It was a plain, simple pond, smack in the middle of the lot next door. Nothing fancy or idyllic. But it was “the final piece of the pie” for the North Shore family who owned the adjacent property, complete with a sprawling cottage-style house surrounded by a sweeping terrace, pretty pool, spacious cabana and sitting garden, says Lake Bluff landscape architect Scott Byron.
They had wanted to incorporate the pond into their property for more than a decade, and were finally able to buy the land it was on about six years ago. “The challenge was to merge the two properties into one, both functionally and aesthetically,” Byron says.
It was harder than it sounds. “The house was oriented to its original lot and had a well-established, fairly formal main garden we had been refining for 15 years. The family used it all the time for recreational activities and entertaining. So to make this work, we had to have a purpose for the pond that complemented the existing program and drew people into the space,” Byron explains. Plus, the existing garden was impeccably maintained, while the pond needed a bit of conservation work.
So the prosaic pond was fortified, gussied up and given a raison d’etre with structural and decorative devices.
Its banks were lined with small but rugged boulders and planted with willowy grasses and winsome blooms to pretty it up and prevent erosion when the water level fluctuates. An enormous and ancient weeping willow near the shore was pruned and nourished, and got its limbs cabled to keep them intact in heavy winds.
A program to maintain water quality was introduced, but because the pond is a naturally occurring, spring-fed body of water, “which is a real rarity in the area,” notes Byron, “it doesn’t need much work since it won’t cloud up or attract algae and pond scum.”
Additional features allow the family to experience the pond on a more intimate basis. A plank-and-log dock was built at one end of the pond so family members could dangle their legs into the water on hot days. Big, beckoning wood rockers were placed on the opposite bank to create an area for repose or reading. A path of rustic steppingstones was laid around the pond’s perimeter to encourage strollers, and a small waterfall was installed at one end for its charm and pleasant sound effects.
This last device was perhaps the most innovative and strategic addition to the garden, and served to unify the two spaces. “You can hear the tinkling water from the terrace,” Byron points out, “so anyone sitting there looks out across the main garden to this bucolic tract with the pond. It grabs your attention and introduces you to this pastoral view.”
And, in fact, the waterfall helps to fulfill the most important part of Byron’s garden plan. “We have an established history in Illinois of trying to create long, pastoral views since we don’t have any mountains or natural landscape features to attract the eye,” he explains. “The waterfall alerts you to the existence of the pond and encourages users to discover the view.”
But what delights Byron most about the job are the comments he gets from its many users. “Everyone says it looks [as if] we didn’t do anything to the pond. . . . [as if] it’s always been one big garden,” he says. Like the tinkling of the little waterfall, that’s music to his ears.
Learn how to build your own pond, step by step, at the following sites:
pw1.netcom.com/(tilde)wandaron/gardenpond.html
builtbyu.com/ponds/index.html
www.littlecountryvillage.com/newpond.html
www.geocities.com/RainForest/5741/howtopond.html
Get product information or place orders for equipment at www.pondmarket.com.
