Popular and Easy Plants to Use for your Water Garden

Articles on Plants | Topics: plants, plant, planting

by Frederick Quinn

Popular and Easy Plants to Use for your Water Garden

There are complete kits that you can purchase that have all the things you need to get started on your pond or you can design your own from scratch. There are a few important facts to consider before you start digging your pond. The first being, the right location:

Make sure to choose a place that gets at least four to six hours of sunlight every day.

The for the easiest maintenance, make sure your pond is away from trees, that minimizes the amount of debris, branches and leaves, that will fall into your pond.

The higher the ground for your pond the better, because low areas seem to collect the most rain and might be hard to dig in,

Most importantly, don't dig in areas that have buried cables or utility lines.

Make sure to pick a spot that is close to water and electrical sources.

Also, check the view from your house, to make sure that you can relax in the view of your pond.

When designing the pond, make sure it is what best fits your taste and the area. For a more formal look, go with a square or rectangular look, but for a more informal look, try the curvy or wavy designs for a pond. It is very important to design a pond that has enough depth because the water in a shallow pond will become warm and warm water can hurt fish. You will also have to have a deep pond if you want to keep your fish throughout the winter season. Make sure to consider the weather conditions in your zone, when creating a pond. For freezing temperatures, these are the supplies you will need. These supplies are available at home and garden supply stores.

A strong liner with heavy duty vinyl

An under liner, old carpet, and a knife to cut the under liner

Biological filter

A pump to circulate the water

The supplies for the fountain that will attach to the pump and elevate the fountain to the surface of the water

A water hose

Some edging blocks or stone

A few plastic crates to elevate the plants

Some large nails and a sturdy hammer

Spade for digging straight sides

A level

Tape measurer

Bit of History

Though of erect nature, man is far above the plants. For man’s superior part, his head, is turned toward the superior part of the world, and his inferior part is turned toward the inferior world; and therefore he is perfectly disposed as to the general situation of his body. Plants have the superior part turned towards the lower world, since their roots correspond to the mouth, and their inferior parts towards the upper world.

—Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274)

Wooden stakes and a 2x4 or longer length of the pond

Make sure to remove the sod from the pond area. Now dig out the pond, but make sure when digging that the depth is consistent from one side to the other. To make sure you are consistent, you can pound a stake on each side of the hole, then set a 2x4 on the stakes, and then check to see if its level. Then go ahead and measure down from the 2x4 to the bottom of the hole in many different locations. Then fill in until the hole is even. First, dig out a ledge around the sides that are deep enough for concrete blocks to be put on top of the liner and that the liner is level.

When buying a flexible liner make sure that it is durable and conforms to nearly, size, and shape. The liners come in many different thickness and can be purchased at a garden and home supply stores. However, be aware, when purchasing a liner, the thicker the liner is the more expensive the liner will be. For the best pond, use a liner that is 45-mil thick that is a good balance of durability and price. In determining the size you will need, measure the width and length of the hole. If the hole is odd or oval shape, measure the hole at its widest point. Use this formula below when figuring out the liner size:

(Depth x 2) + length +3 feet = length

(Depth x 2) + width + 3 feet = width

The sides of the pool are the depth. By adding 3 feet to the width and length you are adding overlap. Use apiece of old carpet as an under liner to plump up the liner and make sure it doesn't get punctured by sharp things. Also make sure you cover the sides, using long enough nail to hold the carpet in place so it won't move. However, trim the excess with the knife. Next, unfold the liner, making sure there is plenty of overlapping liner on both sides. Smooth out the big wrinkles and make sure to fold the corners for a nice neat appearance. The pump will make sure that the water will not become stagnant. In order to figure out the size of pump, you will need is, measure how much water your hold will have, then multiply the length x depth x width x 7.5(the amount in 1 cubic foot). Choose the pump that can re-circulate one-third to one-half of the water every hour.

To have a waterfall or any other feature, get a bigger pump. All pumps come with a filter already, but you can go and purchase a biological filter to extend the life of your pump. It also keeps the water cleaner and maintains the proper biological ecosystem. While filing the pond, place the pump, biological filter and fountain into the pond on a crate, in a corner of the pond. A water bell fountainhead allows water to move more smoothly over the top. It attaches to the pump and a riser that is the fountain pushes the water to the top. Fill the pond about two-thirds and make sure to adjust the folds and the creases in the liner as the pond fills with water. Let the pond filled with water sit for a few days, so that any chlorine in the water disappears. If you have to add plants and fish right away, add a de-chlorinator to the water.

There so many different types of plants you can grow in your pond. One of the most popular types is water lily. The lilies need to be submerged about 6 to 12 inches below the water surface. These types of plants help to oxygenate the water during the day and at night. They are also a natural bio-filter. Marginal plants are supposed to submerged in water, but only their pots and 1 to 2 inches of their crowns. These are good choice for the edge of the pond. They are easy to take care of and just float on the top of the water.

Some examples of good plant choices for a pond are:

Water lily

Water lettuce or shellflower

Cypress or umbrella plant

Shubunkins and goldfish are popular fish to put in your pond. They can grow to only 10 inches long. To keep the fish alive through the winter, keep a hole in the ice to allow oxygen to get into the water. Once you have picked the fish and plants you want to put in your pond, keep them out of the sunlight. Keep the plants leaves and fish completely submerged in the water.

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Popular and Easy Plants to Use for your Water Garden" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by FlowersPlantsGardening.com.

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