Water Colors

Often times a perennial garden will include a water feature. Why stop at just that? Water gardens may sound like a lot of work, but once you’re past the initial set-up, the maintenance isn’t too bad. The first thing to think about is the design of the water garden. If you’re adding only a small pond, like thirty to fifty gallons, then you’ll only need a few plants. If the water garden is more expansive, then you’ll want to look into water plants that are perennial and will continue to survive in your pond over a long period of time.

Some water plants float on the water surface, and some need to be submerged. If you choose surface floating plants, be sure that no more than sixty percent of the water surface is covered. Emergent water plants are the kind that grow along the edge of the water, with their roots in the muddy bottom, so if you have a plastic pool for your water garden, emergent plants won’t work well for you. You’ll want to go with submerged or surface floating plants instead. In order to create a healthy water garden and maintain it, you’ll need to choose a couple of both types of plants.

Consider the amount of sunlight your water garden is exposed to. Certain water plants need full sun, while others can do with far less sunlight. There are some bog plants available that can handle less than three hours of sun per day. Some water plants will flower, such as Lotus and water lilies. They can lend a striking contrast to the different shades of green in your water garden.