Water Garden

Water gardens create immersive aquatic environments in your outdoor space, featuring water as their primary design element rather than as a temporary condition. Ranging from formal reflecting pools lined with structured plantings to naturalistic ponds edged with specialized vegetation, from meandering streams to recirculating fountains, water gardens provide a singular experience in your landscape.

Once established, a water garden comes alive with layers of plants that flourish in its microhabitats: water lilies stun with their remarkable blooms while their lily pads shade the water’s surface, mesmerizing irises and swaying grasses provide texture and habitat at the water’s edge, and underwater plants (oxygenators) help maintain the health of the water. These conditions attract a parade of garden visitors, including darting dragonflies, vocal frogs, quirky salamanders, and even, in larger installations, fish.

While water gardens and rain gardens may seem similar, there are some important distinctions between them. Rain gardens collect stormwater then release it into surrounding soils during dry periods— they experience periods of both flooding and dryness, and feature plants that can tolerate both conditions. Water gardens, by contrast, are designed to keep water contained, showcasing true aquatic habitats that need constant moisture. 

Whether you’re drawn to the meditative qualities of still water reflecting the sky or the energizing sound of moving water bringing life to a quiet corner, water gardens offer a unique opportunity to incorporate one of nature’s most essential elements directly into your landscape.