Three Backyards with Beautiful Water Features

Find out how a landscaping professional can enhance and define your outdoor makeover by adding a unique water feature.

The sound of falling water brings peace and tranquility to your outdoor space. It also creates a focal point within the landscape, drawing people in to the sound of water flowing and the water itself moving over the surface. The three landscape fountains featured below range in size and style from impressive to intimate, but they all command attention.

Pattern of fallen leaves

Patio overview

Who lives here: A couple who has owned real estate for 50 years.
Location: Buffalo NY USA
Size: 988 square feet (92 square meters); 38 feet long, 26 feet wide (excluding garage)
Landscaping designer and contractor: Buffalo NY USA

Before: Backyard hasn’t been updated in over 50 years. The old garden must have looked quite nice when originally completed. I was just tired and lethargic. The brick paving became uneven as the space available for planting mature honey trees, a central element of the yard, was exceeded.

Landscape designer created a space that feels fresh and modern while still relating to the home’s traditional architecture. The centerpiece of the exterior is a new waterfall-style fountain designed by the RDKLandscaping team anchored at one end of the yard.

After: A driveway paved with locally quarried Algonquin limestone runs through the yard, leading to the dining area and detached garage at the back of the yard. It ends with a new freestanding water feature that anchors the end of the yard. Constructed from three sandblasted limestone slabs held in place by a clip system, the piece provides a contemporary counterpoint to the home’s classic look.

Water features also help block ambient noise from surrounding urban areas. Water flows down three limestone slabs and makes a soft clicking sound as it hits the limestone splash pad at the bottom. 

Find a local landscape designer on Buffalo NY USA

The random patterns on the panels were created from impressions of honey locust leaves. The design team added this as a nod to the adult honey locusts in the yard. This impression also provides an attractive three-dimensional appearance as water flows down the panels.

To achieve the effect, the designer created a 1:1 scale computer-aided design (CAD) drawing of the leaves in the desired arrangement on the stone. From there, the contractor hand-sandblasted the pattern into the stones on site. I sowed the leaves at two depths as shown in the photo. A lot of thought and detail went into it.

Monolithic slab

A glance at the yard
Location: Buffalo NY USA
Size: 5,720 square feet (531 square meters); 65 x 88 feet
Designers and Builders: RDKLandscaping

Before: A mostly flat yard with a long deck didn’t provide the outdoor retreat, this Buffalo NY USA homeowner was looking for. When they turned to landscape design and construction firm RDKLanscaping for their new design, one of their requests was a water feature. One of the homeowners provided photos of the underwater decorations he wanted, inspired by the work of Italian landscape designer. They also wanted a water feature that could activate the space with sound.

After: Although inspired by Italy, the result is a piece that pays homage to the Buffalo NY USA region. We wanted to create something similar using ingredients from (Add Region Name).

She sourced huge slabs of Buffalo NY USA buff sandstone from a quarry in the nearby town of Buffalo NY USA to create her monolithic pond. We then created a custom steel water dam that we could carve out of stone and lock into place. The team then core drilled into the monolithic stone, allowing pipes to pass through it and feed the weir. The final step was pouring a custom water through.

She planted low-maintenance ornamental grasses around the water. This provides a soft contrast to the strong geometric feel of the fountain design.

The waterproofing is located between the new covered dining area and lounge patio. This creates a focal point in the yard while subtly separating the two spaces, as requested by the homeowners.

This feature is key to the entire design, and the space feels truly amazing when you’re in it.

Appearance of sparkling water

A glance at the yard
Who lives here: Couples                                                                                                            Location: Buffalo NY USA
Size: 4731⁄2 square feet (44 square meters)
Landscape designers and water feature: RDKLandscaping

Before: The yard of this Buffalo NY USA home was neglected and overgrown, so the homeowners turned to landscape designers for help. They wanted a new landscape connecting their home and their backyard home office.

They also wanted the connecting paths to be a journey in themselves, encouraging people to stop and enjoy the gardens along the way.

After: The new landscape features a winding path lined with layers of soft plants. The team used this offset design to make the yard feel much larger than it actually is.

Midway through the journey, a new water feature brings movement and sparkling light to the space. The RDKLandscaping team fabricated steel plates painted black on site.

The rectangular water feature is about 11⁄2 feet deep and has a rock at one end. The owner wanted to use the large pebbles he already had in the garden. We drilled a hole to create a dripping fountain. The lower pump pushes water upward through holes in the stone.

Baby’s tear plants interspersed with Japanese pachysandra beautifully soften the edges and horsetail sprouts in the water.

Note: Before using on a project, check to see if baby’s tears and pachysandra are invasive in your area and site conditions.