STREAM GARDENS

It is truly a blessing to have a stream on the property. It can provide so much more than just water; a sense of coolness, a lovely sound, improved ecosystem, irrigation and more. I love to decorate streams with site appropriate plantings that can thrive in the richness of its banks. See the lovely Primula bullesiana (above). It brings such delightful, unusual color to a spring stream.

Stones have a very important role in the stream garden. They provide visual structure and create shelter for water borne creatures. The stones are also shapers of the stream, keepers of the banks. I use stones large and small to create the bones of the stream garden, to give it some swagger and swish. They give the stream presence, even when dry.

This stream garden (left) is in its first year, so still in its adolescence. Our additions included the large, oversized boulders and wet-loving plants like Siberian iris, primroses, meadowsweet, marsh marigolds, and red-twigged dogwoods. The boulders (from the property) give the stream shape and structure, even in the dry months. The plants apply lovely color and ornamentation, and also erosion control and flood protection

The picture above showed the pre-existing condition, an ill-defined stream path, and a marshy edge of the silt pond that proved difficult to maintain. As part of the planting scheme, we installed long-lasting, easy maintenance shrubs to the banks of this silt pond and offered one point of entry for intermittent maintenance.