Unless you have opted for a more formal design, you will want backyard waterfalls and ponds that are built from and accented with natural rocks and boulders. Picking out a focal point rock can be a lot of fun, because rocks and boulders are each so unique. For the construction phase, you will not be able to be so selective. It will take a lot of rocks in many different sizes and shapes to complete your new waterscape feature.

Rocks may be rather ugly from one side and riveting from another. Never judge a rock on your first glance. All rocks in a pile delivered from a bulk material supplier have a place in your waterfalls and garden pond. Additionally, every one of the rocks in any rock yard pile or bin is not washed and will change a great deal with a good hosing and even several. This is because the pores and cracks in natural rock when filled with dirt do not display their full color and true character.

Rocks with wonderful veins or splashes of color are at their best when constantly wet, and can be perfectly beautiful in the water of ponds, yet very unattractive dry. Something you won’t even know about any particular rock you see unless it is very clean and wet. Picking the right spot in your waterfalls pond will be important, because you will want to be able to see that great burst of color in this lost and found treasure as much as possible. Be advised that collecting fascinating rocks for ponds can become an obsession.

The most natural looking ponds and waterfalls will be constructed using mostly all one kind of rock. While this may not sound very colorful, it is an important design feature. In the wild, in most areas of the country, you will find there are only one or two kinds of rock exposed in that location. This is because the rocks were formed by whatever the ground contained at different times over the long history of the Earth. So picking a main type of rock and an accent type to thread through the overall construction is best. It’s okay to throw in a third type as a special focal point here and there, as long as you don’t go overboard.

Every rock has eight sides, making them a bit difficult to learn the art of working with them. But once you grasp an understanding of the multiple personalities any rock possesses, you won’t find yourself being so picky about each rock placed along the edges of ponds. They all have a place in the big picture somewhere. If a rock doesn’t work perfectly in one place, it will work great somewhere else in building ponds or waterfalls. It is rare that the installation crew who is talented at working with rock placement for ornamental beauty and solid construction will find many in a pile that just don’t fit in anywhere at all.

Rock slabs used in the construction of waterfalls drops and steps don’t have eight sides, they have six but only four of them are important to the face of your waterscapes feature. Getting slabs that have moss growing on them can both some people. For natural looking waterfalls, moss already present is a bonus! Where moisture is consistent, moss is right at home and part of the allure of any waterfalls in their natural setting. Keeping the selection of rock types simple is the best approach to recreating ponds one could find in nature in your own back yard.