The hottest landscaping trend in America today
Superior Earthworks handles it all.
Water features mature with age and increase the value of your property more than any other type of home improvement. Water gardens installed by Superior Earthworks are environment friendly and completely customized to be installed anywhere.
Superior Earthworks is a professional landscape contractor specializing in designing and constructing beautifully aesthetic, energy efficient and low maintenance water features that are customized to fit your particular style and taste. We can transform your property into an exotic paradise. Call us today in Suffolk County to find out more!
We design and build water features sized to your yard, from a small fountain beside the patio to a pond with a stream and waterfall spilling into it.
Picking the Right Water Feature for Your Yard
Start with how you want to use the space. A pond gives you a focal point and room for fish and water lilies. A water garden puts the plants first, with shallow shelves for marginals like iris and pickerelweed. A stream lets you link two parts of a sloped yard, while a waterfall adds the sound that masks road noise and makes a back deck feel private. If you have young children or very little room, a fountain or bubbling stone delivers the same sound with no open water. Every feature we install is designed around your style and your property rather than pulled from a catalog, so the size, stone and planting match the house instead of fighting it.
Planning Where the Water Goes
Placement decides how much you will enjoy a pond and how much work it takes. Put it where you can see it from a window or the patio, not tucked behind the garage. Most flowering water plants need about five to six hours of sun, so a spot in full shade will struggle. Keep the pond away from trees that drop heavy leaf litter into it every fall, and avoid the lowest corner of the yard, where storm runoff can carry fertilizer and silt straight in. Plan a path for the pump's power supply early. Before any digging starts, underground utilities should be marked so the excavation stays safe and on schedule.
Ready to talk about ponds & waterfalls?
Built to Stay Clear, Efficient and Easy to Own
Our water gardens are built to be environment friendly, energy efficient and low maintenance. That comes down to a few choices made at the design stage: a pump sized to the volume of water rather than oversized, a skimmer and filter that do the cleaning for you, and enough moving water to keep it from going stagnant, which also discourages mosquitoes. Plants and fish are balanced so algae has less to feed on. Seasonal care stays simple. Net the surface or skim leaves in autumn, trim back dying foliage, and decide with us whether your pump should run through winter or be pulled once the water gets cold.
Water Features We Build
- Backyard ponds
- Water gardens
- Streams
- Fountains
- Waterfalls
Water Landscapes Around Suffolk County
Water has always shaped this corner of Suffolk County. Lake Ronkonkoma is a kettle lake left behind by retreating glaciers, the Nissequogue River winds past Caleb Smith and out to the Sound, and the mill ponds at Blydenburgh and Stony Brook were dammed centuries ago to turn grist wheels. A backyard pond or stream borrows that same North Shore character on a smaller scale, with stone, moving water and native plants that look as if they belong to the landscape around them.
These local spots show the kinds of natural water features our ponds and streams take their cues from.
- Lake RonkonkomaIts gently sloped, sandy shoreline is a good model for a pond edge that blends into a lawn instead of ending in a hard rim.
- Stony Brook Grist MillThe mill and its pond are a reminder of how much a strong storm can move water, which is why we plan overflow routes for every backyard pond.
- Blydenburgh Farm and New MillThe old mill pond setting in Smithtown shows how still water and a spillway can share one view, a pairing that works well at home too.
- Gibbs Pond ParkThis Nesconset park is a handy example of a small pond fitting comfortably into a busy neighborhood setting.
- David Weld SanctuaryThe glacially shaped woods in Nissequogue are worth a walk for ideas on mossy stone and shade plants to soften the banks of a stream.
Serving Suffolk County
Ponds & Waterfalls FAQs
How much yard space does a backyard pond need?
Less than most people expect. A small water garden can fit in a corner of a patio bed, and a fountain or bubbling stone needs only a few square feet. A pond with fish usually works better when it is a bit larger and deeper, because more water holds a steadier temperature and stays clearer. We size the feature to your yard and to how much care you want to give it.
Will a pond bring mosquitoes into my yard?
A properly built pond should not. Mosquitoes breed in still, stagnant water, and a pond with a running pump, a waterfall or a stream keeps the surface moving. Fish also eat larvae. The bigger risk is usually forgotten buckets, clogged gutters and birdbaths. Keeping the pump running through the warm months is the simplest way to prevent the problem.
What happens to a pond during a Long Island winter?
Ponds that are deep enough can keep hardy fish through the winter as long as a small opening stays in the ice so gases can escape. Some owners keep a pump or aerator running, while others shut the waterfall down and store the pump. Tender plants should be trimmed back in the fall. We will walk you through the option that suits your particular feature.
Can I have the sound of a waterfall without an open pond?
Yes. A fountain, a bubbling urn or a pondless waterfall recirculates water from a hidden basin covered with stone, so there is no deep standing water. That makes it a good choice for families with small children or for yards with limited space. You still get the sound and movement of water, with less cleaning and no fish to care for.
Do I need my own design before calling you?
No. Every water feature we build is customized, so we start with your yard, your style and how you plan to use the space. Photos of ponds or waterfalls you like are helpful but not required. From there we work out the size, shape, stone and plants, and where the pump and power will go, before any digging begins.
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