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There are Two Kinds of Watergardens

Watergardens are either still or active. You can garden in the first type but not the other. Fountains and cataracts add sparkle and splash to a garden by being noisy and full of flash. Some fountains don’t disturb the water significantly. Lilies can live in water gardens with them if the splashing isn’t constant, or if they are located away from the fountain. Most aquatic plants prefer calm water, with the exception of watercress, which seems to prefer moving water. Quiet pools also have their own romance. They reflect the sky and ripple in the slightest breeze. I built one of each type side-by-side in my garden.

Building a Watergarden

Material:
Water, Pre-form Liners or Rubber Liner, water pump, water filters, plants, fish, snails frogs, and a shovel to dig a hole.
There are many types of material to use when making a water garden. The two main choices of material to use when making a water garden are:Pre-Formed plastic liners or a rubber Liner.

Liners allow you to be very creative with your design of the garden. .A liner is made of a special material made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or ethylene propylene diene monomer (EP rubber).

The ideal depth for a watergarden using a liner is 18-24 inches deep below the frost line. In many areas, that should be deep enough for the fish to survive the winter. We stock a large supple of liners in our water department.

Another type of watergarden is an above ground watergarden. This type of garden is usually made from a rain barrel cut in half and lined with a rubber liner. A rain barrel or whiskey barrel watergarden is a great starter pond that can be brought inside during the winter months.

Aquatic Plants

Aquatic plants grow faster than anything else. Water lilies and a few other aquatics with floating leaves seem the easiest types to control in a water garden. Grow your aquatic plants in submerged containers so they can be lifted out and maintained.

Containers

Most aquatics grow best when planted in wide, shallow containers that you submerge in the pond. I use old plastic nursery cans and cheap plastic washtubs. Water lilies’ containers must be about 18 inches wide and 10 inches deep. Plants with shorter stems and smaller root systems can grow in smaller containers.

Soil

Forget what you’ve learned about potting soils. Avoid regular potting mixes and soil amendments. They contain elements that will rot, pollute, or float. Aquatics grow best in containers filled with ordinary garden soil. The heavy clay garden soil that you regularly curse over is fine for aquatic plants. Dig some up and break up clods to use it as aquatic potting soil.

Some people cover the soil with sand or pebbles to keep it from muddying the water and to prevent fish like Koi from digging up the plants. After planting, simply soak the soil in the container and then set the container in the pool. It’s heavy enough not to float, and the water clears in about a day.

Fish

Fish control algae and mosquito larvae. Ordinary goldfish control both. Tiny guppy- like mosquito fish eliminate mosquitoes completely. Most fish can survive year round in your pond as long as you winterize it. Salem Country Gardens carries a large stock of gold fish and Koi that help make your pond beautiful.

Aquatic Snails

Water snails are great for the garden, they eat decaying vegetation and algae in the watergarden.

Overview-Main Rules:

1. Ponds need aquatic plants, fish, and water snails for ecological balance
2. Grow aquatic plants in their own pots, in ordinary garden soil
3. Keep 50-60 percent of the water surface covered with vegetation for surface cover.
4. You should never need to change the water.