Murray Barker's wheelchair prevents him and his wife and Arlene from traveling to the mountains much anymore so they decided to bring the mountains home – to their front yard.
A huge boulder from Valemount, B.C. nestles among pots of Egyptian bulrush in front of the Barkers' St. Albert home as water bubbles up from a hole in the centre of the rock, spilling over the top and into a hidden reservoir.
Murray says they chose this particular piece of rock because of its layers of granite and the green hues uncovered by running water.
This is the Barkers' third summer enjoying the bubbling boulder in front of their home.
Wayne Boettger, owner of Patio Magic Inc., installed the water feature for the couple. The longtime landscaper has seen customer demand for outdoor water features steadily increase over the past decade.
"In terms of landscaping it's probably the element that homeowners get by far the most enjoyment out of," Boettger says.
He's used to receiving positive comments from clients at the end of a landscaping project but water features are on a whole different level.
"On water features we actually get calls back after the fact, and people are saying, 'my husband and I, we sit out by our pond every night and read and it's so relaxing, and we open up our windows to our bedroom in the evening and we hear the sound.' And we hear these responses, so there's a lot of enjoyment in providing that for people."
Beyond the esthetic beauty of a waterfall or pond, people primarily choose water features for the relaxing trickles and splashes of the water, Boettger says.
In other cases he has found people have issues with traffic noise or noisy neighbours and the sound of the water drowns out the background noise.
The Barkers can change the volume of their water feature by rearranging the smaller pieces of rock resting against their bubbling boulder.
"It's just a gentle gurgle now," Murray says.
The couple transformed their bubbling rock into a tranquil oasis by surrounding it with flowering plants, a collection of rocks, a curving patio and cozy benches.
To scale
When it comes to landscape features, size and scale matters, Boettger says.
"If you have a larger yard and you want to put in a smaller feature, you're going to want to keep it fairly close to the house to anchor it," he says. "If it's sitting way out in your yard on its own and it's quite small, it'll look disproportionate."
Budget is also a major factor when considering a water feature. On the lower end of the scale are bubbling features that range up to a few thousand dollars. When considering ponds or pondless waterfalls, prices can go anywhere from around $6,000 to $25,000 and upward, depending on the scale, Boettger says.
There is also maintenance to think about. In addition to being on the lower end of the cost scale, bubbling fixtures also require the least maintenance. Pondless waterfalls are also relatively easy to keep up.
"If you have a pondless waterfall it's very minimal maintenance – pretty much fill it with water and let it run," says Boettger.
Ponds are an excellent option for those who don't mind spending a bit of time caring for their outdoor oasis. Boettger says many gardeners opt for ponds because they can offer varied plant life, like water lilies and reeds.
Though ponds do require more attention, the upkeep is not excessive. Boettger says they require the same amount of weekly maintenance as a lawn – about an hour.
The elements
Arlene Barker says they shut down their bubbler once it begins to ice up in the colder months, but with some careful attention to maintaining water levels it is possible to keep the water flowing even during Alberta winters.
Boettger has kept his own waterfall flowing for the past four years without issue.
"In the fall it's really beautiful when the waterfalls start to ice up, and as we get a bit of that early freeze and thaw, the edges all become iced up," he says. "If you have lights in your pond as well, they kind of glow through the ice so there's some pretty beautiful elements there."
Beyond natural scenery, water features can also be a catalyst for social interaction. Murray says that their bubbling B.C. rock is a great conversation piece and neighbours often drop by to enjoy it and chat.
"The kids love it," says Arlene.
They draw visitors of other species too.
"The robins have a little bath in the top part (of the bubbling boulder)," Arlene says.
A properly maintained pond has a balanced ecosystem that's as safe as a rain puddle for animals to drink from, Boettger says. That means the water is fine for both the family dog and any feathered friends that may drop by – as they often do over at the Barkers.
One creature that a water feature won't attract is the dreaded mosquito, Boettger says. While standing water can become a breeding ground for the pesky creatures, a properly functioning water feature won't.
"If you have a pond, then you have surface water but if it's designed properly, that surface water is always getting pulled to one end of the pond, getting sucked-up by the pump and getting pulled back through," Boettger says, "so there's no real issue there with mosquitoes because you don't have any standing water."
