Water gardens come in all shapes and sizes. You can make
your own from scratch or pick up a kit from a local lawn and garden store. Each has their benefits and drawbacks...but
they all end up with you having a wonderful water feature for your garden.
What better
way to relax after a hard day at work than to sit on your deck or in the garden and listen to your water feature and watch
the wildlife enjoy the water. Ok, maybe you can add "while sipping your favorite beverage." :-)
Water gardens attract
more than wildlife to your garden. Sometimes they attract your neighbors and friends! They will enjoy the serenity it provides
as well. What better chance than to sit with your neighbors or friends and educate them about how they can create their own
habitat in their yard.
Depending on your ambition and pocketbook, you can have whatever size water feature that would
fit both! For starters, an easy fix would be to make or purchase a bird bath. From this, you can step up to a bird bath with
a fountain. The birds love to splash in the fountains. Remember to keep the water level below an inch and a half. If it is deeper
than this, it will tend to scare the birds away.
Another easy project is a half whiskey barrel. No, this doesn't
mean you have to get a whisky barrel and drink until it is empty! These are available at many lawn and garden stores. You
can place a liner inside, and fill with water for an instant pond. You can add a pump or fountain to keep the water circulating.
This part is important so that you are not an inadvertent breeder of mosquitoes. You can also add some plants for more impact.
There are four basic categories of water
plants: floating, surface, submerged and bog or marginal.
Floating plants float
on the water's surface. They tend to grow quickly and may require periodic thinning. They reduce the amount of algae in
your pond by limiting the amount of sunlight that reaches the water. They also absorb the dissolved nutrients in the water
to keep the water clean. By covering the water surface, they also keep the water cooler for any fish that you might have.
Surface plants have roots in the soil and have long stems that reach the surface of the water. They
also benefit the water in that they will keep the water cooler and block algae growth by blocking the sunlight.
An example of a surface plant is the famous water lily. Water lilies will also bloom. They will open early in the morning
and close by the afternoon.
Submerged plants grow beneath the surface of the water. They
boost the oxygen content of the water. They plants remain under the water surface and will consume their nutrients through
there stems and leaves, thus keeping the water clean and free of the slimy green coating found in many ponds. These plants
also grow fast and may require thinning every so often. These plants may not be as decorative as the lilies, but they
are necessary in order to make the eco-system work in balance.
Bog or marginal plants live
on the outer edges of the ponds. Their roots are normally pretty shallow. If you have fish, these plants will use the fish
waste as their fertalizer.
