Copying the Design of Nature

• A waterfall can cascade downward in tiers over flat stones.NA/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
  
  Natural waterfalls seldom follow a direct course, choosing instead to flow downward around obstacles or through crevices between rocks. They spill over stone ledges in a series of falls of various heights until they reach their destination at the bottom. If you want to create a waterfall in your garden, in an article for RLRouse Directory and Informational Resources, landscape contractor Dan Eshelson's advice is to observe the waterfalls of nature before you begin. You'll see rocks of all shapes and sizes are usually present. Slabs of stone may serve as natural spillways for the cascading water. Boulders may rest in a pool at the base. Copy nature in your own design. All of these materials are available from landscape stone and masonry dealers in most areas.
  
  

Stone Slab Spillway Design

• A dramatic waterfall captures the attention.Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  For special effect, use a large, very smooth stone slab for the spillway. If it is level, the water will flow over the edge dramatically in an unbroken sheet, creating a striking display. Usual choices are blue stone or slate -- the smoothest for directing the water to flow in a sheet. Slabs of field stone or granite can also be used. According to WorldWaterfalls.com, there are various types of waterfalls. A curtain waterfall is similar to the sheet waterfall. It flows across the slab in the same manner as the sheet waterfall, but its height and width are nearly equal. The sheet waterfall can be any height or width.
  
  

The Advantage of Designing on a Slope

• Spillways made of stone slabs stairstep down a slope.Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Another type of waterfall is the veil. Much higher compared to its width than the curtain, it falls like a bridal veil from the flat spillway at the top. In "Our Town" magazine, professional landscaper Susan Schlenger in Paulding, Georgia, sees it as an advantage if you are fortunate enough to be designing your waterfall on a slope or a hillside. It is an opportunity to include several spillways in your design. Your site determines the type of waterfall best for you. If you have the height to work with, include more than one slab spillway in your design. Allow the water to fall tier by tier from the top.
  
  

Finishing Your Stone Slab Waterfall

• Stones are stacked to hold large slabs at the top.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Stack the slab stones as you would bricks to create a base, saving the largest slabs for your spillway, or stack rocks of various sizes securely as a base, again saving the large slabs of stone for the top. The stones of your base should fit together tightly so that water does not seep through and spoil the effect of the flowing sheet of water. Smaller stones can be used to fill the gaps between larger stones to force the water to the top and over the stone slab spill, or as suggested by David Crimmins, on Permaculture-Ponds.com, black pond foam or sealant can be used to fill the gaps. Use rocks of various shapes and sizes at the sides of your waterfall, as you might find in nature. Soften the effect with the addition of plants at the sides.