How to choose a water feature for a South African garden

A water feature does something to a garden that nothing else quite manages. It adds sound, which softens traffic and the neighbour's lawnmower. It adds movement, which catches the light. And it brings in birds, which is reason enough on its own. The trouble is that there are a lot of them to choose from, and the difference between one that becomes the favourite spot in the garden and one that never quite works usually comes down to three decisions made in the right order.

This guide walks through those decisions, sound, size and spot, using the features in our own range as examples, and then covers the practical questions that tend to come up, like pumps, power, children, finishes and upkeep.

Start with the sound you want

Most people choose a water feature by how it looks and are surprised by how it sounds. It is worth doing it the other way round, because sound is what you live with every day.

Bubbling features are the quietest and gentlest. Water wells up from the top and runs over the surface, so you get a soft, constant murmur rather than a splash. The Millstone, the Boulder, the Shanghai and the Kyoto all work this way. They are the best choice beside a bedroom window or a quiet reading corner, and they cope best with wind, because there is nothing to blow away.

Tiered and cascading features give you a clearer trickle as water drops from one level to the next. The Asterix has a classic tiered look, Paradise Falls gives a soft cascade over its tiers, and Tower Falls brings a gentle cascade to a patio or entrance. This is the sound most people picture when they think of a water feature, noticeable without being intrusive.

Tall columns and spouted features are the most dramatic, and the most audible across a garden. The Bali is a tall rustic column, the Mexican has the look of an old stone drinking fountain, the Beijing pours from a spout into its body, and the Duo Pair stands almost two metres tall. These are wonderful at an entrance or at the end of a view, and the extra sound does a good job of masking road noise. The trade off is splash, which means more topping up and a sheltered spot on windy sites.

Then match the size to the space

Scale matters as much with water features as it does with pots. A feature that is too small for its space looks like an afterthought, and one that is too big overwhelms a courtyard.

For a balcony, a table or a small courtyard, think compact. The little Shade is two small tiered pieces weighing around 8 kg, light enough for a table or a step, and the Sun sits on a 360 mm footprint, both with pumps included. The Kyoto, 425 mm wide and around 14 kg, suits a low table or a corner of a patio. On a balcony, always check what the slab can carry, which our guide to the best pots for a balcony or patio goes into.

For a patio, a feature between about 600 mm and 900 mm reads well without crowding the space. The Shanghai at 660 mm wide, the small Millstone at 600 mm by 250 mm and the compact Paradise Falls all sit comfortably alongside furniture and pots.

For a garden bed, an entrance or the end of a long view, go taller. The Amazon is a tall oval that goes up to 1700 mm in its jumbo size, the Mexican's giant size, at 1500 mm by 600 mm, makes a real centrepiece, and the Bali column stands up to 1400 mm. For a real statement, the Osaka has three pillars on a long trough and weighs around 80.5 kg, and the 3-Figure and Pyramid Fall are sculptural pieces that anchor a whole courtyard.

Then choose the spot

Put the feature where you will see and hear it from where you actually sit. A feature outside the kitchen window or beside the stoep gets enjoyed every day, and one in the far corner of the lawn gets visited on weekends. Think about the view back from the house as well as the view from the garden.

The practical side is just as important. A feature needs firm, level ground, because a sheet of moving water shows the slightest slope and spills from the low side. It needs to be near a weatherproof outdoor socket, because pump cables are short. It is happier with some shade during the hottest part of the day, which slows evaporation and algae, and it stays cleaner away from trees that drop leaves into it. On a windy site, put it in the lee of a wall. We go through all of this step by step, including the electrical side, in how to set up a water feature.

Pumps, power and running costs

Most of our features are self contained, which means water recirculates from their own basin and there is no plumbing involved, just a hosepipe to fill it and a power point to run it. Some come with a pump included, and for the rest you choose between our two Hailea pumps based mainly on how high the water has to lift. The HX8815 lifts to 1.8 m and suits bubblers and smaller features, and the HX8825 lifts to 2.15 m, with a nozzle kit and flow adjuster, for taller ones.

Running costs are small. A 20 W pump running all day uses about 0.48 kWh, and a 35 W pump about 0.84 kWh, so multiply by your own tariff and you have your answer. Any new outdoor socket should be weatherproof, on an earth leakage circuit and installed by a registered electrician.

Children, pets and safety

If you have small children or dogs, choose a feature where the water runs over a surface rather than sitting in an open bowl or pond. The Millstone is a good example. Water wells up and spills over its smooth, rounded top, a simple design that suits gardens with children and pets. Bubblers in general are safer than open bowls and ponds, and a feature on a sturdy, level base will not tip if a child or a large dog leans on it.

Finishes, and matching your pots

Our water features are cast from our Fibre Concrete Mix, so they come in many of the same finishes as our pots, such as Flinted White, Granite, Rock, Velvet and Chryso Black, depending on the piece. That makes it easy to tie a feature into the rest of the garden, either by matching it to nearby pots or by choosing a contrast so it stands out. Pale finishes read as fresh and modern, darker ones look dramatic against planting, and stone looks like Rock and Granite settle into natural and indigenous gardens. For more on combining shapes and colours, see how to style a garden with pots.

Water features, ponds and birds

If you find yourself wanting more water rather than more sound, a pond might be the better answer, or a pond with a feature beside it. Our pond buying guide covers fibreglass and concrete ponds, depth, and what you can and cannot keep in them.

Either way, birds will find the water. Moving water carries sound across a garden and draws in birds that would fly past a still dish, and a shallow bird bath nearby gives the smaller ones somewhere to bathe. Our guide to attracting more birds into your garden has much more on that.

Where you live makes a difference

A water feature behaves a little differently in each part of the country. In Cape Town, the south-easter is the main thing to plan for, so low, bubbling features work best, as our Cape Town guide explains. On the Highveld, dry winters mean regular topping up, and our Johannesburg and Pretoria guide covers frost and summer storms. On the KZN coast, heat and algae matter more, which our Durban and North Coast guide goes into.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best water feature for a small patio or balcony?

A compact, self contained feature with a pump included, such as the Sun on its 360 mm footprint or the tabletop Shade. Check what a balcony can carry before choosing anything heavy.

Do water features need a plumber?

Not if they are self contained. The water recirculates from the feature's own basin, so you only need a hosepipe to fill it and a weatherproof outdoor socket for the pump.

Do water features use a lot of electricity?

No. A 20 W pump running around the clock uses about 0.48 kWh a day, roughly 14.4 kWh a month, and a 35 W pump about 25 kWh a month.

Which water feature is safest with small children?

One where water runs over a surface rather than sitting in an open bowl, like the Millstone, where water wells up and spills over a smooth top. Bubblers are generally safer than open bowls or ponds.

Which water feature attracts birds?

Any feature with moving water, because birds hear it from a distance. Pair it with a shallow bird bath so smaller birds have somewhere safe to bathe.