North American Lakeside Garden...

This extremely relaxing water garden style is very common not only in America, but in Australia, South America, Europe and South Africa. The North America lakeside water garden design is built on a pier extending over a lake and you can enjoy the sunshine while watching a trout catching a mayfly on the surface of the water.

Design components of the North American lakeside garden

There are 6 main components of the North American lakeside garden - These are

  • the pond
  • the decking pier
  • the Adiron chair
  • the water plants
  • the trees
  • the cabin

However the main focus of this water garden design is the small area in front of the cabin. The water garden pattern has a rather calming and peaceful effect. It has plenty of reels, rushes and fish. The design is perfect if you just want to retire after a long day at work.

Is this water garden the right one for me?

This garden pattern looks wonderful if its built on a large lake. The effect of the garden pattern can be created even on a small pond in your backyard - as long as you have a cabin, deck and trees. you will need to make sure that you get all these into your available space. Will My Plot Be Big Enough For The Water Garden?

However if you really do not have any space to spare in your backyard - you can make a tiny strip of decking projecting out over a pond, and then fit and theme existing items to suit.

Design Guidelines for success...

  • Look at old American folk images like paintings and old photograph and get some ideas from there.
  • Aim a design for the biggest pond
  • Build a simple, inexpensive cabin, nothing out of the blue
  • Build a small area of decking in front of the cabin with the boardwalk pier branching off from the deck
  • Get as many trees as you can - trees such as Salix (Willows), Acers and Malus syvestris (Crab Apple) are perfect. Climbing plants such as Lonicera (Honeysuckle) and Humulus lupulus will also serve the purpose.

How to create a North American Lakeside Garden

  1. Draw up a sketch of the design first - then make a detailed diagram taking into consideration the house, boundaries, structures and large trees. Note all drains in the area.
  2. Get rid of all unwanted plants
  3. Use hedge and willows to fence the space. You can also use high wooden ponds if you need to blank out neighboring houses
  4. Build a natural pond with a flexible liner, and create a natural edging
  5. Use the off cuts from the pond liner to create the bog garden hollows so that they are fed with the runoff water from the pond
  6. Build the cabin complete with the decking
  7. Cantilever a pier out from the decking so that it stretches out over the water
  8. Plant the trees, shrubs, climbers and bog plants.

Care and maintenance

A willow pattern water garden needs to be cleaned regularly. Remove debris and dead leaves in autumn. Foliage that is withered away needs to be trimmed. Remove all plants that need to be over wintered carefully. In winter remove dried up leaves, remove pumps and place a ball in the water to crush the ice. In spring clean out the pond. The gazebo must be checked before and after winter to make sure that it does not have vermin. The decking and pier need to be scrubbed at regular intervals to prevent them from getting green and slippery...