Creating a Weekend Water Garden

With one weekend of work in your yard, you can create a relaxing water garden that you and the local wildlife can benefit from and enjoy. Simple kits are available in home and garden stores, online, through mail order catalogs and in some other big box stores. Depending on the size and complexity of the water garden you want, prices can range from under $100 to thousands of dollars. The key to having as much enjoyment working to create your water garden retreat, and having it last for years to come, lies in good planning. Make sure you know exactly what you want, and what lies underground in your yard, before doing anything. Know where the water lines, power lines and any other underground utilities run so that you can safely dig.

Do your research before deciding on anything. There are three different ways to create a pond or pool at a landscape feature. A flexible plastic liner is the most inexpensive way. The liner tends to be flexible, light weight and can be cut to any shape. The downside is that getting the liner installed as well as the desired size and shape can be time consuming. Prefabricated fiberglass pools are more expensive, but might be a good compromise. They are easier to install and more durable than plastic liners. They also work better when being installed on sloping ground. A concrete pool or pond is the most durable, but also the most expensive. If this is the way you want to go then I suggest hiring a professional rather than going the do it yourself route. This is because a few saved minutes in mixing or failing to reinforce the concrete in the right places can cause cracking and a shortened lifespan for the water feature.

Decide on a location for your water garden very carefully. You will want your water garden to be somewhere that you can easily enjoy it, likely where you can see it from the house rather than just when in the yard. If you want to grow water lilies, lotuses or similar plants then you are going to need to build your water garden in a location that receives a location with at least five hours of sun a day. However, full sun would be the ideal condition.

Your water garden location should also be somewhere that water and electricity can be made accessible. You will need to fill the water garden with water, and occasionally add more water. You will also need electricity to run the pump that will keep your water clean and clear.

Be aware of trees in your yard, and their root systems. You do not want to damage the root systems in the digging or your pool. You also want to make sure that the water garden does not have foliage overhead. Leaves and other material falling into your pool will foul the water, possibly harming any fish or plant life that you have introduced to the feature. Decaying plant matter can also clog your filter and pump.

Be sure that the soil in the area you chose is well drained. If the soil in the area is regularly boggy and wet then it can distort the shape of any artificial water feature and eventually crack a liner. If the water garden is placed in sandy or very crumbly soil needs some special preparation to prevent the sides from caving in.

Make your pool deep. Pools that are too shallow can cloud up quickly and tend to build up excess algae quickly. Aquatic plant life and fish do much better in pools that are at least 18 to 24 inches. If you live in an area with very cold weather, then deeper pools will help the fish survive when the temperatures dip below freezing.

It is very important to know where you want your water garden, what lies underground, and how you want the final product to look. With the right planning and proper research you can have a wonderful retreat in your yard. After your water garden is complete, adding some seating and garden beds around your new water feature can further enhance your landscaping work.