|
Water Gardening is the fastest growing back yard hobby going. And it deserves to be! Maybe you've heard Water Gardens called "ponds". Water Gardens are domesticated ponds. Their contents are hand selected, their filtering is often mechanical and they are lined with rubber or fiberglass rather than mud. But the effect can be remarkably natural.
Water Gardening is more than growing plants in ponds. It includes keeping fish- commonly koi and goldfish. There is a wide variety of wildlife that will find your pond alluring as well! Dragonflies, frogs and toads will eat mosquitoes, slugs and other garden pests. In fact, keeping a water garden can reduce the number of mosquitoes on your property because when the mosquitoes lay their eggs on the water's surface, the fish within eat the larva!
Most aquatic plants, from the traditional water lily to the marginal iris, are easy to grow. The fish provide the fertilizer, and you provide the water! You will be dividing them and giving the excess away or plopping it in your compost within a year, or sooner if you live in a warm climate. If you suffer from a brown thumb on dry land, it will be green with water plants. And if you're already an expert at dry land gardening, you'll be an ace at water gardening.
Yards serve many purposes. They are places to work, play and relax. The water garden enhances each of these activities. The mere presence of the water garden with its musically moving water is soothing, but there are more reasons to consider installing one!
Yard work can be dramatically reduced by the proper installation of a water garden. A pond with good filtration won't need maintenance more than once a month. And think of all that space that won't need mowing! It's also a wonderful way to end a hard day of outside labor. Do your mowing and edging first, then finish by hopping into the pond to prune dead leaves and check the mechanics of your pond. A great way to cool off!
Many people are surprised to learn what good pets fish can be! Koi and goldfish can easily be trained to swim into their owners' hands for food, and some will even allow themselves to be briefly lifted from the water. They love to play in the waterfall's current and pond keepers spend many pleasant hours watching their fish frolic.
Entertaining friends takes on a whole new dimension when you've got a water garden to sit around. Conversation flows. If your entertaining skills have not been your strong suit, you won't worry much now- the pond will occupy everyone's attention. If you love entertaining, you'll love it all the more when you have a lovely pond to sit around after dinner!
Relaxation is enhanced a thousand fold when the sounds of moving water and the lovely glint of colorful fish under sparkling water fill your senses. Some pond flowers have gentle scents. Some even bloom after dark. There's a very good reason why Japanese Gardens always include a pond. The serenity available there is unmatched by anything else in the garden. You'll still love your hydrangeas and forsythias, but you will love them more when they are reflected off the surface of your pond.
| 
