Gardens Tap Into Rill Water Features
Of all the water features we use in our gardens, the rill perhaps has
the most interesting history. The rill is a man-made garden canal that
creates garden ambience through the pleasant sound of moving water. The
earliest style of rill was found in ancient Persian gardens, but perhaps
the most famous are in the Moorish Alhambra gardens in Granada, Spain.
The rill was a popular water feature of Edwardian garden design and
often used by Gertrude Jeckyll, one of Englands most famous garden
designers.
Today, rills are the perfect choice for any size garden, as they take up little space, are easy to maintain and can be designed to suit your style of garden and your life.
Looking to the past. In early Persian gardens, slim canals were the main feature of gardens where creating a cooling atmosphere was vital in the hot climate. Today, similar water features are used for the same purpose. The addition of fountains on this contemporary raised rill adds movement as they disturb the reflections on the water.
Level rills. Rills are usually very shallow and narrow, used as either a design feature to lead the eye to another part of the garden or as a functional feature to move water from one part of the garden to another. Rills set into a patio or paved area are ideal in gardens used by small children, where safety is paramount. They are also appreciated by wildlife, because the shallow nature of the rill makes it a perfect drinking trough.
Raised rills. When raised above ground level, rills can become more than just a water feature. In the Renaissance gardens of the Villa d'Este near Rome, rills were set into the center of long stone tables so that wine bottles could be cooled in the cold, flowing water. I have seen a modern version of this in Place Kléber in Strasburg, France, where raised wooden rills were built one summer to allow the residents to cool their wine, beer and feet in the heat of a continental summer.
Planting. Rills are well suited to planting marginal water plants. The shallow depth and level of water make them the perfect home for a range of marginals. Architectual plants look the most effective in the formal structure of the rill, and of these I would recommend:
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Today, rills are the perfect choice for any size garden, as they take up little space, are easy to maintain and can be designed to suit your style of garden and your life.
Looking to the past. In early Persian gardens, slim canals were the main feature of gardens where creating a cooling atmosphere was vital in the hot climate. Today, similar water features are used for the same purpose. The addition of fountains on this contemporary raised rill adds movement as they disturb the reflections on the water.
Level rills. Rills are usually very shallow and narrow, used as either a design feature to lead the eye to another part of the garden or as a functional feature to move water from one part of the garden to another. Rills set into a patio or paved area are ideal in gardens used by small children, where safety is paramount. They are also appreciated by wildlife, because the shallow nature of the rill makes it a perfect drinking trough.
Raised rills. When raised above ground level, rills can become more than just a water feature. In the Renaissance gardens of the Villa d'Este near Rome, rills were set into the center of long stone tables so that wine bottles could be cooled in the cold, flowing water. I have seen a modern version of this in Place Kléber in Strasburg, France, where raised wooden rills were built one summer to allow the residents to cool their wine, beer and feet in the heat of a continental summer.
Planting. Rills are well suited to planting marginal water plants. The shallow depth and level of water make them the perfect home for a range of marginals. Architectual plants look the most effective in the formal structure of the rill, and of these I would recommend:
- Scirpus tabernaemontani 'Zebrinus' (Zebra Rush)
- Juncus effusus 'Unicorn' (Unicorn Soft Rush)
- Iris pseudoacorus 'Variegata' (Variegated Yellow Flag)
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