How to make a dry stream

2024 Author: Arianna Cook | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:23

What is a dry stream, its varieties, advantages and disadvantages. How to create a composition on your site. A dry stream is an unusual element of a summer cottage that imitates a dry river bed. It allows you to fulfill the dream of every owner of a country house - to make the territory beautiful and unique. We will talk about ways to create a recreation area without water in our article.

Features of a dry stream in the country

Such a decorative element gives zest and naturalness to the area to which it is impossible to supply water. In landscape design, a dry stream creates the illusion of a dried-up river bed and makes the territory static and peaceful. It is rather difficult to equip an object with similar properties; several subtleties must be taken into account:

For work, you will need stones of various sizes, colors and shapes, sand, plants for decorating the shore.
The object should be as beautiful as possible.
All elements are harmoniously combined with each other.
The decorative area matches the style of the entire site.
The stream changes its shape and size along its entire length, but its boundaries are very clear.
The main material used for construction is stones.

There are several types of dry river bed, so you can choose your own version for each landscape:

A mountain stream begins at a height and ends at a lowland. It is built from small stones and sand. Often complemented by waterfalls or cascades. The source of water can be designed in the form of a jug, well or rock.
Plain - a wide channel bends slightly, bypassing obstacles.
Swift - a narrow stream goes through all the obstacles.
Sinuous is the easiest to execute. Consists of one channel, which periodically widens and narrows.
Spring is a narrow meandering river.
A branched stream is the most difficult option for execution. It consists of several channels that bifurcate and connect. Often it is created from sandy streams 20-30 cm wide, which were raked from above to simulate waves.

Similar objects are also distinguished by the method of decoration:

A dry stream of stone - this is the name for all objects built using cobblestone.
Dry stream with a decorative bridge - built near falling trees or in an open area.
Dry stream of flowers - a large number of flowering plants are used to decorate it.

Advantages and disadvantages of a dry stream

The main advantages of a decorative element include the following factors:

Its construction costs are minimal.
The facility is being built very quickly. It will take 2-3 days to build a dry stream with your own hands.
It is very simple to maintain the riverbed, it is enough to periodically clean it of debris and water the green spaces. It is more difficult to clean a real stream - you will have to remove salt deposits and algae from the stones.
A dry stream can be decorated with any plants, and a water stream can only be decorated with moisture-loving ones.
It can be created on a completely flat surface, whereas a real channel requires a slope or elevation.
The shape of the structure can be changed.
It is safe for children.
There are no mosquitoes near the dry stream.
Such a composition does not require a water compressor and other special equipment to maintain the water level and create a flow.
The dry stream has a practical function - if necessary, it drains rainwater from the territory. It also allows you to mask communications and provide quick access to them.
Plants that grow on the shore are rarely watered, because under the stones in the channel, water remains for a long time after rain.
With its help, you can create functional zones on the site.
The stream visually enlarges the adjoining territory.
It is suitable for any style of garden.
Any plants are planted near the decorative element, not just moisture-loving varieties.

The disadvantages of a dry stream appear when compared with a water stream. You will not hear the murmur of water near it, you cannot see fish and newts in it, there are no dragonflies nearby. On a hot day, you cannot refresh yourself near it.

Dry stream technology

A similar corner of comfort and tranquility is created in several stages. On the preparatory, the place for its placement, the shape and size of the object are determined. According to these characteristics, stones are chosen, which are laid according to a previously developed scheme. More on each step below.

Choosing stones for a dry stream

For construction, you will need three types of cobblestones: to mark the bank from the inside, to create the appearance of crevices and to fill the channel. It is advisable to use the same material that is present on your site. In this case, the object will harmoniously fit into the surrounding landscape.

For the arrangement of a dry stream in the country, small stones and cobblestones are needed, which differ in their characteristics. The color of the material and its shape are important.

When choosing it, consider the following rules:

The bluish-gray tint of the stream is obtained by using shale, basalt and gneiss. Red-brown color is created by granite, marble and limestone.
Samples covered with waterproof paint that glow in the dark can become a decoration.
Lacquered stones create a "wet" effect.
Waterfalls are built from specimens of light shades.
If you can't find the shades you want, paint them with waterproof paint.
Flat swatches are great for creating a flowing effect.
The shores are laid out in large specimens with a rough surface.

Creating a dry creek bed

The arrangement of the decorative zone begins with the choice of a place. Areas with hilly terrain and dense vegetation, where people rarely walk, are ideal. The stream should not be done near the paths, because in its shape it is somewhat reminiscent of a path.

Channel dimensions are determined according to special rules. The width is tied to the depth using a 2: 1 ratio. If the width is 2 m, the depth should be 1 m. The maximum length of the object is 20 m. It is usually equipped with a winding, meandering between obstacles. However, if you plan to use it to remove excess water from the site, keep the bed as flat as possible.

Before making a dry stream, draw a scaled site plan and place your object on it. It should start on a hill. It can be a natural hill or an artificial rock made of stones. The composition ends with a mouth that smoothly turns into a small pond, made in the same style as the stream. Not a bad option for leaving the channel outside the site.

Show on the sketch areas of a fast and calm current, waterfalls and crevices, bridges, passages, etc. The basic rule for choosing the shape of the composition: the smaller the area, the more elegant the channel should be. Select stones or other material to form the elements of the stream.

The work is carried out in the following sequence:

Draw on the ground the contours of the object according to the developed plan. For this, sand or cord is suitable.
Check how the composition fits in with the surrounding landscape. The stream should have clear boundaries and vary in width from source to mouth. If necessary, correct the geometry of the banks.
Dig a hole along the marked contour to the specified depth. Tilt the walls at an angle of 45 degrees. Remove plant roots, compact the bottom and walls.
Cover the base of the channel with geotextile or lutrasil. These materials will prevent weeds from growing, but allow air and moisture to pass through. An alternative is to cover the bottom with cement screed or plastic sheeting.
Cover the prepared surface with sand and gravel and compact.
If the site is level, build a rock-shaped embankment that will be the beginning of the channel. Fill the voids between the cobblestones with rubble.
Line the banks of the stream with massive, angular, rough patterns. To increase stability, they can be dug in or fixed with cement mortar.
Fill the channel with sand. Only then can you start laying stones to create the illusion of an active or dry stream.

Visual effects can be obtained in various ways:

The visibility of a fast mountain stream is obtained using flat pebble stones laid flat.
If a section of the bottom is filled with pebbles fixed vertically, you get an imitation of a violent current.
The stream looks more natural if one bank is steep and the other is gentle.
Design part of the channel as shallow water. This will require small pebbles.
A large rock surrounded by pebbles will create the appearance of a whirlpool.
The crevices of the stream are created with the help of large pebbles.
Place small stones randomly or in rows according to the specified color style.
Build waterfalls and rapids from light specimens.
Deep places perfectly mimic dark stones.
Lay out the bottom of the "pond" at the mouth of the stream with dark-colored cobblestones, and light the banks. Thus, the volume of the "lake" increases.
Water waves are successfully depicted by light pebbles or glass granules scattered between the stones. They create a shimmery effect.
Lay out all the elements along the bottom of the stream to create the impression of an old riverbed.
To prevent the objects from being washed away by real rain, fix them with cement mortar.

The channel can be made mirrored. To do this, the bottom is covered with fragments of a broken mirror, which reflect the rays of the sun. At a great distance, the appearance of the surface of the water is created, which reflects the light. But near this effect disappears, because the fragments are clearly visible.

Decoration of the banks of a dry stream

How to decorate the banks of a dry stream with plants

Bushes and flowers are often planted around the perimeter of the decorative element. They are selected taking into account the composition of the soil and the local climate. The main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise the plantings will turn the site into a flower bed. To help plants grow well along the stream, dig a ditch and fill it with fertile soil.

When choosing green spaces, use our recommendations:

Plant perennial flowers and shrubs with varying flowering periods. They will make the stream expressive throughout the warm season.
Blooming carpet along the composition can be obtained using groundcover or herbaceous varieties.
If possible, choose plantings with blue, purple and blue flowers.
Daylilies, grasses, bamboo and reeds look good near a decorative object. These species have long, dense leaves that give the appearance of lush vegetation.
In early spring and late autumn, the bell of the portenchlag, large-leaved brunner, lubelia, and geyher bloom.
If the stream is large, you can plant coniferous trees: dwarf pine, spruce, fir or juniper. However, it must be remembered that they grow well on sandy or clay soil.
Deciduous trees are not popular with gardeners. in autumn it is difficult to collect fallen leaves among the stone placer. If you are not afraid of such a procedure, plant a cotoneaster and barberry, which look beautiful in all seasons. Use a powerful garden vacuum cleaner for easier maintenance.

A bridge can be built over the channel from one piece of natural material. A large diameter log or block of stone will do. In the place of a stormy stream, make a ford, spreading cobblestones along the bottom.

To decorate the object, you can use various decorative elements that fit into the overall composition: figurines, lanterns, figurines of animals and birds, etc.

Dry stream care

The decorative element can be left unattended for a long time. Caring for him is quite simple and consists in the following:

The stream must be periodically cleaned of debris, weeds and unplanned plants. Moss is also removed from stones.
When weeding, do not remove all the grass, leaving cereals and wildflowers.
Prune the plants on the bank periodically so that they do not cover the object.
Control the absence of ants under stones, they create a lot of problems. Destroy insect larvae, otherwise the whole channel will soon be covered with sand.
Fertilize plants on the shore with minerals and periodically loosen the soil under them. Don't forget to water them.
Warm the heat-loving varieties for the winter.

How to make a dry stream - watch the video:

The technology for the device of a dry stream is simple, and the work can be done with your own hands, although it is physically difficult to move massive stones alone. But then you can get maximum pleasure from the results of your own creation.