Create a Simple Water Garden

by: Chris McLaughlin

Choosing a container

The container you use should be strong – a heavy ceramic planting pot is perfect. Water is heavy and usually using a basic terra cotta flower pot will end up seeping out water as it breaks down the pot’s structure. Make sure your container is water-tight. If it isn’t, use clear caulking to like the areas where water can escape. If you have to go that route, let the caulking set up a couple of days before to fill the container with water.

Make sure you pick an area of the yard or garden that gets lots of sun if you want your aquatic plants to thrive and bloom. That being said, you may have to modify that if your container is quite small as it could really heat up in heat of the summer. If that's the case, place the water garden in an area that gets afternoon shade.

Purchase Aquatic Plants

Pick only aquatic plants and choose a variety – but be judicial. A little goes a long way! They are going to grow and the idea isn’t to completely cover the water’s surface. Start with choosing one main plant as your focal point and then add a few more plants to enhance the garden.

Most people like to start with a flowering water lily or lotus. If that’s what you choose, pick another plant that is more vertical and also buy some free-floating plants to help control algae. Submerged plants (oxygenators) will also help control algae and contribute oxygen to the water. There's decorative marginal plants, deep-water plants, and mosquito-eating plants to choose from.

Create A Simple Water Garden

Sink your potted plants into the filled container and put some pea gravel into the pots to keep them sunk. The gravel also holds the soil in place to avoid making the water muddy. By the way, the soil used in aquatic plants is designed especially for them it is not regular potting soil. So, if you need more be sure to buy the right stuff.

Make sure when you plant that the leaves are above the water line (with the exception of submerged plants like the parrot feather). If you need to, hill up some pea gravel to make a little podium for the pots if they are too short for the container.

There you have it your very first water garden. Trust me, you will not want to stop at just one. Chris McLaughlin can be reached at sfgardeningexaminer@gmail.com or her website The Savvy Plant

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