along the inside edges of streams and pond shorelines; you also want this same concept of erratic and spontaneous rock placement extending out into the landscape. ■ Use the surface of rock material to your advantage. If a large boulder has a dished-out curve on one of its surfaces, use that to help you move the water in the direction you want it to go … or better yet, use it to force the water in another direction, creating additional hydraulics. ■ Don’t always get caught up making the water do what you want it to do. Allow nature to do what it wants to do naturally. Let the rocks tell you where they need to be placed for the best end results. ■ Always start with the largest rocks first, building the basic foundation of the water course and getting all the main elements in place. Then work down to the smaller material to create interest and turbulence as well as smaller twists and turns within the bigger turns. ■ Never allow your stream banks or pond shorelines to be more than 50 percent large rock material. The
worldwide average for natural waterlines is about 40 percent rock. ■ Try adding splits and islands into your streams for added dimension and water movement. The downstream side of an island, protected from the current, is a great place for debris buildup such as a piece of driftwood, a bed of gravel and a few plants. ■ Exaggerate your turns to force water to rebound off of the rocks’ surfaces and not just slide by. Remember that water is like a race car; it will always cut corners, taking the shortest distance between two points and the path of least resistance. ■ Try placing boulders extremely close together to force the water through tight channels and canyons for outstanding effects. For the best advice on natural rock placement, go take a hike … seriously! Take a nice, leisurely stroll along a stream and study the effects the rocks have on the water’s movement. You will learn more playing in a stream than you will ever learn in a classroom. a
About the Author Rick Bartel, a thirty-year veteran, best-selling author and Certified Master Water Feature Specialist, is most known throughout the industry for his popular R.I.S.E. Method of naturalistic design. Credited with more than 1,800 national and international awards and recognitions for his phenomenal work, including the 2009 and 2010 Water Feature Contractor of the Year award, Rick was the 2011 Master of Design recipient and in 2012 was named the industry’s most sought-after guest speaker and one of the most influential people in our industry.
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