Water Gardens
You’re only limited by your budget, the size of your space, and your imagination, but always bear in mind that your water garden will require a certain amount of maintenance, which you’ll have to do if you want your garden to continue to look great. If you incorporate fish into your garden scheme, they’ll also need to be fed as part of your routine maintenance program.
If you use aquatic plants in your water garden, only cover about half the surface of the water. It will allow you to see your ornamental fish underneath. You may also want to plant flowers around the edge of your pond, and there are some plants that will actually add oxygen to the water, which is important, especially if you have fish in your pond. Fish can help keep the pond clean by eating insects.
Algae is one of the primary problems encountered by water gardeners, and it’s often brought about by over fertilizing water plants or feeding fish too much or too often. For many years, people in England have used barley straw to help reduce the amount of string and filament type algae, but it may not work in every situation. If you experience algae problems–and you probably will–pay close attention to the feeding regime of both your fish and your water plants.
To keep your water oxygenated and fresh, you’ll need a pond pump and filter, which can also help reduce insect and algae problems. Water plants also remove nutrients from the water that could create pollution problems. Some good plants include water hyacinths, water violets, and water crowfoot, if you bear in mind that they tend to reproduce vigorously and can quickly take over a pond.
Like all gardens, water gardens require a certain amount of care, but the results can give you years of pleasure.
Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher
Jeanette Fisher has researched the effects of environment on emotions for over 15 years. She teaches interior design college courses and seminars. Free environmental design info: environmentpsychology.com
You may also be interested in the following articles:
Drab Backyard? Get Over it with a Garden Bridge: Garden bridges can be traced to the earliest civilizations, where they decorated landscapes from the stately grounds of ancient Roman and Greek aristocracy, to the exotic. . . (click title to continue reading)
Using Edgings In Your Garden: You’ve planted the flowers, put in the shrubs and even added a bird bath and a few garden decorations, but what’s missing? Could it be the. . . (click title to continue reading)
Herbs For A Spaghetti Garden: Herbs are one of the delightful pleasures of life. They add flavor to your food, scent to the air and beauty to your garden. In colonial. . . (click title to continue reading)
Butterfly Gardens For Your Region: I grew up in the city surrounded by asphalt and concrete sidewalks, brick buildings and vacant lots – but there was no lack of nature or. . . (click title to continue reading)
Planning A Serenity Garden: "Kiss of the sun for pardon. Song of the birds for mirth. You're closer to God's heart in a garden than any place else on earth.". . . (click title to continue reading)
Decorating Your Yard And Garden With Garden Ornaments: There is no doubt that garden ornaments are quite popular, and have been growing in popularity over the last few years. And, these are not simply. . . (click title to continue reading)