You have a lovely garden mate. I dont have the interest you obviously do have, so we have always tended to err on the meadow look, which technically, it still is. Planning on a large (non fish) pond for next year, cos when we had the last one, (long story about its demise), we loved seeing the natural evolution of insects and newts and frogs, and even wild ducks around it.
ATM, every morning, I am greeted by a massive display of flowering meadow grasses that I planted for Nikki a year or two ago. They would look like that in a real meadow, so zero work involved, which is a plus!