Water Gardens Are Easy to Maintain: Start Yours Today

How would you like to have a garden that requires no tilling, no weeding, no need to add mulch and compost? Sound good doesn't it. Well, you can, it's called a container water garden. Any sizes of pots that are filled with water plants basically take care of them selves as long as you keep adding fresh water. Well, there is a little more to it than just adding water but it's easy.

You have to watch for algae, keep mosquitoes from using your water garden as there home and scrub out the pot from time to time.

Creating a water garden, no matter what size it is, not only is enjoyable for you but also for birds, butterflies, and even small fish if you choose. Small water gardens can look very nice nestled in corners of your deck or apartment balcony or nestled in areas of your landscape. All that you need is a small non-draining, non-porous pot and a few water plants.

Here is some information that you need to know before you put your water garden together.

The Perfect Pot
You can be creative in your pot selection. Many are made out of plastic, ceramic, metal and porcelain. Using an old washtub is one way to be creative. If you would like a wood container, make sure you line it with a heavy-gauge plastic bag or a pre-formed plastic liner. Never us something like a whiskey barrel, it could still contain bacteria that is harmful to the plants and fish. Size also makes a difference in your choice. You should decide where you would like to put your water garden before you purchase a container. Also the number of plants you would like in your water garden. Four to five plants will fill a container that is about 18 inches in diameter and 12 inches deep. You can even just us one plant in a container.

Varieties of Plant Habits
Water plants like oxygenating grasses, floating leaf aquatics, bog and marginal water plant species thrive in water but have different growing requirements including the depth of the water.

Oxygenating grasses
These plants can grow submerged in the water or sit at the bottom of the pot or can float at the surface. These plants help maintain the proper PH balance of the pond water.

Floating leaf
These plants float on the waters surface and help reduce algae in the water garden.

Bog plants
These plants grow in shallow water. If your container is deep, you will have to put these bogs on top of rocks or invert small pots into your container to help create a shallow environment.

Marginal
These plants grow 1 to 12 inches underwater, basically at the midway point of your containers size. If you use a small container they will usually sit at the bottom.

Plants that require deep-water
There are some plants like the lilies that require deep-water; this could be one foot of water above their roots. If you choose a deep-water plant you will need an extra large container so the foliage can spread out. Deep-water plants help reduce algae growth and cool the water.

Location
When you select the plants for your water garden you need to consider the lighting conditions of where you want your container sitting. The morning sun or partially sunny spots are the best. The afternoon sun can burn and kill your plants and harm your fish. The best thing to do is to choose both horizontal and vertical growing plants; this also makes your display more interesting and beautiful.

Maintenance
There is a minimal amount of maintenance to maintain your water garden. The main thing is to keep adding fresh water. Your water plants get most of their food from the soil they are growing in and the water itself. You can fertilize but be careful as it can kill your fish. Fertilizer is in tablet form; tuck the tablet in the bottom of the plants soil.

Algae are something you need to watch for, algae loves light and nutrients to thrive. To help with this always keep floaters on the top of the water, they help cut out some of the light, and some submerged plants. Every once in a while you will have to drain your water garden and scrub the inside with a stiff brush.

In order to conquer mosquitoes you can consider purchasing little "doughnuts" that just float on the top of your water garden. You can purchase these are your local garden center. They are safe around children, dogs, cats, fish and birds; also you can install a bubbler that keeps the water in motion, water that just sits can draw mosquitoes.

Fish
If you choose to include fish in your water garden there are some things you have to know. Never put fish into the water right after you get your water garden set up; you need it to set for a couple of weeks first. To add your fish, keep the fish in the baggie that you carried them home in, place baggie and fish in the water for at least 15 minutes during the time your water garden is in the shade, and then you can release them. To start them out right, feed them ever few days with fish food. They will eventually find the algae. In small water gardens, small gold fish, mosquito fish, and Gambusia fish will help with the mosquitoes and their larvae.