Your Beautiful Water Garden

What’s more soothing than a water garden? It can be the size of a bowl, or it can take up acres of space. Most homeowners’ water gardens are more modest, but the sounds of running water and the sight of animal life, beautiful flowers and vegetation provide the same refreshment and sense of peace.

Some water gardens really are contained in pots. The one caveat is that these tiny gardens shouldn't be put in terra cotta pots because these pots have a sealant that’s toxic to fish. The pot should be made of fiberglas or plastic. With that out of the way, all this water garden needs is a little pump and filter to keep the water fresh. Some good plants for a potted water garden are water poppy and dwarf horsetail.

If the gardener wants an outdoor water garden, they should consider the location of the garden and what style they want it to be. The garden should be placed where it can be best seen and heard. Would that be near the kitchen, or the livingroom, or the patio? More care has to be given if the water garden is going to be built in. A freestanding water garden can be moved around if the homeowner doesn’t like the original site.

Before the water garden is built, the homeowner should consult an electrician and make sure that it can have safe access to electricity and that the electricity can be easily cut off if necessary. The homeowner will also need a source of water. Usually all they need is the water from their garden hose. Also, the water garden ideally should be built on a flat surface, but many beautiful water gardens are terraced.

The water garden's pool has to be at least 18 inches deep and can be made out of masonry, but masonry’s a bit expensive. Vinyl liners are also good for a water garden and cost less. The pump and filter, which should be bought together, recirculates the water and aerates it. The size of the pump is going to depend on the volume of the pool and how elaborate the homeowner wants their water garden to be. The more elaborate the water features are in the garden, the more power the pump has to provide. A pump and filter should be able to recirculate half of the pool's volume every hour. The volume is determined by multiplying the length of the pool by its width and its depth. Multiplying that number by 7.5 will tell the homeowner how many gallons are in their pool, and they’ll know that half of that amount will need to be pumped every hour.

Once the pool is filled with fresh water it should be allowed to sit for ten days before installing the plants and about a month before adding fish. The plants should be a mix of heights, textures and colors to add interest.

Once a pool is set up it should be easy to maintain. It’s an ecosystem and if it’s healthy it won’t need too much maintenance. What’s mostly left for the homeowner to do is enjoy it!

How To Maintain Your Water Garden

Water gardens and ponds in the summer are a wonderful way to decorate your yard in the spring and summer time. One problem you may have with these ideas is the insects and pests that are drawn to the water. You could use chemicals to keep the pests away, but another way is organic methods.

You can buy something called diatomaceous earth, a white salt like substance that is available at most swimming pool supplies. You can sprinkle this in the affected area where invaders will hang out and it will kill them. To get rid of aphids, a parasite that is attracted to dying or even healthy plants, you can mix

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Toads and Frogs in Your Garden?

Toads and frogs probably love our water gardens more than we do.  Obviously they love the water, so having water right next to plants is the perfect invitation for them.

 

It’s also a very unique idea to intentionally host them in your pond, and giving them a home in your garden.  This has several benefits.  Toads and frogs will eat many insects and other pests which might be damaging your plants or are otherwise being a nuisance.  They also can provide a nice additional sound ambiance to your waterfalls and fountains.  The familiar croaking is a pleasant part of natural outdoor soundscapes.  Unless of course, you don’t happen to like their sound, or find it unnerving.

 

There may be some concerns, though, if you try to play host to these amphibians.  If you have a lawn, you’ll have to watch out when mowing, especially when the babies begin to show up and start hopping around.  Dogs and cats also will chase and destroy frogs and toads in many cases.  It may take quite a bit of creativity to provide a safe haven for the little green guys if you have other pets and a lawn.

 

To build an inviting habitat for frogs and toads, you need to be aware of their needs.  They like to be able to “hang out” in the water, so it’s good to provide a way for them to sit partially submerged, such as rocks or a shoreline of sorts.  The shore will also provide them away to easily get in and out of the water.  Frogs also need shade, especially in the daytime, and preferably it should be wet or moist as well.  There are even professionally made toad houses to provide them with shelter.

 

You can also stack rocks to create miniature caves, or use clay planting pots turned on their sides.  You may need to actually water the ground in the areas where they hang out, and if they mate in your garden you’ll want to keep the baby areas nice and damp so they don’t die.

Another great trick to keep toads happy is a well placed solar lamp.  They can use it as an all-you-can-eat buffet, as the bugs will just keep on coming.  They may also enjoy the warmth, though I’m certainly not able to say that for sure.

 

Be careful, also, when adding water to make up for evaporation.  Tap water can kill the tadpoles, so you’ll need to dechlorinate whenever adding water.

 

The most important thing for a frog and toad pond is shade.  It will need to have plenty of shade available for them to get out of the sun when they want or need to.  Of course this can be accomplished in many ways.  Trees, bushes, or any other kind of taller plants. Also, don’t forget to place some lily pads in your pond for the ever-classic view of a toad sitting on a lily pad, catching bugs to pass the time.

Draining Debris and Maintenance

The water garden is an area that is going to attract debris, leaves, sticks, and grass cuttings because the water garden is deeper in the earth than anything else in your landscape. Just as a slope in your landscape is a place where leaves and things will accumulate, the water garden is an attraction that debris will fall into. Maintenance and cleaning the debris from the water garden will be important so that you can keep the water balanced and cleaning the debris will keep your fish safe from some types of bacteria and fungus that can grow from such debris. Small amounts of debris can be good for your water, as the decaying process is natural, but large amounts can be disruptive.

For both the largest and the smallest pools, the spring months are usually the best time to consider cleaning the water garden because this is the time of year when any debris that is falling or blowing is going to be finished. Sometimes cleaning the water garden in the fall months can only mean that you are going to have to ‘do it again’ in the spring months because of the winds of winter.

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Pond Accessories

When it comes to pond or watergarden decorations, nothing beats fountains. As kids, we all have had a special attraction to fountains. Everyone loves the way fountains make the water come out in a stream and move to the sound of the music. Fountains are definitely pleasing to everyone’s eyes and they sure can catch attention. If you want to have a fountain as a standalone piece, with no in-ground pond, you can go for self-contained fountains. Also, you can choose from a huge pool of fountain heads. These heads can create amazing water features. All you have to do is connect these heads to fountain pump and place at intended spots in your ponds and watergardens. For a party having foggers is a splendid idea. These transform water into fog. This creates an amazing and magical dry ice effect.

You can get spitters for your water features. They add a whole new ambience to your ponds, with the sound which definitely make your ponds come to life. Lighting can be added to the backyard waterfalls, watergardens, etc. to give a complete look. So go ahead and decorate your ponds, adding to the fun and excitement!

Winterizing the Water Garden

You have spent all spring and summer working on your water garden, creating the environment that is both beautiful and functional for the plants and the fish. Caring for your pond before the winter months come into season will be important so that your plants, the fish and the pond itself make it through the winter with out problems or damages.

If you have container plants in or around the water garden, you need to think about the containers that you are growing in. Are the containers the type that can sit out in the weather – freezing and contracting with out the possibility of breaking? If the containers are made out of ceramic or other glass type material, you might find that in the spring your containers could split or cracked and almost useless if you are not careful. Using containers that are made of wood, Styrofoam or other materials like plastic that have a bit of bend in the material that the container is made out of will ensure that you are protecting your plants and your investment through out the year.

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The Tranquility of Moving Water

One of the most relaxing sounds to human ears is that of moving water, especially the sound of a small amount of water trickling down a small waterfall or over rocks.  Many products are available to duplicate this sound, clock radios, audio CDs, and even specialty devices that just produce varying nature sounds.  The sound of flowing water is a natural way to lower stress and bring relaxation.

 

This is one of the best reasons to include a waterfall in your pond or water garden plans.  A waterfall feature adds aesthetic beauty, and is often an important functional piece, as you might need to pump the water anyways for other purposes.

 

When making plans to install a waterfall addition to your water garden or pond, you might consider positioning it in a way that you can hear it from inside your house.  Specifically, it may help you and your family sleep better if you have small waterfalls near the bedroom windows of your home.  Or it can provide a relaxing place to eat, if it’s placed near the breakfast area or the kitchen.

 

If you haven’t yet installed a pond, then you can consider the sounds of the flowing water when deciding where to place it.  If you intend to have a large pond or a series of several ponds, then it might be easy to build several waterfalls, to fill your outdoor space with the peaceful sounds.

There’s also a visual aspect to the relaxing properties of flowing water.  Watching a gentle waterfall also has a very peaceful effect on our minds.  If you have a waterfall flowing into your pond, you might sometimes find it very soothing to stare into the moving water, while listening only to it’s soft melody.

 

For these reasons, you may also want to consider a relaxation area in your yard when designing or planning your water garden.  A few pieces of well-padded patio furniture in a semi-secluded part of the yard, perhaps flanked on two sides by water features, can create a sanctuary of peace in your own back yard.  It can even provide a refuge from heat on hot days, as the flowing water will add a cooling effect.  This is even more true if you can take advantage of any natural breeze on your property to blow over the water and then onto the sitting area.

 

For an even more calming atmosphere, you can add fish to your pond.  Large koi fish of varying colors are especially graceful and appealing to the eyes.  Watching the fish move gracefully about in the pond, while listening to the gently flowing water, and seeing the water flow over rocks, while sitting back in a soft chaise lounge may just be the ultimate stress reduction therapy.

A possible alternative or additive to a waterfall is a fountain.  In practice, they function similarly, with the fountain being an obviously man-made shape, where the waterfall is meant to look like a natural occurrence.  Both will have a similar relaxing effect, and they can be combined to create an even more interesting water garden.

Fall Seasonal Care

Autumn is one time that your own environment can be a bit unpredictable as the weather changes fast, hot one day and cool and damp the next. Water temperatures in the fall months are going to be affected by the changing temperatures outdoors. The water is going to remain warmer a lot longer than the outdoor air is going to be warm, so you don’t have to worry to much about the fish as the temperatures drop and change quickly.

For the koi fish, they will begin to eat more as the weather gets cooler and the temperatures begin to drop because they are going to want to fatten up as they realize winter is setting in.

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Digging a pond for the waterfall gives the waterfall an authentic look

The waterfall becomes a miniature replica of any natural waterfall, with water crashing into the pond. You can get one of the pond kits available, which at once gives you all that you need to create a beautiful pond to go with the waterfall. You have to choose a kit, which can let you build the pond of the size you want. The rubber liner as well as the capacity of the pump varies in these kits. There is a huge variety of pond kits so that they can suit your requirements exactly. But these ponds have to be maintained properly too. You have to go regular cleaning of the pond and ensure that no unwanted material stays in the pond for long.

However, if you want to do away with the tension of maintaining your pond, you can go for pondless waterfalls. Here, the water directly flows on the rocks situated at the bottom of the fall. The water is collected underground, which is pumped back into the system by a submersible pump. It definitely reduces the liability of maintenance and still gives you the freedom to enjoy backyard waterfalls.

The Basics of Fish Pond Maintenance

Keeping your fish healthy requires that you regularly maintain their pond’s environment.  The basics of upkeep for a fish pond are similar to the routines of maintaining a swimming pool and an aquarium, just with different variables.

 

Filtering and Pumping

 

Just like with a fish tank inside, you need to filter the water.  This means you’ll need a pump of course, and you can probably make the pump pull “triple duty” by also taking care of the aeration and running a waterfall or fountain.  This may require a slightly larger pump, but since you need aeration anyways, there’s no loss.  Depending on the types of filtration you opt for, mechanical or chemical or both, you’ll need to keep it clean and ensure the chemical filter doesn’t get used up.

 

To avoid possible disasters, you should have your pump or pumps connected to a high quality outdoor surge protector.  The last thing your fish need is their oxygen supply to cease due to a thunderstorm or other electrical problem.

 

Feeding

 

Make sure your fish get enough food, of course.  But you also don’t want to overfeed for several reasons.  An obvious reason is that many fish don’t stop eating until the food is gone, and can die from overeating.  Another, though, is that excess uneaten food can basically rot in the water, turning it into a waste dump instead of a fish pond.

 

Breathing room

 

As your fish grow, you’ll need to ensure they don’t run out of room.  Just as it’s important when first introducing the fish, you’ll need to keep an eye on how much physical space they have.  As they grow, your filtration needs may also increase as a direct function of the fish growth.  They end up eating more, so you end up with more waste to filter out.

 

You also need to ensure that your growing fish have enough oxygen.  This means your aeration techniques need to be up to the job for your larger fish.

 

Fish Wrangling

 

When handling your fish, you need to be aware of possible problems you can cause.  Fish have an outer coating of a slimy substance which is actually vital to their health.  It protects them from diseases and pathogens present in the water.  Holding a fish with dry hands can remove part of this barrier and increase the risk of infection.  It’s also important to not damage their scales, as they can lose nutrients which can lead to heart failure.

 

Wet your hands or use a wet cloth to handle the fish.  Also cover their eyes with the cloth to calm them down, preventing self-injury.  It’s probably best to wet the cloth with the same water they live in, as well.

 

pH and Temperature

 

The pH level of the water is very important to fish health.  Just like with a fish tank, you need to monitor and control the pH level to keep it at the right levels for your kind of fish.  Temperature is important as well, especially for fish who require a narrow range of water temperatures.  If it gets too cold, and is impractical to heat the pond, you may need to have a backup plan for bringing the fish indoors.  Cooling the water can be done with waterfalls and fountains.  But again, if the water gets too hot, you may need to bring them inside.