Think of summer, and what comes to mind?   Well, apart from heat, I bet you’re  thinking of spending more time at the beach or pool.    Hold that thought, or better yet, transform it into a relaxing water feature, right in your backyard.    Water features need not be expensive, especially if you take the time to do some research and much of the installation work yourself.  Today we feature two different designs.  The first  design done by Affordable Landscaping, consists of three linked pools, suitable for a medium sized, level area.   The pools are reached by walkways wide enough to hold chairs or benches for you and your guests to sit, relax and enjoy the soothing sights and sounds surrounding you.  Strategically placed lighting makes this water feature a joy to behold at night.  Note the use of sun-loving plants such as mussaenda, dracaenas, asparagus fern and salvias.

The second water feature, by Lionel Derizzio,  is tucked into a sloping corning of the garden.  It uses a high cut stone wall as a back-drop, with stones seemingly ‘flowing’ naturally  down from the wall to the edge of the gently rippling pond.  Impatiens, red Ti-leaf, blue plumbago and a cobalt blue clay urn  provide the requisite splashes of colour.

Just visible in the bottom right is one of the many colorful coco plants that are quite

en- vogue these days.   Very pretty, but my favorite ‘coco plant’ for waterscaping is the caladium.  

Caladiums

These modern-day hybrids come in a spectacular array of colours and patterns and make great accents around a water feature.  They are close relatives of the dasheen and coco, but  are grown for their colorful leaves, which arise from a swollen rhizome or tuber, resembling a mini dasheen.   Just like dasheen, caladiums may be propagated  by cutting the tuber into roughly 1.5 inch segments and setting in sand or coir. They’ll sprout in about 3 weeks.   Plant caladiums in containers or outdoor beds, in moist, well drained soils.  They are most attractive when a single type is planted in an area, rather than different colors together.    Plants die back in the dry season, and emerge after a 3-4 month rest period. 

Go ahead, enjoy the many water features that are gracing the landscape, and try to stay cool during the summer months.