Water in the Garden

The Scott Arboretum comprises the campus of Swarthmore College. If there was a way to quantify the most frequently visited spot on campus it would most likely be the pond in the Terry Shane Teaching garden. Children and adults alike find this to be both an intriguing and restful destination.

I, too, have always been attracted to water and water features in the garden. I am often attracted to the architecture of the water feature, whether it be an informal stone-edged pond like the one I have in my home garden or the formal architecture like the hills at Hestercombe in England or the fantastic new water works designed by Jacques Wirtz at Alnwick Castle in northern England. One of the most engaging and interactive of all water features is the relatively new installation at Millennium Park in Chicago by Jaume Plensa. Check out the video taken by Rhoda Maurer above.

I enjoy water in the garden for the sound because it is often a great foil for nearby traffic noise. However, I most enjoy it for the myriad of wildlife that it attracts, especially birds. Last year, I was lucky enough to attract a massive Great Blue Heron to my personal garden. To have such a majestic creature visit my garden was very exciting. The down side is that he feasted on a handful of goldfish in my pond!