Pond and Stream Project

Fall 2009

Landscape Design by Nick Delledonne

Budget around $18,000

Set in the expansive, green, rolling countryside of Northern Virginia with corral fencing on the horizon, this pond appears at the end of a long driveway in the front of a stately home. It is fittingly large in scope and full of detail. The pond is built in three segments forming a large C: First the falls, elevated on imported soil and large Canadian boulders, smoothe and round. Second, at the flexing bow of the C, a streambed of 20 feet . And third, at the bottom of sleight decline, a large pond about 15 feet in diameter. Just where the streambed spills into the pond, the coursing waters flow wide over an immense flat boulder and fall into the pond in dramatic sheets, a delightful invitation to visitors to stop and sit and cool their feet. This point in the bow became the location for the client's requested seating area.

Because the site was relatively flat and open, large trees are a major part of the planting, including a river birch, crape myrtles, the blue atlas cedar and Nellie Stevens hollies. These large plants are complemented by shrubbery including cherry laurels, boxwoods, low growing junipers and the hardy carpet roses. This skeletal structure is fleshed out with ornamental grasses and perennial flowers to add color and interest throughout the season.

To cap off this naturalistic vision, the crew foreman artfully added a large fallen tree limb across the pond. At the end, the client acceeded to pond lights which extend the enjoyment of the feature into the evening. It has become an exceedingly pleasant and tranquil place for the resident family to spend time and entertain their friends day and night.