All too often, the purchasers of a home (new or old) find a garden space stripped of any natural feel. Large lot or small, they sense no "connection" to the land - only a bleak space devoid of vegetation or any sort of overhead canopy and lacking the finishing touches that draw them out of the confines of the home to enjoy what usually represents the majority of their real estate.
From my perspective, the best way to generate this connection to the land is through the creation of ponds, streams and waterfalls in these backyard settings. Such features bring a more natural look and feel to residential garden spaces and instill a sense of connectedness. And whether customers pick up this sense consciously or subconsciously does not matter: What matters is that they somehow know it, that they feel it.
Plantings are a big part of this picture, but I lean heavily on water shapes to create connections because of the sounds they make. In fact, I believe that sound has as much to do with making the connection as does sight and carries our work to a much higher level - a level that no other single element can.
Simply put, people respond to the sounds water makes - a fact that can help you transform a landscape to a garden and a garden to a sanctuary.
The sound of water moving through the landscape adds something special to any backyard, offering a powerful aesthetic component to even the simplest of designs. These auditory enhancements evoke strong images, emotions and associations even from casual or occasional observers.
The collision of water and water or water and stone draws people to the source of the sound. It links spaces in and around the home (or office) to the water, even when the participant isn't within eyeshot. Think about your own experiences of entering a home and hearing the sound of falling water through an open kitchen window: You are drawn to the source. Or think about the attractiveness of garden rooms in restaurants - and, on the flip side, about how frustrating it is to be trapped inside a sealed office tower with a view of a graceful fountain you can't hear because the windows won't open!
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