Out here in the Southwest with its dry desert climate we have limited precipitation. This prevents large amounts of water from accumulating and creating ponds or rivers. But, we can still enjoy the water. Instead we have what are called “dry rivers” that is; river beds that once had water in them and occasionally get water from the storms we do get. These dry river beds consist of mostly sand, smooth rocks, plant matter, and man made debris.
Creating one for the home takes some time and money but is not overly expensive or major hard work. It is more important to take your time and be creative. The idea here is to create realistic looking river beds that converge on a water feature such as a water fountain or pond.
Here is the step by step process.
1. Plan your project first: Look at the area of land you want to use and study the terrain. Then ask yourself these questions.
* Does it have varying height and how can you use that height? (rivers flow downhill).
* What kind of dirt do you have and is it easy or hard to work with?
* Are there trees or other plants around with surface roots?
* Can the trees or other plants become part of the scene?
* Do you want the water feature in the shade?
* What other natural materials are around that you can use (rocks, wood limbs etc…)
* Read the material guide below and let the cost of materials help you lay out the project.
2. Materials list: After you have laid out the project on paper it is time to determine what you will need. Here is a list of the basics.
* Enough 4-mil thickness ground cover plastic to cover the area you wish to dig out. This is available at any home center like Home Depot, Lowes, Ace hardware etc… and comes in rolls.
* Depending on how many and what kind of rocks you have on hand you will need some river rocks delivered. If you can specify a size range then middle size (8 to 12 inches) will work the best. They cover a decent area and are not too heavy. If you are given no choice, then work with what they give you.
* The water feature can be a store bought fountain of whatever style, type, and material you like or a pond with a submersible pump in it. The pond can be one constructed like we are going to make the river or a plastic one blended in to the scene.
* A submersible outdoor pump if you go with the fountain.
* An outdoor extension cord for the pump. You can also go with permanent wiring but that will take us out of the scope of this article.
3. Now for construction:
A. Go out and hammer some stakes in the ground corresponding to the pattern on the paper. Stake the future river in its center so you can measure off the stakes evenly on both sides for the river width. This serves as a visual guide for accurate width and depth. You will have to layout stakes for the water feature depending on which one you are using.
B. Dig out the river using the stakes as a guide. Vary the width as you go to mimic a real river but follow your layout. The wider it is the deeper it should be. Keep that in mind if the digging is not easy.
C. After digging is complete and you are happy with the look unroll, cut, and layout the plastic along the river.
D. Carefully place the river rocks on the plastic making a fairly smooth uniform surface. A surface that looks like water has smoothed it out over the years. Put the odder shaped ones along the edge. Try to fit them together like a puzzle to minimize space in between. Integrate the rocks with any of the other materials you have found.
E. Finally set up you water feature and lead the river (s) to it.
F. Cleanup any mess, put water in the feature, and away you go.
If you think the water will freeze in the winter then drain the pond or water fountain during that time. What you will have created is an entire scene which can be added to and changed. We put a large bridge over ours and used creative colored lighting to illuminate the river, bridge, and certain trees. It also provides an excellent backdrop to take pictures and decorate for Christmas. We call it the “Candy Cane River!”
