A lit waterfall and pond built into a stone garden

You hear it before you see it.

A water feature earns its place by what it does to the rest of the garden. Moving water covers road noise and gives the seating area something to face.

Building it

The fall is built from graded boulders set so the water breaks over several drops rather than running down one face, which is what produces the sound. Planting is worked in between the stones as it is built, so it establishes into the joints instead of sitting around the edge.

After dark

Fixtures are set low into the stone and aimed up through the falling water. The paving runs right to the pond edge, so the terrace and the water feature read as one piece of ground rather than two projects.