Water Gardens

 It’s easy to think water gardens are reserved for professional gardeners. Growing plants in the soil can be hard, but growing them in the water? You’d rather admire the neighbor’s aquatic landscape feature from afar than get your feet wet tending to the garden. 

With rippling waterfalls, swinging cattails, and floating water lilies, a landscape feature so extraordinary must be impossible to install and maintain in your own yard, right? Not necessarily. Even beginner gardeners can nurture a water garden and enjoy its soothing sounds and wildlife after a stressful day. 

From porch containers to in-ground reservoirs, you can grow a water garden in many shapes and sizes. But what is a water garden exactly? How can you possibly garden in the water? We’ll answer these landscaping questions, and more, in our water garden guide below. 

What is a water garden?

                                               

Water gardens, also known as aquatic gardens, are water features that display various aquatic plants. These gardens also can act as fish ponds or garden ponds, but it’s primarily the aquatic plants that make it a water garden. 

Whether grown in a container, shell liner, PVC liner, or indoors, water gardens can be any shape or size and show off many different designs. Although deep ones can exist, most water gardens are shallow, as many aquatic plants are sensitive to depth. 

Your water garden may be a water source for small animals, including birds and squirrels. You may even spot the occasional frog or salamander. 

What plants are in a water garden?

Expect to grow most of your aquatic plants in shallow containers that you’ll submerge into the water. 

Before submerging your plants, know the exact water level each plant can survive in. Some plants can only be immersed in a few inches of water and die if the crown is too far below the water surface. Remember, water plants are depth sensitive. 

Some plants may be too large for your underwater containers. Large barrels are an easy substitute for these bigger plants. 

Floating plants

These plants float at the top of the water surface. Their roots are anchored at the water garden’s bottom, while their leaves and flowers float above the water. Some floating plants are free-floating, meaning the entire plant is suspended on the water and can move freely over the water surface. 

Floating plants help provide shade, keep the water clean, and control algae. 

Algae love warm temperatures, and it needs the sun to perform photosynthesis. Floating plants help lower water temperatures and limit the algae photosynthesis process by blocking sunlight. 

Floating plants include: 

Duckweed

Water lettuce

Water lilies

Lotuses

Water hyacinth

Spatterdock

Oxygenating plants

Also known as submerged plants, oxygenating plants grow at the water garden’s bottom, immersed below the water surface. These plants filter the water, keep algae growth under control, provide oxygen, and offer small fish shelter. 

Oxygenating plants include: 

Hornwort

Eelgrass

Anacharis

Cabomba

Marginal plants

Also called shelf plants, marginal plants are depth sensitive and best grown near the water garden’s edge or margin. Unlike floating plants or oxygenating plants, they cannot grow at deep levels.

These aquatic plants live best when the water is only a few inches above the plant’s crown, around 6 inches. However, the depth will vary among plant types. 

Usually, a water garden will have a shallow shelf along its edge where these marginal plants can grow. If you need to adjust or add shelf levels in your water garden, use stackable crates to establish various shelf heights within the water. 

Marginal plants provide filtration, help suppress algae growth, and attract wildlife to your water garden. 

Marginal plants include:

Cattails

Arrowhead

Pickerelweed

Water plantain

Sweet flag

Bog plants

Bog plants are often used interchangeably with marginal plants, but there are some differences between the two.

Marginal plants grow well with parts of the crown underwater, while bog plants prefer wet soil above water level. Bog plants, common in bog gardens, typically grow best just on the water garden’s exterior, where the ground remains moist but isn’t soaking wet. 

Bog plants include: 

Water iris

Rose pogonia

Ladies tresses

Pitcher plants

How to Build a Water Garden

If you’ve got the DIY skills, the yard space, and the time, installing an in-ground water garden makes an excellent weekend project. 

Choose your water garden’s location wisely. Water gardens offer a great source of relaxation. Don’t let its charm and soothing sounds go to waste by installing it somewhere with an obstructed view. Install your water garden near your favorite window, right by the deck, or in your calming flower patch. 

Water gardens benefit from the sun. Make sure your aquatic plants get full sun and are not in too much shade. 

Let’s start with what you’ll need to build your water garden (besides your water garden plants, of course):

Containers

Water gardens needn’t be large. You can grow one in a small container for your container garden, flower beds, or patio. 

Pumps

A pump ensures your water garden has a healthy ecosystem. Pumps evenly distribute nutrients and oxygen to plants and other aquatic life in your water garden. 

Pumps also help to prevent algae and stagnation. Stagnant water can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.  

Water features

Water features such as fountains, bubblers, and waterfalls, can turn your water garden into an oasis. Sit back and listen to the mesmerizing sounds of trickling water as you gaze upon the nature around your water garden. 

Water features are also another way to encourage moving water and aeration in your water garden. The moving water helps to add oxygen to the ecosystem and prevent stagnation. 

Fish

It’s possible to add pond fish to your water garden. They’re beautiful to look at and can be rewarding to care for. Keep in mind that fish will likely increase the water garden’s maintenance requirements, making it similar to a goldfish pond or garden pond. 

How to Maintain a Water Garden

Skipping out on water garden maintenance can get ugly fast. Ignore your water garden’s needs for too long, and you could be dealing with a smelly, dirty environment that now demands even more care. 

For a healthy and balanced ecosystem, it’s best to perform routine maintenance on your water garden. 

Keep in mind that maintenance will vary depending on your water garden’s design and features. A small container water garden won’t need as much care as a water garden pond. 

Below, we’ve listed the most basic, low-maintenance water garden needs. A water garden that’s a koi pond will require more complex maintenance needs beyond these basics. 

Manage debris

Leaves, grass clippings, and other debris from the yard are bound to make their way to your water garden. Keep the skimmer net close by so you can collect and remove waste from your water garden. 

Encourage plant growth

If your water garden is looking low on plants (perhaps a few have died), add some more. Plants are essential for the health of your water garden as they help keep the water clean, add oxygen, and compete with algae. 

Remove dead plants

Dead plants can release toxins into the water garden and contaminate the environment. As soon as you spot dead plants, remove them from the water. 

Add fertilizer (the right kind) as needed

Fertilizing your aquatic plants will depend on the quality of your garden’s water. If your plants appear to be in good health and the water quality is fine, you may not need to fertilize your water garden. 

Now don’t go throwing in regular soil fertilizer. The same fertilizer that nourishes your vegetable garden and flower beds can do significant damage to the aquatic life in your water garden. You may even wind up with an explosion of algae. 

Only use specialized fertilizers for aquatic plants or water gardens.