THE LOVE OF WATER FEATURES | Where did it all begin?

Recent years at Landscapeplus have seen our aquatic market go from strength to strength; in this months blog I've taken a look back at the key developments and touched base with our resident 'pond expert' Chris Reynolds (don't tell him I said that!) to get his view on the current product offering and what he thinks the future looks like for all things Ponds and Water Features.

Where did it all begin? At Landscapeplus we've always viewed our product offering as Lighting, Irrigation and Ponds with the latter very much seen as the smallest of the three ranges. How times have changed! Looking back, water features are something that go through very obvious trends, however the love of a traditional pond has never gone away. I always find that a good gauge of the upcoming trends is to take a look at what RHS Chelsea has had to offer. In recent years we've been treated to some great water features in various shapes and sizes, below are a few of my recent favourites.

Chelsea favourite Mark Gregory really pushed the boundaries in 2018 with his 'Welcome to Yorkshire' garden centred around a lock and towpath. Personally I loved the construction showing that water features really can be any shape or size.

During the 2017 show we had the pleasure of working with the talented Kate Gould. ‘City Living’, designed by Kate to show how we can make the most of urban spaces, really caught my eye. Now this might have been because of the two-storey fibre optic wall... The garden also housed a formal water feature running down a tiled wall into a narrow rill on the boundary, a great use of space and bringing the sound of moving water into an urban space. Although very different to Mark’s lock, I feel this has hit the nail on the head for a current trend in water features.

My final choice would have to be the 2015 M&G Garden, Designed by Jo Thompson and built by SH Landscapes. The Main Avenue garden included a beautiful natural swimming pool. We had the pleasure of helping Jo and Scott with the natural pool and awesome RGB lighting system! Again, this was very different to Mark or Kates’ water features but a great use of water all the same.

When looking at these three it shows that water is a great addition to any garden, no matter how big or small. We supply systems for anything from a small freestanding water feature to a formal rill, koi pond or grand lake - just get in touch, we’ll point you in the right direction!


No longer the third wheel...in years gone by we would have said we supply lighting, irrigation...and ponds, that’s no longer the case! At Landscapeplus the core of the business has always centred around our company mantras...


Knowledge.

At Landscapeplus we have a great relationship with our manufacturers, none more so than Oase. They are a German manufacturer renowned for their range of high quality aquatic products. Back in 2015 Oase launched their authorised installer scheme and asked us if we would like to join forces. We held training days all over the country with the aim to give designers and installers the confidence to specify and install water features, safe in the knowledge that we would be there to help as much as possible. Not only did these provide great training for our customers, they also provided a base to further up-skill our own team. Since then, we have held bespoke training events for designers with the help of Arron from AB Aquatics and even ventured to Germany for an Oase factory tour.

Finally, an update from our pond expert Chris...

"In 2016 I took on the sizeable task of learning all things ponds. Not only what products to suggest to a customer for their project but also how these products work, along with any extras that are required to make a full working system.

Personally I find aquatics the most fascinating and exciting part of my job. No two project are ever the same, ranging from small formal features to large koi ponds. Helping to work out the products required to get the Oase clear water guarantee is a great problem solver.

5 years down the line and I would like to say my knowledge of the aquatic industry has grown exponentially, and I'm still learning more each day. I work with a great selection of aquatic contractors that I deal with on a weekly if not daily basis. I have also helped quote and supply the largest domestic filtration system in the UK (check out our blog all about it!). The technology involved in the range of Oase drum filters and constant development of ECO friendly motors has been a real driver and I see it continuing to improve in the future." - Chris Reynolds

For more information or training on any of the Oase products, feel free to call us on 01666 577577 or send an email to chris@landscapeplus.com and we can arrange either a Skype or Zoom sessions.