Creative Designs - Waterfalls
Submersible pumps have enabled water gardeners to create wonderful waterfall and cascade features. Previously, moving the amount of water that is necessary to produce a suitably impressive flow, required a bulky pump that had to be housed in a specially built chamber. With a modern waterfall or cascade, a compact submersible unit is sufficient. The following review of waterfalls and cascades is intended to show the diversity of such features and to inspire creativity in modern water gardeners.
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 The effect of a natural waterfall has been created over millenia.
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Natural Waterfalls
Natural waterfalls are created by nature over centuries, and it is quite unusual to have one as part of a garden landscape. When this does occur, take great care not to disturb it too much when integrating it into the garden landscape. Interrupting or altering the flow may spoil the natural effect that has taken millenia to achieve. Too much disturbance can also cause it to leak. Most natural waterfalls do lose a percentage of their flow into the surrounding ground, but this has become stabilised over the years. If the rocks or stones are moved or adjusted, water flow may suddenly disappear.
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Natural-looking Waterfalls
When attempting to recreate a natural waterfall feature, it is best to copy nature. Even photographing waterfalls and natural cascades for reference during construction is invaluable. In nature the source of a waterfall is never the highest point of a rock outcrop, so in the garden this principle should be embraced.
When considering the visual effect of the water flow, remember that a tall slender fall will draw the eye upwards, lengthening and narrowing the picture. A broad shallow fall will widen it. It is vital to ensure that the pump that is used is sufficiently powerful to achieve the desired effect, ideally having a little spare capacity to permit adjustments.
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 In nature the source of a waterfall is never at the highest point of the rock outcrop.
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 The reflections in water are diminished by the introduction of moving water.
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When arranging the construction of a natural-looking waterfall the flow of water has to be considered carefully, especially when a small slender curtain of water is desired. Under such circumstances there should be a considerable overhang, otherwise the water will cling inconspicuously to the rock face. In arranging the rocks, remember that the rock feature should grow out of the surrounding landscape and not merely be an accompaniment at the pond edge. Bear in mind that reflection in the pond is diminished by the introduction of moving water and therefore the strength and flow of the waterfall should be in proportion to the pond surface area.
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Cascades
The origin of the cascade, like that of the fountain, goes back to the time of the Romans and Greeks, and then in later centuries was adopted by most European countries, those that colonised the rest of the world taking the principles of the cascade with them. Historic cascades, like that at Chatsworth in England and those at Peterhof in Russia, are far too grand for any modern park or garden, but much can be learned by observing their principles and methods of construction as well as their comparative rates of water flow.
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 Historic cascades can teach us much about construction techniques.
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