Add Value and Beauty With a Home Water Garden
Home water gardens are often used by landscaping professional to turn a bad lot or a steep unusable slope into a lovely accent of cascading water or reflecting pools.
A back yard slope covered with trees may be pretty to look out but if the slope is steep or rocky it may be unusable land. What if the slope was terraced and a waterfall created that would flow down the center of the steep hill into a water garden at the bottom? That would add space for planting flowers, herb and shrubs on the terraced areas and a breathtaking focus for your back yard.
The practice of creating a home water garden has become popular in recent years and the variety of water features and kits available provides a solution for any homeowner.
The perception of a small water feature as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and west Nile virus is no longer of concern. Pellets and tablets are now available that float on the water and kill mosquito larvae before they have a chance to hatch. If your pond is large enough to provide a home for pond fish or Koi fish mosquito larvae are not a problem and no treatment is required.
Fish are a lovely addition in your home water garden. They not only eat insects that might damage your lawn or garden (or bite you) but they can be an attraction on their own. The startling colors of Koi fish, for example, add accents and life to your water garden.
You may choose to combine fish and plants in your pond or even grow fish as food by providing plants that enhance their growth. This practice is common in China where carp are produced with this method.
You can grow edible plants in your water garden. Cranberries grow in water as well as wild rice and watercress. It can be difficult to locate sources to buy these plants but are an interesting addition to your home water garden.
Care must be taken to avoid overloading your water garden with either plants or fish. A home water garden requires balance so start with only a few plants or a small number of fish and experiment to find the balance of plant life and fish that allows the water to remain healthy and clean.
Ponds need filtration and this is also true for most home water gardens. Some plants remove toxins from the water naturally but most homeowners rely on a filtration system. The filter is chosen based on the amount of water that must be processed. If you install your home water garden using a kit it’s likely the water volume is listed in the instructions.
The amount of filtration also relies on how many fish are in the water and how often they are fed. Just as an aquarium will quickly become cloudy and unhealthy if fish are overfed a pond is a larger version of that aquarium and will have the same result.
Many home water gardens are not created to provide a home for fish or to grow plants but are simply meant to provide a tranquil spot to relax or a private retreat for meditation. There is nothing as calming perhaps as the sound of water.
To enhance your private water garden you might add plants at the edge of the pond that are reflected in the water. Vary the leaf shapes and colors to provide visual interest. Build your pond near a tall tree with a leaf canopy that provides a dappled shade.
You can provide color in your landscape by adding flower plants near the home water garden or with floating aquatic plants. A layer of colored gravel at the bottom of a shallow water garden will add even more interest to the scene. Though you probably don’t want a loud fountain or a rushing waterfall a small spray attachment can be used with tubing to add interest to the pond.
Start with a good site and a basic home water garden kit and add additional features or expand the size of your water feature year by year. It’s a great hobby that adds value to your home and quality to your life.
