Street Stream: (left) Hardy succulents, black taro and water lilies bring the street–side water feature to life. (right) Comet goldfish have thrived in the shallow pond, doubling their numbers.
It was probably the nicest front lawn in the Kalama Valley neighborhood. Elegantly landscaped and meticulously maintained, the cozy area featured a young puakenikeni tree, surrounded by a lush lawn of el toro zoysia grass. A couple of small palms provided a little screening from the neighbors, as well as light shade. The yard wasn’t spectacular, but it was tidy, healthy and easy on the eyes.
Though small and simple, the lawn eventually required too much work from the homeowner, who enjoys doing his own upkeep. A respiratory condition made it difficult for him to operate a lawn mower. He wanted a new landscape that would continue to have curb appeal, but not require much strenuous maintenance. Still, he wasn’t sure what he wanted besides “something no one else had.”
The small and tidy front yard once featured the neighborhood's nicest lawn.
The homeowner called Kevin Mulkern, the landscaper who designed and installed his front yard several years before. When he heard the request, Mulkern was a little reluctant to take on the job; it would be a shame to tear out all that nice grass.
“It really was the nicest lawn on the street,” Mulkern says, a little wistfully.
But the landscaper eventually relented. After two months of planning, he came up with a proposal: a sidewalk pond featuring a bubbling waterfall, tropical plants, day- and night-blooming water lilies—and filled with fish. The proposed landscape would require relatively little maintenance, and have curb appeal that would stop traffic.
“He told me what he wanted to do, and I said, ‘Go for it!’” the homeowner says. “I told him I wanted people to slow down in their cars and look at my yard. It sounded like that’s exactly what I would get.”
Mulkern went right to work, removing the puakenikeni tree and most of the lawn. He and his crew dug a hole, which eventually occupied a majority of the front yard’s several hundred square feet, then laid down a thick rubber lining on the bottom. Since the pond was open to the street and passersby, the basin couldn’t be more than 18 inches at its deepest. They surrounded the pond with large stones to anchor the lining and give the small body of water a rustic feel. A small, steep outcropping of rocks formed the base of the waterfall, concealing the pond’s internal plumbing and biofilter.
Now, the same area features a tranquil fishpond, surrounded by lush vegetation.
Around the perimeter of the water feature, Mulkern planted a variety of low-maintenance and water-friendly plants. To add to the remnants of the original lawn, the landscape now features ground coverings of dwarf mondo grass and 12 different varieties of succulents. The hardy tree song of India, another holdover from the original landscape, provides texture, while the poetically named yesterday, today and tomorrow shrub provides a variety of colors: Its flowers first bloom dark purple, then fade to lavender before turning white.
Additional color and visual interest are provided by black decorative taro and strategically placed rice plants, which thrive in wet conditions. Interestingly, the rice plants not only give the water feature another layer of height and texture, they also attract birds, which feast on the rice.
TIP:
Tsukubais [Japanese stone basins] are very popular right now. They provide the sound of falling water right near the entry. The entrance is very important to a lot of people. That is what everyone sees from the street or when they approach the house. That is what greets them.
- Gary Shinn, Hokuahi Lawns
TIP:
If you have an area that is wide open, I would recommend a pond-less waterfall. You don’t have to worry about any accidents with people falling in the basin. You won’t have fish, but you also won’t have to run it 24 hours a day. You also won’t have any problems with mosquitoes, because the water level of a pond-less water feature is below the surface of gravel.
- Richard Long, Reliable Landscaping & Sprinklers
Step Right Up: This space used to be a seldom used corner of the yard. Landscaper Kevin Mulkern added soil, rocks, and stepping stones, creating a pathway that leads to the home's new side yard.
After the homeowners purchased a rotund and happy concrete Buddha, Mulkern made a home for the 660-pound ornament on a rocky shelf overlooking the water. The Buddha, affectionately referred to as “Bob” by the homeowners, sits in a quiet sanctuary of dwarf date palms and fragrant gardenia plants. Not too far away is a new puakenikeni tree, which blooms colorful and sweet-smelling flowers.
Below, in the pond, Mulkern placed both night- and day-blooming water lilies, ensuring that the water’s surface would often have round-the-clock flowers. Since the pool was too shallow to support large fish, like koi, Mulkern put in five medium-size comet goldfish. The fish are thriving; in less than six months, they have doubled their numbers.
“A lot of people make the assumption that you have to protect your pond and fish with a large shade tree,” Mulkern says. “More often than not, you end up with a lot of leaves in the water and a clogged filter. Usually, if you have a lot of water movement in your pond, your fish will be fine.”
The fish aren’t the only things thriving: the yard’s slow-growing succulents now cover every nook and cranny of the water feature’s rocky perimeter and the rice plants need constant trimming—but not too much.
TIP:
Don’t build a fishpond if you don’t want to take care of fish. You can set one up with a pump and filter to make it as low maintenance as possible, but anytime you have fish, you have to think of it as a giant aquarium. Make sure you willing to do the work. If not, do a decorative pond.
- Steve Dewald, Steve’s Gardening Service
TIP:
We prefer to put water features close to the doorway or in the backyard where most people entertain. We usually ask the customers where they do most of their entertaining. That is where you would want to hear and enjoy it, instead of everyone else in your neighborhood, because you will only see it on your way to the front door.
- Greg Lee, Landscapes by Tropical Images
“Every Monday, I spend an hour-and-a-half out here cleaning things up. On Wednesday, it’s maybe about 30 minutes pulling weeds. Otherwise, I’m just sitting around, checking it out,” the homeowner says. “I come out here and shake my head. It’s more beautiful than I would have ever expected.”
“As much as I liked the old landscape, this one has been a pleasure to install,” Mulkern says. “When you have a client who gives you some flexibility and a lot of information, it makes the process fun and the project successful.”
The homeowner loves the sights and sounds of his sidewalk fishpond, but what about the neighbors? They seem to like the sound of falling water, especially at night, he says. “People are always walking by and stopping. Of course, when cars come up the street, they’ll slow down as they pass. That’s pretty cool.”
