden related items has some old stone sinks from England that might work. This place doesn’t give these antique items away so the lead head may just remain on the work bench for sometime to come or until my ship comes-in whichever comes first. The more I think of it the oak tree is the perfect spot for the new/old fountain. If I need a little water while potting up anything, I’ll just stick my water can under the spout or dip into the basin.      

If my ship were to come-in I would have a new pond professionally installed on the far end of our property. It would have a small cascading water source and be of such size and depth to allow Koi fish to survive. The filter system would keep the water fresh so the vegetation wouldn’t have to be so pervasive and the Koi could be seen easily. Money can’t buy happiness but it could buy a Koi pond. My shovel and wheel barrow years are behind me.      

No matter the size of your garden, a water feature of some type will always be an invitation to wildlife. Share your pride and joy with Mother Nature. Remember, you’re just visiting, they live there. Make it a happy home for your wildlife guests and enjoy the sight and sound of water in your landscape.

For more information on the Walker County Master Gardeners, please call (936) 435-2426 or go to www.walkercountymastergardener.org/ The WCMG website is a bounty of useful gardening information and citizens are encouraged to peruse it often.

If you have any questions about the information in this article or any of the Extension programs, please contact the Walker County AgriLife Extension Office at (936)435-2426, or walker-tx@tamu.edu. Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas cooperating. A member of the Texas A&M University System and its statewide agriculture program.