50 Pictures of Backyard Garden Waterfalls (Ideas & Designs) (2023)

A gallery featuring a huge selection of large and small garden waterfalls with ponds and streams. Many of the featured include tropical plants or ornamental fish.

Welcome to our gallery spotlighting a massive collection of the best and most beautiful garden waterfalls from around the world.

Including a waterfall in your garden is an excellent way to add an atmosphere of luxury. The sound of water moving over rocks is inherently soothing, and larger cascades toss mist into the air, creating a cooling effect outdoors and acting as a humidifier indoors.

Waterfalls, natural or manmade, come in many different styles and types. Some of the waterfalls you’ll see have layered slabs of stone, while others have boulders that are round or square. Some empty into shallow pools, with others tumble into deeper wells.

Some of the types of waterfalls you’ll see in this collection include ledge waterfalls, where the water pours vertically over a vertical cliff, maintaining only partial contact with the bedrock; sheet waterfalls, where the water comes from a very wide stream; plunge waterfalls, which always come from a narrow stream and completely lose contact with the rocks; and slide waterfalls, which maintain continuous contact with the bedrock.

Some of these waterfalls will have multiple cascades, while others only a single fall. Waterfalls are a type of water feature that are typically found in conjunction with other water features like garden ponds or stream gardens.

The pools they empty into may contain aquatic plants like lilypads or algae, or even large or small ornamental fish, depending on the depth or size of the pool.

We hope you’ll enjoy this fantastic collection of beautiful waterfalls from gardens around the world!

Find more backyard ideas in our definitive guide to backyards!

This pond with a stone waterfall is slightly off the beaten path of the yard, with large stepping stones leading through the mulch to the side of the shallow pond.

A two-tiered stone waterfall with a shallow pool sits just off the edge of a flagstone patio with a small fire pit. The flow of the waterfall follows the hill, with the home on the very top. Stone steps lead down from the backyard to the patio.

A bird’s eye view of stone steps leading down past a stream with multiple waterfalls that ends in a pool surrounded by rocky outcroppings. A small patio with two lounge chairs is tucked into the forest-like garden.

Even the shallowest of waterfall pools creates a soft, soothing sound as the water tumbles into it. Spiky grasses and hedges are planted around the edges of this waterfall and pond.

An artificial garden waterfall, when viewed very closely, is a sight to behold. Even the smallest cascades cause ripples, bubbles, and a soothing sound.

A three-tiered stone waterfall that ends in a tiny but deep well. The ground surrounding it is covered in thick moss and algae.

The sound of a waterfall cascading down onto rocks is subtly different than into a pool, but nonetheless creates a zen atmosphere. Watching water constantly move over rocks is almost hypnotizing.

In larger public gardens, garden waterfalls more closely resemble natural waterfalls, including the enormous boulders. Tree branches hang over the water, reflecting in the murky pond surface.

Large slanted boulders run along the edges of this man-made creek somewhat cover the small cascades along its length. Pink snapdragons and other wildflowers grow along the hilly meadow.

This pond sits in the center of an enormous garden and features a two-tiered waterfall and a deep pond with ornamental fish and lilypads.

In a more arid climate, this large waterfall falls from a much higher height, spraying a cooling mist into the air for everyone around. The water continues into a stream.

The steep cascades of this garden waterfall fall into two streams, creating a symphony. Ferns and tall waterplants hang over the edges.

Vessel-shaped stone pools are stacked to crate a three-tiered waterfall tumbling into a small pool. Thick ground cover peeks up from in between the surrounding boulders.

With a little more water pressure, you can get a more violent, splash-filled waterfall effect. This is somewhat less relaxing than a gentle trickle, but far more stunning.

At nighttime, this pond with a small waterfall lights up from below, casting a haunting glow upon the surface of the pond.

A closer look at the waterfall section of the above water feature, showing the carefully placed stone blocks and the landscaping that makes the man-made structure feel far more natural.

A final look at the pond at night. The algae and other water plants encircle the center of the pool, where it is deepest.

Like many of the other waterfalls in this collection, the edges of this waterfall and pool are surrounded by grasses and mulch.

In a more expansive garden, a small waterfall leads out from between flowered bushes and splashes down into a shallow, winding stone stream ending in a larger pond.

A rambling downhill stream empties into a large garden pond with a patch of lilypads at the center. A single large boulder sits in the shallows.

A more natural garden waterfall with a pool full of algae covered boulders and rocks. Shards of fallen trees lay by the side of the falls, bleached white in the sun.

Two narrow stone paths run on either side of this multi-tiered waterfall river. In the background is a much larger waterfall tucked between trees and other landscaping.

Layered sedimentary stones make up this water well and waterfall complex surrounded by small wildflowers and grasses. Two stone statuettes of ducks sit on either side of the main falls.

The easiest way to make a garden waterfall look and feel natural is to surround the entire enclosure, pumps and all, in natural stone boulders.

A close up of a waterfall where the water hits multiple rock surfaces on the way to the bottom. Frozen in time, we can see mist and the way the water fans out.

A large stone waterfall with a gentle, clear stream rolling down two short falls. Tall reds and bamboo mark the edges of the pool, along with a sculpture of a reading fairy.

From a higher vantage point, we can see the full length of this enormous waterfall complex, the bright green foliage of the trees surrounding the falls, and the orange ornamental fish living in the pond.

This pond is mostly still, with a wide waterfall on one side, spilling narrow streams of water down the rock faces. Large leafed plants give this space a tropical atmosphere.

Another look at the stone waterfall and pond with the fairy sculpture. At the center of the shallow pond is a deep square well.

A single shelf of rock extending over the stonewall of the pond creates a simple, wide waterfall.

A closer look at the side of the waterfall’s shelf. A low evergreen ground cover is creeping across the rocks towards the water.

A house on a hillside features a rolling waterfall beside the stone steps that lead down to a spacious patio area.

A view down the stone steps at the waterfall and pond. Large pots of yellow mums add a pop of color to the landscaping.

A final look at the waterfall, showing the way the water rolls down multiple rock faces.

This garden waterfall has a small ledge of rock extending like a miniature bridge over one of the falls.

A tall waterfall empties into a pool and then again into a shallow stream below. The rock wall behind the falls is covered in small outcroppings that are smothered in moss and algae.

A garden waterfall surrounded by beautiful, colorful patches of flowers in purple and yellow. The shape of this winding stone waterfall resembles a series of steps.

A large waterfall with a top reservoir and tropical plants around the edges. Flowers are kept in containers on the rocks for color. Near the tallest fall is a statue of a flamingo.

The entrance to this gated backyard runs past a small waterfall and continues into a small river that winds throughout the backyard.

A stone garden waterfall near the side of the home surrounded by large tropical plants.

A stream with multiple waterfalls rolling through a Japanese Zen garden. Large flower bushes dot the otherwise green landscape. Vines are allowed to grow wild over the boulders.

While this waterfall is clearly not natural, the layered stones allow water to cascade into a pool, giving off a cooling mist for the seating area nearby.

From above, the artificial “bumpers” of the multiple streams are clearly visible. Two empty into the larger waterfall, while the other enters just off to the left. The reservoir at the bottom is clear, with many lilypads.

A tropical garden waterfall with a dirt pathway alongside it. Flowering trees, ferns, and lush flora cover any man-made elements.

A winding stream follows the long stone stairway down to this patio. The stream ends in a small corner pool in a rush of water.

A shallow set of waterfalls leading into a murky pool. Large white boulders surround the complex.

The erosion caused by the stream over time has worn fantastic swirls into the stone bed of this shallow stream, with a waterfall at the top. Beautiful flowers line the edges of the stream.

A circular structure surrounds this small waterfall microcosm, which leads into a much larger waterfall.

A floral carpet surrounds this beautiful waterfall, which leads into a crystal blue pond.

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