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Basic Water Garden Design Tips

Designing a water garden isn‘t hard and you should have fun. A nice water garden can easily be created by a person or by a professional landscaping company. A good water garden design should factor in the space allowed, the plants that you desire, and the climate of the area the garden will grow will be created. water garden

Building a water garden could be an entire website so I have created a few links to my favorite Water Garden Design Site. They Carry Supplies and Provide Step By Step How To Information:Van Ness Gardens or The Water Garden

First Things First

The first step is to decide what type of pond you want to build keeping in mind what type of aquatic life you want in the pond. Is it going to be a home for goldfish or just aquatic plants? A water garden typically contains both goldfish and a variety of aquatic plants.

Where To Build Your Water Garden

You will enjoy your water garden more if you build it close to your home. Find an area where you can see it year round. Water gardens are great attracters of wildlife including birds and butterflies. Build it where runoff from rain will not flow into the pond as runoff may carry fertilizers, chemicals, and debris into the pond. It may be necessary to alter the terrain to accommodate this. Try not to place it too close to trees. You will want to place your water garden where it will receive at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight each day if you want to grow water lilies. Shade is fine for fish-only ponds. Water circulation is not essential but the use of a pump will allow you to keep more fish, it will keep your plants healthier also.

How Deep

Making a water garden begins by digging a hole in the ground. Water gardens in moderate climates usually need for an area of the pond to be at least 2 feet deep. Colder climates require a depth to provide at least 12" to 16" of water below the freeze zone. Plan before you dig, gradually slope the sides to allow different plants optimal growing conditions. Some water plants flourish in deeper water and others are suited for shallower water.

Some water garden designs will begin with a shelf for plants that enjoy one foot of water or less and from that point the pond will slope to around eighteen inches and the deepest point over twenty-four inches deep. This will allow for a variety of plants to be grown in one water garden.

Deciding On The Plants

There so many beautiful water plants to talk about each one in detail; however there are some general purchasing guidelines to follow when selecting appropriate plants for the region in which one lives. The United States is divided into ten climate zones; these zones are based on the date which there is no longer a risk of frost for that year.

Plants labeled hardy will grow in almost all areas of the United States except for extreme climates such as Alaska and a few other pockets of the country. Hardy plants are ideal for most water garden designs as there is a large variety of available plants that will please anyone’s taste.

Water plants labeled tropical will only do well in extremely hot conditions; they prefer the very edge of Florida, Texas, and southern California. Most other areas even in the south will not have consistent favorable temperatures for enough of the growing season.

Potted Plants

A water garden design should be planned similarly to a container garden because that is essentially what a water garden is. One variation is the type of pots needed for water gardens, water garden plants will grow best if they are grown in fabric pots as this will allow the water to flow freely around the soil and the roots.

I have found that if fabric pots are unavailable or undesired plastic pots will also work well for water garden designs. The pots can be placed on cinderblocks while young to encourage them to grow faster and lowered slowly as the plant matures.

Even the smallest water plants will need a pot at least ten inches wide to allow the water plants room to expand. Water garden designs should take into cosideration places for pots to be placed to allow the particular plant the most sun, water depth, and soil that it needs to be healthy and thrive. Some plants will need the long “window box” type of plastic planters to allow the plant room to grow.

 

 

 



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