It Becomes A Babbling Brook

The first test run showed where some minor adjustments were needed in the small upper pond in order to keep the babbling brook contained in the stream bed. Those were done.

The pond was successfully filled. More water, the amount in recirculation, is actually needed once a stream begins to flow.

A volume control valve if desired, a drain valve for the water line and two storm water overflow drains are connected and ready to go. It is going to storm and it will overflow. They will come in handy at some point.

Now it is time to haul rocks.

Lots of rocks. This is really the hardest part.

It's babbling. That is the easy part.

There are several babbles along the course of the stream.

And I still have a lot more rock to haul.

It is the aesthetic placement of rocks that is really the hardest part. Nothing could be more hideous than a stream with a bunch of sad rocks lining the edge. It must look real. It must look natural. It has to have movement and drama.

I plan to relay the flagstone path to make it interact with the babbling brook. I want to get rid of the rigid walkway effect.

I will play with rocks until I am happy with the way it looks. Once that is done the planting pockets created will get planted. That will soften the great wash of stone. Next spring the stream itself and the pond can get vegetated.

Not bad for my very first babbling brook.