If you are thinking about building a water garden at your home, it can turn out to be an amazing water feature that can ramp up your home’s value and is full of plant and aquatic life presented in a safe and professional manner.
Oftentimes, people ask if water gardens are the same as ponds. Water gardens are often much smaller and contain less water than ponds, and very rarely do homeowners maintain any fish in them. These water gardens are rather to support plant life as well as add to your home’s yard cosmetically. In short, if you are looking to have fish, you’ll need a large enough space for a pond, but if not, you can settle for a smaller water garden.
Here is what is required to have your very own water garden in your yard:
Space
The typical water garden is 16 feet by 11 feet in length and can carry 200 gallons of water. You can, however go smaller should you choose to, such as 8 to 6 feet in length. Most homeowners, fortunately, have enough space in their backyards for some semblance of a beautiful water garden. However, you should also dedicate some space to rocks, plants and flowers that you want to add as well. To visualize your water garden before you start to build one, lay out your garden hose in the shape and location where you’d like your garden to be.
Depth
Water gardens, while they appear to be shallow, many of them are quite deep. The depth of your water garden should depend on how cold it gets in your area, which admittingly has a pretty extreme range. If you get warm temperature all year round, you will only need about a two-foot-deep area. If you commonly get cold winters, you should have your garden 12 or 16 feet; maybe even more. This is to prevent the water from freezing, which would prevent circulation of the water overall. If it is a deep water garden, make sure it is protected to prevent drownings.
Maintenance
Maintenance for water gardens is known to be simple and can only occupy up to 15 minutes per week of your time. Typical maintenance duties include skimming your pond, cleaning the skimmer itself, and management of bacteria with certain pond and water garden products. You can also add a fountain pump to keep the pond aerated, and it will make your water look clean, clear, and healthy. Without aeration, your water can look murky, which is not a concern if you don’t have any fish, but typically an aerated body of water will look more appealing.
Plants
There are several plants you can buy that you can add to your water garden. Water lilies are the most popular of water plants. Lotuses are beautiful plants that produce colorful and great-smelling flowers. Cannas are old-fashioned-looking plants that can add a tropical feel to your water garden space, with large, red and green leaves. These are but a few great examples of plants to buy.