A small stream can be created within a shorter or longer period of time - depending on what the result should look like. There are many ideas for this. From the quietly murmuring little stream that finds its way from the source through the blooming summer meadow, to the stream with dense vegetation on the banks, to the water path artfully laid out with a waterfall and lighting: Whatever you like and whatever fits in with the style is allowed your own garden is best.
Which stream ideas are suitable for different garden types?
A natural stream winds through meadows and planted banks and has rapids or waterfalls. A perfectly straight stream with a concrete or natural stone base, integrated light and seating is suitable for modern gardens.
Modeled after nature
In a natural garden you basically have three options for designing the stream:
- A meadow stream winds its way to the garden pond without any further planting on the banks.
- The stream is lush with plants.
- The stream has rapids or even one or more waterfalls.
The concrete design of these basic ideas can be very creative and individual. However, with a stream bed that is close to nature, it is important that you avoid symmetry if possible. This means: The stream does not run straight to its destination, but winds in small and larger arcs. The width of the stream bed is also not uniform, but varies from time to time - as does the density of the planting.
Streams for modern gardens
Of course, such a natural stream doesn't fit in every garden. If you prefer something more accurate and modern, you can plan and lay out the course of the stream accordingly: dead straight from the source to the collecting basin, perhaps embedded in a subsoil made of concrete or natural stone slabs. Placed slightly elevated, the side walls serve as seating. Lights can also be integrated into these to illuminate the water from the inside on warm summer evenings, creating a romantic atmosphere.
Getting across on dry feet
If the stream runs right through the garden, you don't necessarily want to constantly take detours to get to the other side of the garden. Depending on the width of the stream, a small bridge or simply stones placed in the stream bed create an opportunity to get across quickly and still with dry feet.
Tip
A stream only babbles when it can run down an incline of at least two percent. An artificial slope can be built, designed and planted using excavated earth, for example from building a house. At the foot of the stream flows into a small pond.
