5 Fantastic Water Features for Your Minnesota Home
There are few naturally occurring sounds on this earth more peaceful and relaxing than that of running water. Unfortunately, unless you’re lucky enough to live on a lake or in a coastal area, it’s unlikely that there will be many opportunities to enjoy such a sound on your own property.
Luckily for Midwestern homeowners, there’s a simple way to achieve the calming atmosphere that water creates. Installing a water feature for your Minnesota home can bring the relaxing sounds of faraway beaches or forest streams right to your backyard. Let’s take a closer look at what makes water features such a great addition to any landscape design.
Why Water Features
There are many excellent advantages of adding an aquatic element to your existing landscape design. Backyard water features offer benefits to both Minnesota homeowners and the local flora and fauna found on their lawns.
Here are just a few of the fantastic reasons we recommend installing a water feature for your Minnesota home:
Your backyard should be a space where you and your family or friends can relax, unwind, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the state of Minnesota. With help from an experienced landscaping designer, transforming your boring Minnesota backyard into a tranquil escape is easier than ever.
5 Water Features to Take Your Landscaping to the Next Level
Installing a water feature will add both beauty and value to your Minnesota home. There are several unique style options to consider incorporating into your backyard landscape design. Let’s dive further into each one now:
1. Flowing Waterfalls
Probably the most popular and commonplace landscaping element on our list, waterfalls are a beautiful backyard water feature for Minnesota properties that provide the realistic sounds of natural running water. Waterfalls work wonderfully as a standalone landscaping feature, fit well with a fountain, or flow seamlessly into an existing pool or spa.
Stone waterfalls will add to the serene, natural feel of your backyard oasis. Utilize unique native plantings and outdoor landscape lighting to create a calming environment where you can relax and enjoy a mild Minnesota night.
2. Peaceful Ponds
Suppose you prefer the serenity of still summer nights instead of the lively sounds of a waterfall. In that case, implementing a pond as your prominent backyard water feature will likely suit you well. Some Minnesota homeowners are lucky enough to have a naturally-occurring pond, or even better, live on a lakefront property . However, this is probably not the most typical circumstance for an average Minnesotan homeowner.
If your landscape is lacking aquatic scenery, consider installing a backyard pond feature to improve your curb appeal. Ask your chosen landscaping company about available artificial pond options, which can include:
When you want to add more greenery to the grounds of your property, a pond can be a great method to make it happen. Water gardens will allow aquatic plant species to thrive, attracting insects, birds, amphibians, and other interesting wildlife. Add some koi fish to craft a modern zen garden of your own, incorporating sands and stones of varying sizes as well. There are so many versatile ways you can utilize ponds in landscape designs, so develop the perfect plan with your preferred Minnesota landscaping company.
3. Calming Creeks
Small streams and artificial creeks are some other examples of attractive water features you can add to your yard. These options are popular among Minnesota homeowners because, like a backyard waterfall, they offer the constant sound of running water.
Slowly winding backyard streams look beautiful on larger lawns and make it really seem like you’re deep in nature. Work with a landscaping company to develop a landscape design that allows you to have your very own babbling brook right in your backyard.
4. Fun Fountains and Spitters
Fountains and spitters are other fun water feature options for Minnesota homeowners to incorporate into their landscape designs. Typically, these waterscaping elements are more compact than waterfalls, ponds, and other features, making them the perfect option for smaller properties.
Pair a fountain or spitter with a stone waterfall to create a comprehensive landscape design, or allow a standalone electric fountain to act as the focal point of your backyard. The options available for fountains and spitters are incredibly versatile, so you’ll quickly find something that suits your style and complements your property with assistance from an experienced Minnesota landscape designer.
5. Alternative Water Feature Options
Some homeowners have smaller properties with limited space but still love the look of a backyard water feature. Even if you don’t have enough space to install a more substantial waterscape design, you don’t have to worry about sacrificing your style choices. There are alternative water feature options such as birdbaths and electric fountains that allow you to achieve the serene atmosphere you desire but don’t take up too much square footage for your home.
Installing a Water Feature: What’s Next?
Once you’ve determined which water feature you think will look best with your existing landscape design, it’s time to get started on securing high-quality landscaping services. Although some handy homeowners are able to DIY this project themselves, you can seek professional assistance as well when installing a water feature for your Minnesota home.
Contact a Minnesota landscape design company like KG Landscape for a price quote on your next landscaping project. KG Landscape helps with all the heavy lifting so you can avoid any daunting DIY jobs. Professional landscape designers will develop a practical plan that incorporates your water feature so that it works well with any existing landscaping elements, looks great, and lasts for years to come. Enjoy the tranquil sounds of running water right outside your own Minnesota home with a beautiful backyard water feature.
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When Pergolas Don’t Last, There’s Always a Reason After nearly two decades of building outdoor spaces across Medina, I’ve seen what happens when pergolas aren’t designed for Minnesota’s conditions. You can spot them a mile away—posts that lean, beams that twist, and concrete pads that have heaved out of level after just a couple of winters. It’s not because homeowners cut corners intentionally. It’s usually because whoever built it didn’t account for what our climate really does to structures that aren’t anchored right. Medina’s heavy clay soil doesn’t drain well. It holds moisture, freezes solid, and then expands like a hydraulic press pushing on everything above it. When pergolas are set on surface-level post bases, that pressure has nowhere to go but up—and the whole thing moves. Even small shifts can cause joints to separate, wood to crack, and hardware to loosen. That’s how a $15,000 structure starts looking tired after a few years instead of standing straight for decades. The truth is, pergolas here aren’t just about shade or looks. They’re about structure, drainage, and how every piece ties into the patio beneath it. A pergola that stands tall through Minnesota winters is built on the same principles as a good foundation—it’s only as strong as what’s underneath it. If you live in Medina and want to enjoy your backyard without worrying about your investment warping or sagging, start with design that respects the environment it’s built in. That means thinking beyond lumber and stain colors. It means understanding soil movement, water management, and the importance of integrating your pergola with the patio below it.
Solutions for Properties in Minnetonka You can always tell a Minnetonka yard that’s fighting its slope. Water doesn’t lie, it finds the weak spots every time. I’ve walked plenty of properties where a backyard starts beautiful in June, but by September, the patio is heaving, the grass near the pool looks like a marsh, and the homeowner is wondering how it got so bad so fast. The truth is, when you’re dealing with rolling terrain and heavy clay soils like we have around Minnetonka, you can’t just move dirt and hope gravity behaves. You need a plan that manages water from the surface all the way down through the subsoil. This is what I’ll walk you through here. You’ll see what actually causes drainage issues on sloped properties, how poor planning leads to cracked patios and shifting pool decks, and the smart drainage systems that can stop those problems for good. Whether you live near Lake Minnetonka or up in the higher ridges closer to Deephaven or Woodland, understanding how your yard sheds water is the difference between a property that lasts and one that’s constantly under repair. The Real Challenge of Sloped Minnetonka Yards Minnetonka is known for its hills, lakefront properties, and mature trees, but all that beauty comes with a set of challenges below the surface. Most of the soil here is dense clay. It holds water like a sponge and drains slowly, which means after every heavy rain, that water looks for a way downhill. If it doesn’t have a proper outlet, it ends up collecting right where you don’t want it, like along your patio, at the base of a retaining wall, or near your pool deck. I see this every season: homeowners trying to solve slope problems with a quick regrade, a layer of rock, or a simple surface drain. Those things might help for a while, but they don’t address what’s really happening underground. Clay soil doesn’t just get wet—it becomes saturated, expanding and contracting with every freeze-thaw cycle. When that happens under a patio or wall, it doesn’t matter how well-built the surface looks. The ground will move, and that movement cracks stone, shifts pavers, and slowly tears apart everything on top. The other challenge with sloped lots is how water interacts with gravity. It accelerates downhill, gaining momentum as it goes. When it hits a flat area like a patio, the water loses speed but not volume, pooling instead of flowing. That’s why I tell clients that “flat spots” on a sloped property are both an opportunity and a responsibility. They’re the best spaces to create usable outdoor areas, but they have to be engineered to handle water movement. I’ve worked on plenty of Minnetonka yards where the backyard has a beautiful view but terrible grading. You can have a perfect slope on paper, but if it directs water toward your house or creates a bowl effect between structures, you’ll end up with soggy soil and standing puddles that never dry. The goal is to move water off and away while keeping the surface level enough for comfort and usability. It’s a fine balance, but when it’s done right, it completely transforms how a property functions.