Country Manor Pond
DOVER, MASSACHUSETTS
About the Project
In 2016, Sue reached out to us in need of a major pond cleaning. The process took two entire days (one of our longest cleanings to date!), which consisted of sawing through thick carpets of cattails, shoveling out heaps of muck, and assessing every square inch of the feature. We found a litany of problems: holes in the liner, shattered light fixtures, loose rock-work that was falling apart, and crushed filters to name a few. With so much in disrepair, a rebuild presented the only viable solution. However, Sue wasn’t ready for the disruption that would accompany a major construction project yet – so to buy her some time, we took a band-aid approach: fixing as much as we could in order to put the pond in “limp-mode.”
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8 months later however, she decided to take the plunge and start from scratch. We began by ripping out the old feature and bringing in 75 tons of large, handpicked boulders from farms in central MA. The first rocks went in at the top of the feature, which we expanded an additional 25 feet up the hill from the original design.
This change improved the feature’s natural effect by making it appear as though it flows right out from the forest – far beyond the limits of the property. Halfway down the slope, we built a custom mahogany bridge that spans the stream and connects one of the garden’s main pathways.
We paid a lot of attention to this area in particular, which also has several flat-top boulders around it for standing and sitting. In part, this was because of something Sue had mentioned to me: that her daughter would like to get married in the backyard one day.
I figured this bridge would be perfect for wedding photos (with room for other members of the bridal party on the surrounding destination stones). Other highlights from the rebuild include much-improved waterfalls, floating stepping stones across the pond, and a flowing urn on the far side of the feature that complements the action from the stream on the other end. All in all, the new feature measures close to 100 feet end to end.
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IN OUR CLIENTS’ WORDS
“The redesign of the pond and surrounding area is a perfect addition to my backyard. The additional waterfalls blend perfectly into the existing landscape and the entire area provides a peaceful spot to relax or enjoy watching the koi. A lovely bit of nature’s best to share with my grandchildren! I would highly recommend a water feature by FallingWater Scapes — mine has brought me great joy.”
— Sue L.
