Ponds and Water Gardens, Landscaping with Aquatic Plants, Koi Fish and Shrubs

Ponds or water gardens decorated with beautiful landscaped aquatic plants and evergreen shrubs add value to your property. This statement brings music to my ears. I love the sound of water trickling down natural rocks in a water feature.

Vibrant colors of water Lilies and bog plants of Iris. Surrounding the water garden is a mixture of colorful evergreen shrubs. Sounds nice, doesn't it? Water gardens vary in size, and a number of different plant and shrubs are available today.

Koi Fish are very popular. Koi come in a variety of colors. They get along with most other fish, but don't like any kind of an hostile fish. If you live in a geographic location that has harsh and cold winters, the Koi will keep warm swimming underneath the water. The key is not to let the water freeze all over. You can heat your water feature to prevent total ice accumulation. The Koi like to eat at least twice a day and the best food is a special food made just for them. This fish will live between twenty five and thirty five years. Koi will grow twenty four to thirty four inches.

Landscaping a water garden can be simple if done correctly. If you are planning a more elite project, I would recommend hiring a professional landscaper who specializes in installation of decorative water features. Below are a few steps in constructing a basic pond for your home.

1. First step is to decide where you want your water garden located. There are shade aquatic plants. Be careful about installing your water feature around big trees. The leaves falling in the fall and other debris will only make your caring for your pond, a lot more work. The ideal location for this type of landscaping is sunny location, with a little bit of shade.
2. Visit specialty stores on what size lining is available. A strong pond liner is recommended such as a polyethylene, which is non-toxic.
3. An inexpensive way to outline a water feature is to take a garden hose and make the shape you would like.

Begin by digging the outline all the way around of the pond. A kidney or semi - kidney is easy and usually works. When removing the sod from the hole make a shelf around one side. This is great for holding different water plants.





4. The area should be at least 35 to 40 square feet. The depth in the center should be minimum two feet. Use a level and make sure all your sides of the pond are level.
5. You will want to put your decorative rocks at least an inch below the edge, so any natural habitats can enter or exit.
6. Put your liner in the hole and secure the ends with bricks or stones. At the bottom of the liner put a layer of damp sand to cover the entire area. Let the liner settle in for a few hours.
7. Fill the hole with water to about two inches from the top. Make sure the liner stays in place so you will maintain your original shape.
8. Cut the excess liner on the outside. Use your decorative stones or rocks and secure them around the water garden with a little mortar. Make sure you don't get any cement in the water, as it can be harmful to your live little creatures. Allow the mortar to settle and dry. Stackable rocks are also an alternative. You may end up using several pallets of rocks, depending on the size of your pond. Using rocks without mortar is an quicker method.
9. If you are using cement wait three to five days before adding your favorite plants. Wait at least a month before putting any fish in the pond.

You will need to look into purchasing a pump and filter. The filter provides relief from bacteria growing. Another feature is a fountain. The fountain provides a very nice added touch. Any specialty store or pond and water garden center will provide you with information on different products. There are hundreds of different tropical and aquatic plants to choose from. Different floating and marginal plants available. You can purchase tropical or hardy water lilies. They come in a variety of colors. You can get day or night time lilies. Put some lotus plants in pots and put around the water garden. There roots should be in the water at all times. Other plants are Cattails, Water Celery, Iris, Water Lettuce, and Water Cana.

Around the the pond or water garden area, plant some evergreen colorful shrubs. Indian Hawthorn, with white or pink flowers add color to the outside area. If you have some shade, a Pieris Japonica - Mountain Fire, provides vibrant red and green colors. Add some teal tone Blues Star Junipers, Ornamental Grasses, Mop Cypress and Abelia plants. Take a look at some photos and descriptions of ornamental grasses are great accent plants for your landscape gardens and ponds. Water Cress is a wonderful ground cover in and around these shrubs. You can even add some low growing ground cover or creeping herbs such as Thyme, or Lemon Balm. Below are two pictures of a beautiful decorative water feature.

These steps above are simple guidelines in creating a decorative water garden. Use a variety of aquatic plants, Koi and other compatible fish, and incorporate a number of colorful shrubs. Landscaping with a water feature will be something your family and friends can take pleasure in for many years.