Landscape Architect Articles

A Pond for a Tranquil New Hampshire Home06-29-06 | News

A Pond for a Tranquil New Hampshire Home

By Jon Morris, Grasshoppers Landscaping

This is the view from the client's deck in Manchester, N.H. When in bloom both white and blue hydrangea and lily pads will add color to this quiet area.

Ponds always create unique challenges and creative opportunities in landscaping. Meeting the design needs for the client to enjoy the features always requires careful planning. A landscape contractor needs to choose a sustainable location and incorporate water-flow considerations, erosion concerns and filtering options.

Our client called us in late spring and was seeking to create a peaceful and relaxing environment in his backyard and decided that a pond would be the best way to create this atmosphere. He led a busy life as a dentist, and he was looking for a place to thoroughly enjoy a cigar or a glass of wine after work. Manchester, N.H., has become an increasingly urban and metropolitan city, so taking pleasure in peaceful surroundings is ever more important.

During our first visit to the property, we surveyed the land to determine what size of pond would best fit in the area. The large, established trees and shrubs were the deciding factors in deciding to build a pond with a natural feel. The property had a gentle grade, sloping away from the house; the location was ideal for a waterfall. The natural slope also ensured that there were no difficult erosion considerations for the project.

We started by staking out the site of the upper and lower pond during our second visit to the client?EUR??,,????'???s home. Much of our consideration focused on building the pond around the current trees and other local features that would help the pond add to the overall landscape. Design consideration was also paid to good water flow and positioning planting beds, both in and out of the water.

The initial site was excavated by Bobcat and by hand. Appropriate rocks were selected, and remaining soil positioned for shaping the upper pond.

Like much of New Hampshire (the Granite State) the client?EUR??,,????'???s property had many rocks within the topsoil. In New Hampshire, fieldstone is heavy and rounded and has provided farmers with ample material for rock walls for centuries. In our initial estimates, we decided to use much of the fieldstone we would be removing to line the pond. We also decided we would use much of the excavated dirt to help form berms for plantings around the upper pond.

The client was satisfied with the plan and contracts were signed and we began work on the pond. Grasshoppers Landscaping started using a small excavator to extract dirt and rock from the lower pond and appropriate rocks were selected out of the soil and set aside. The soil was then formed into the berms for planting above.

Once the pond areas were excavated and marginal beds (in-water planting areas) created, we scoured the pond areas to make sure all sharp rocks and roots were removed by hand. For rocks that were too large to be removed, or for large roots, landscaping felt was used as a buffer for the liner. All marginal shelf shoulders were also layered with this liner.

From there, the liner was installed in two large pieces, with the lower pond section installed first. Then, the upper pond liner was installed overlapping behind the waterfall to prevent leakage at the fall itself. The waterfall was built out of natural fieldstone.

A few rocks are placed around the liner while the pond is leak tested. The waterfall will need to cycle for about three days for the water to become clear. Once the pond is filled you need to wait to see if the water level drops. For instance, if there?EUR??,,????'???s a hole in the liner 10 inches from the top, the water level would drop 10 inches. You would need to patch up the hole at that point.

For filtration, we installed a biological filtering system consisting of 3/8?EUR??,,????'?? round river stone and perforated ADS drainage pipe along with a continuous run re-circulating pump to feed the upper pond and waterfall. The marginal beds were created with fieldstone to create planting areas and preserve the natural look of the pond. Rounded peastone was then used to fill in the gaps around the pond and give it a finished and natural look. Rocks from the excavation were placed around the edges. Different sized rocks were used to provide visual excitement and to break-up the round edges of the pond.

Before test filling the pond, our last step was to create a small notch within the lowest point of the lower pond. This was created to give the pond a drainage point in case of heavy rain, and prevent seepage of water during wet periods.

The pond was then filled and tested for leaks. After the pond was filled, we checked for seepage around the liner, and also waited to see if the level went down. Our liner presented no leaks, and we were able to move on to planting.

The fallstone is the top stone of the waterfall and keeps the water visible by directing the flow out and over the rest of the waterfall.

To accent the natural surroundings of our pond, our plantings were focused on maintaining the relaxing look of the area. We planted ornamental grasses, viburnum and hydrangeas around the pond. Within the marginal beds, aquatic plants fused along with lillypads to shade 40 percent of the water surface to create an environment for the fish. Bog andromeda and low creeping perennials were planted around the edges of the pond.

We made one final touch by inviting the client out to finalize the sound of the waterfall.By adjusting rocks on or near the fallstone we were able to tune the sound of the waterfall to the customer?EUR??,,????'???s satisfaction.

We returned the next day to test the water quality to place the coy fish within the pond. Coy were chosen as they are a hearty and steadfast fish for the diverse New Hampshire seasons.

A bench was placed across from the waterfall and a large bluestone rock was used for solid footing under the bench.

Owner interaction and careful planning were the keys to the success of the project. Communication ensured that his needs were met and allowed us to educate him on the need for certain choices to be made. We have found that customer ownership increases the enjoyment that clients derive from their projects. Due to this high level of satisfaction with the initial design, when we came for final approval and payment, he invited us to sit and share a drink with him around the pond.

We exceeded the customer?EUR??,,????'???s expectations to a point he had us return a few months later to add landscape lighting for nighttime enjoyment.

Grasshoppers Landscaping does landscaping, hardscaping, nightscaping and water features in southern New Hampshire. Jon Morris and Keith Savage led the design. Savage and Mike Stickney were instrumental in the installation of this project.

Decorative grasses are planted for a natural feel and many existing bushes are kept to ease the transition back into the forest from the lawn. Aquatic plants are left in their pots or containers. In the marginal beds Grasshoppers Landscaping used crushed stone around the perimeter, so the plant and not the pot is visible. In the main part of the pond the pots are set atop 5-gallon buckets for lily pads and other water plants to grow.