By Susan Ellis of KeyLifeJourneys

Three years in the making and finally I am looking at the waterfall I have held in my imagination for a long time. The final task was to find the right creeping vines to cover the concrete block shell that circled the back of the waterfall where it rises above ground level. In May of 2009 beginning the waterfall's second season, I planted a Boston ivy on one side and a yellow hops vine on the other. By last fall I could see the potential. The hops vine was prolific and long stems worked their way across the whole project. In the fall they died off and I cut back to ground level. The Boston ivy was a slow starter and grasped the concrete firmly as it extended.

This spring the hops got off to a quick start and now cover the waterfall. The Boston ivy continues to grow where it left off last year and holds the foundation together. I had always had the dream that my water would gush out of a jungle of green. I had images of Mexico and Mayan ruins hidden behind undergrowth.

Romans ate the young shoots of hops vines saying they tasted like asparagus; alternatively I could flavour my beer with them. But more pressing, I have to ensure the hops vine does not take over my whole garden. It may be at some future date that I will be hacking through the undergrowth, not to find Mayan ruins, but my BBQ and swinging garden seat.

For now I sit and watch and listen to my waterfall. All rocks, stones and pebbles came from Ontario. Most rocks collected by me and my friends over a period of years waiting for the day when I would break ground and create my pondless waterfall. It had to be pondless. I did not want to maintain a pond especially since raccoons love my garden. So the water drops into an underground reservoir before being recycled back to the top. Having the waterfall over rocks and then drop into water underground gives a stereo effect in sound.

I could have bought a kit to make my waterfall. But I created it from scratch. I must write an ebook on how I chose to do it. But right now I am just savoring the moment!

I hope you enjoy the film.