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gardening
by STEVE HUDDLESTON
Dive Into Water Gardening
ADD AMBIANCE TO YOUR YARD WITH A POND
Fascination with the sight and sound of trickling
water, the exotic beauty of aquatic plants and pools teeming with fish lead
many people to take an interest in water gardening. With the wide array of
pool products on the market, anyone with determination and a little money
can build a water garden in his or her own back yard. Before you start digging,
though, give some thought to site selection, design, materials, aquatic plants,
wildlife and maintenance.
SITE SELECTION
If you want flowering aquatic plants in your pond, locate your water garden in
full sun. A minimum of five to six hours of direct sunlight each day will
encourage optimal flowering of blooming plants such as water lilies.
Choose a site with a well-drained surface and subsoil. A well-drained soil
such as sandy loam will prevent soil saturation from floating the pond liner. A
level site with good surface drainage will prevent runoff of chemical pesticides
and fertilizers into the pond from the surrounding area.
Consider the place from which you will most often view the pond. Make
sure the view is not obstructed by hedges or tall plant material. Even tall grass
or ground covers can obscure the view of the pond. Avoid placing the pond
near shallow-rooted trees such as elms and willows. Actually, stay away from
trees as much as possible because their falling leaves and twigs will present a
maintenance problem for the pool.
Finally, locate the pond where it has access to water for filling and where it
will be close to electrical outlets for lighting and pumps. If garden hoses are
used to fill the ponds, they must be equipped with an antisiphon device.
DESIGN
First, decide how you want the pool to fit into your overall landscape design,
and decide what purpose you want it to fulfill. Secondly, determine the size of
the pond. The minimum size for a healthy, balanced pond is about 50 square
feet of surface area (a 10 foot by 5 foot rectangular pond or an 8 foot circular
house& home | August 2008 | house andhomeonline.com
Use floating leafed plants such as water lilies to cover 50 percent
to 75 percent of the pond’s surface to limit algae growth.
©G.A. Cooper, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
one). The depth of the pond should range from 18 inches to 24 inches. In
most urban areas, a pond with a depth of more than 18 inches must be
enclosed in a yard or surrounded by a fence 6 feet or taller.
Next, the shape of the pond should complement the architecture of your
house and the style of your landscape. A formal landscape requires a geometric
design. An informal landscape allows for a curved shape. Finally, use edging
materials to tie the pond into the overall scheme of the landscape.
Coping such as brick, stone, steel edging or wood around the pond can
accent the water feature.
MATERIALS
If you use a municipal water supply to fill your pond, call the city water
department and ask if it adds chlorine dioxide or chloramines. There are
compounds on the market that can be used to eliminate these. If chlorine is
the only additive, then fill the pond and wait 24 to 48 hours for the chlorine
to evaporate before stocking.
Professionals and many city health departments recommend a pump for
recirculation of the water in your pond. The pump should be capable of circulating
the entire volume of the pond’s water through a filter in 1 to 2
hours. If your pond includes waterfalls, a more powerful pump is required.
Pump filters remove particulate matter such as algae, sediments and fish
wastes from the pond’s water. Mechanical filters are less expensive but require
more maintenance. Biological filters are more expensive but need less care.
If edging materials contain concrete or if cement blocks are used to elevate
the potted plants, these materials must be leached with an acidic solution
or soaked in several changes of water for one week before being added
to the pool.
Pots for plants should be plastic. Potting media for all pond plants should
be fertile heavy clay loam. Potting media should be covered with a 1-inch to
2-inch layer of coarse gravel or rocks to prevent the clay from dispersing
into the pond water.