 | Water gardens, with their floating foliage and soothing movement, bring many images of beauty, peace, and serenity. However, to prospective gardeners, water gardens can bring visions of more stressful images—ripped up lawns, leaking liners, and dead plants. Don’t distress! Water gardening doesn’t have to be difficult. With just a water-proof container, some simple steps, and a little imagination, you can easily build a beautiful and functional water garden that will last for years to come.
Pick Your Location
Unlike potted plants, water gardens are very heavy, and cannot be moved easily. That said, make sure you carefully decide where to place your water garden container. Make sure the space is level and sunny. Most importantly, pick a spot that will allow you the most time to enjoy your garden.
Decide Exactly What You Want
If your vision of a water garden isn’t complete without at least one or two koi and a handful of water lilies, then you are going to need a large container. Or if you only plan on growing a couple of specimens (sans fish), then a smaller container will work fine.
Take a walk around your local nursery to get a feel for what you like—and what you can’t live without. You can firm up plans later, but having a general idea of what you want your theme to be (plants, container, fish, etc…) will help avoid any unnecessary changes or surprises.
Some plants to keep in mind when planning a water garden are:
- Vertical Foliage Plants
- Sweet Flag—grassy plant with a fruity fragrance. 2-3 feet tall.
- Dwarf Papyrus—bell shaped flower cluster grow atop 18-24 inch stems.
- Cattail—green foliage topped by brown flowers that look like hot dogs. 4 feet tall.
- Cascading Plants
- Parrot Feather—soft, feathery tufts of foliage that drape over container.
- Water Mint—fuzzy, round leaves with tiny blue flowers.
- Peripheral Plants
- Variegated Spider Lily—green and white leaves with fragrant, white blooms.
- Chameleon Plant—mound of red, green, and cream leaves.
- Yellow Pitcher Plant—trumpet-shaped leaves with red and white veins.
- Water Celery—green and pink foliage with sweet fragrance.
- Floaters
- Floating Moss—small floater that’s ideal for small gardens.
- Water Hyacinth—lilac blue flowers that bloom around 6 inches above water line.
- Water Lettuce—soft, wrinkled leaves with soft texture.
Choose Your Container
Okay, so you’ve picked out the location and you’ve decided what plants you like best. You know the size of pot you need and possibly even the style. But what type of container works well?
Generally the container should hold a minimum of five gallons of water, be 18 inches wide at the top, and 1 ½ feet deep. As long as you keep these specifications in mind, virtually any type of container can become a water garden—provided that it’s water proof. Have you found a container you can’t live without, but it’s not waterproof? Don’t despair. Local home improvement stores carry a variety of plastic and paint-on liners that can seal virtually any container.
Some types of containers to consider are:
- Terra cotta planters
- Metal buckets or tubs (galvanized)
- Vintage bathtubs
- Whiskey barrels
- Plastic planters
- Punch bowls
Build Your Water Garden
Now that you’ve decided on which plants to grow and what container you like, it’s time for the fun part—building your water garden.
- First, fill your container with water. Water from the faucet or hose works well, just make sure to let it “rest” for around two days before adding any plants or fish. Doing so ensures that chlorine in the tap water will dissipate and not harm the garden.
- Next, add gravel to the bottom of the container, creating various levels for displaying plants. If you can’t achieve the height you want with just gravel, bricks and wire shelving work well.
- If you want, you can add a layer of sand over the gravel. Sand gives the garden a more natural look, and also provides an easy way to anchor plants into the bottom of your container.
- Once the chlorine has dissipated and the gravel is in place, you may add your plants. Add potted water plants first, grouping them with taller ones to the sides of the container. Set smaller plants on the natural ledges you created with shelves, bricks, or mounds of gravel so that they are visible. Finally, add free-floating plants such as water hyacinth, to the container. Make sure to cover around 70% of the water’s surface to prevent algae growth.
- Add your fish. Do not release fish directly from the bag into the water! Rather, leave them in the bag they were purchased in, and place the bag in the container of water. When the temperature inside the bag is the same as that of the container, then release the fish.
Take Care of Your Water Garden
Building the water garden was pretty simple, so caring for it has to be the hard part, right? Wrong. Unlike aquariums, there is no need to change the water and no filters to clean. Just make sure to fill the container every few days to offset evaporation. In addition, periodically check plants for distress, taking care to remove dead growth from the water. Water plants grow quickly, so use fertilizer tablets sparingly—if at all. Have fish in your garden? The plants act as a natural filter, so there is no need to go through any extra maintenance. Just make sure to feed them!
Do, however, make sure to secure your garden during the winter months. Simply moving it inside can prevent fish and plants from dying (if possible). Otherwise, leave heartier plants in the container, and place more delicate plants indoors in an aquarium or in a tub of cool water in the basement. If winters are particularly cold, simply place a bird bath warmer in the container to keep your garden—and fish—healthy all year long.
Enjoy!
Water gardens offer the perfect opportunity for those with tight space or little time to enjoy the tranquility and beauty of aquatic life. Inexperienced gardeners and master gardeners alike can easily build a water garden that suits their tastes and lifestyle—without digging any holes or hiring a plumber.
Yes, building your own water garden is simple, fun, and easy. Finding time to enjoy it, however, may prove to be more difficult!
|  |
|
