There are many benefits in having a water garden. A water garden is a garden with a pond, and they are common features of Zen ornamental gardens. Having a pond can add a very nice touch to any garden. Installing a water garden is not too difficult for the lay person. There are water-garden tool kits you can get which can be installed by two or more people over a weekend. The laborious part is the excavation of the pond area, and you may want to outsource this to a contractor. Depending on the complexity of your water garden, it may take several days for it to be completed, but once ready, you can be assured the results will be stunning, as almost all water gardens are.
There are basic considerations involved when you want to install a water garden in your yard, though. You have to consider the size of the area you can work on (there are water-garden kits for all sizes), the plants suitable for water gardens, the design, and the plumbing needed to ensure the health of your water garden.
If you’re not too keen about these things, you might want to consult your gardener for some advice but all water garden installation tool kits come with installation guide to help you with the plumbing. You can get one that uses prefabricated, weather proof high density plastic as lining because they are easy to install so that you can move onto planting and designing your water garden quickly. All major gardening shops and hardware department stores have them.
Remember that you have to buy the plants needed only after you have installed and gotten your pond running or else you risk killing these plants while they wait for their pool to be finished.
Now that you have the tool kit that’s just the perfect size for your yard, you can start digging for the pool – you need ground leveling tool to achieve a level surface. Smaller water garden tool kits don’t need too deep beds so that you don’t have to hire extra hands to do the digging. Even your boys would love to pitch in – a great way to bond during the weekend. Now that you have dug up the bed, all you need to do is lay the prefabricated lining and follow the instruction for the plumbing. The water needs to circulate in order for the natural wonders of nature to work its magic in maintaining the health of your water garden. This is the main purpose of the plumbing that’s included in the kit. Usually, you also need to get one of those water treatment equipment to really ensure your garden’s vibrant health.
Once you have installed the plumbing, test your work by filling up the pond with water and turning the pump on. You don’t want to see a significant drop of the water level within a short period of time because it means there’s a leak somewhere. You want the water level to remain the same and circulating perfectly. You also want the rims to be perfectly level as well. Once you’ve achieved this, you’re ready to move onto the next phase of the project, installing the design.
The most popular and practical design involves putting stones and small boulders to act as natural environment for the plants, insects, amphibians, and other water dwellers. Don’t forget to use stones of varying sizes and colors to make your pond look bigger and more natural. You can also bring in sunken log and tree branches you found from one of your fishing expeditions to add to the beauty of it all.
Check your water level and plumbing again after you’ve installed the design because you might have punctured a hole in the lining during the process. That is why you need to be careful in installing your design. Now that you know that the pond is perfectly intact and working, you’re ready to put the icing on the cake, the plants.
There are plants that are most suitable for water gardens so be sure to ask your gardener about them. Your gardeners can also advice you as to what plants need less care and attention than others – this is recommended for beginners.
Aquatic plants are divided into a few types, such as submerged, marginal, and floating. A common selection of aquatic plant species for the water garden are:
- Water lilies (tropical and hardy)
- Lotus
- Hornwort
- Iris (marginal)
- Bulrush (marginal)
Bog plants that grow along the edges and shallow water areas are also good: arrowheads, cattails, and dwarf bamboos are among the favorites that don’t need much caring and attention to grow.
There are also floating aquatic plants like water hyacinth, duckweed, water lettuce, and Salvinia, which are pretty, but have become an invasive species in warm climates. Some areas have perpetual problems with these plants, because they have clogged up many a lake or waterway, and are difficult to eradicate. Check with your state laws whether you are allowed to grow them or not.
The benefit of floating type aquatic plants is that they help prevent algae from growing, and reduce evaporation from the water surface in hot weather. But they need monitoring, because in large numbers, they tend to suck up a lot of nutrients from the water, and reduce the amount of oxygen in the water.
It’s best to position your yard water garden that allows you to view it over the window. And if you have space in the front yard, don’t hesitate to install it there because in general, water gardens always attract a lot of attention from anyone who beholds them.
