Contents
Introduction
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'Helvola', the smallest of the hardy dwarf water lilies in a shallow feed trough. |
Build a simple water garden without fountains, waterfalls, pumps, filters or electric devices. The Latin name for water lily, Nymphae, means "still water". It is the perfect way to grow these magnificent plants. Simple water gardens require no weeding, or cleaning filters and even the fish manage to get enough to eat by themselves. These water gardens can be left unattended for weeks at a time and are just as beautiful as ever.
A simple balanced water garden has:
- a liner which holds water
- a large surface area of water to allow toxic gasses from the water to escape into the air
- growing water plants which clean the water of excess nutrients providing effective biological filtration
- a few fish which should only be fed sparingly so that they eat insect pests.
- beneficial bacteria which convert toxic fish waste products into harmless plant fertilizer from nitrites into nitrates. (These appear by themselves and build up to exactly the right level with time.)
- snails to clean up the slime and rotting vegetation (I never bought any snails, they hitch hiked on some purchased water lilies)
When balance is achieved, the water becomes clear, odor free and serene. A water garden does not need to be a huge, expensive, technological marvel to bring great pleasure.
Size
When it comes to the size of a water garden, there is no doubt that larger is better. Ideally, a water garden will be set into the ground at least 30 inches deep in the deepest part. This depth remains cooler in the heat of summer and allows the hardy plants to winter below the ice. Diagram of a pond.
Tub gardens
| 'Rubra' water lilies in a tub. |  |
A tub garden is a good way to try out water gardening. Tubs can be squeezed in when space is limited or easily added to an existing deck or patio. They set up quickly. It is easy to reach all the plants and appreciate them closely. The only real drawback to tubs is the over wintering complications you have in a cold climate.
A good size tub, 40 gallons or larger is easier to look after than a very tiny one. The main difficulty with tiny containers is water temperature. It just gets too hot during the day and the fish overheat too easily. (Without fish you would have to resort to biological mosquito control which, while possible, is more complicated.) The deeper, larger tubs moderate the water temperature because they maintain more of an average between the day and night time temperatures.
Placement of Water Gardens
Water gardens are immovable objects. As even small tubs are almost impossible to move once they are filled with water, their placement deserves careful consideration. We find that both the sound of the frogs and the reflections of the water on the ceiling are a delightful benefit of placing the pond near the house. The wild birds find it very attractive too.
Water lilies usually require six hours of full sun each day to flower. Sadly, in shady ponds you either get very few or no water lily blooms. Placing your pond under trees will not only be shady but undesirable leaves and debris will accumulate in the pond in the fall. If you build a small pond it is usually best to site it in the area which gets the most sun possible. In contrast, it is advisable to set up your tub where it gets shaded from the noon day sun if the temperature regularly gets into the 90's or above in your area.
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Slightly shady pond made from a round vinyl children's paddling pool, sunk into a raised bed garden. |
Pond Liners
Diagram of a pond with a flexible liner. All a liner has to do is reliably hold water. Many things make good liners. We have successfully used: molded plastic tubs, 'mega pots' with drain plugs, a children's rigid paddling pool, an expensive flexible 'pond liner', 4 layers of 6 mil black plastic and a couple of rigid pre-formed ponds. For us, the least successful of these was a set of specially designed tubs with 'marginal' shelves molded in, (they leaked).
Tiny pre-formed pond in a small raised bed garden |
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