Water Pond and Gardens

Water Ponds and Gardens

Water ponds and water gardens can change the entire appearance of your yard or garden. If you're looking for creative ways to enhance the appearance of your backyard or flower gardens a garden pond may be just what you're looking for. Garden ponds have been around for hundreds of years dating back to the dawn of civilization in ancient Egyptian, Roman, Orient, and Greek cultures. Values were placed on water gardens to enhance the household gardens and life styles. Many water ponds and gardens include Goldfish and Koi in addition to water flowers and plants. Garden pond plants are categorized by their functions in the pond ecosystem. Marginals live in the bog like area around the outer perimeter. Floaters have their roots in the water and submerged plants are completely underwater providing oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. A large garden pond is not necessarily better. It takes a lot of time to maintain larger ponds and they are expensive to install. Most homeowners prefer smaller ponds that consist of a variety of flowers with fountains because they are less expensive to install and are much easier to maintain.

It is important to plan your water garden pond, making rough drawings and then transfer the dimensions to graph paper. Keep the pond size in balance to the area where you want to locate it. Installing a five hundred gallon water pond is possible for the average homeowner. If it is significantly larger it may be necessary to hire a contractor to install it. Kits are available at most garden centers which come with all the needed parts and accessories. These kits can range from about 4’x 6’ to 20’ x 25 feet and cost from $100.00 to $1,200. However, kits can be designed to the homeowner’s specification to satisfy landscaping as desired.

Like swimming pools, custom ponds require liners. They permit you to shape the pond any way you want it. The liner sits in the hole, holds the water in the pond, and keeps it from leaking and losing water. It is much easier to stick with the premade liners that are made of fiberglass, butyl, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), vinyl or other flexible waterproof material used to retain water. They are great and will last for more than twenty years if maintained properly. Koi and Goldfish are the gems of water gardens. Premium fish foods can help your fish grow, keep them healthy, and even bring greater vibrancy to their colors. If you are going to have fish in your water garden it must have a section that approximately four feet deep so they can survive cold winter weather.

Water pumps, filters, and fountains are critical to garden ponds as they keep the water from stagnating and supply oxygen that both the plants and fish require to survive. Seasonal maintenance requirements vary according to local climate conditions. The water level must be maintained as well as the PH. The PH should be checked periodically and maintained between 7.0 and 8.0. Draining ponds for winter may be needed to keep the freezing water from damaging the structures, however, if you have fish in your pond and it has an area that is at least four feet deep, draining is not necessary for the fish to survive the winter.

To spruce up your backyard or garden a water pond may be just what you need. They are quite easy to install and can bring a relaxing appearance and the sound of nature’s most basic element--water--into the ambiance of your backyard. A small garden pond can be easily installed by a homeowner in a week-end.

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