Water Gardening Gaining Popularity

In gardening, there are always new trends emerging in the forefront. Over the past few years, water gardening has rapidly been gaining popularity and is now a welcome feature in many a garden. Features like ponds, waterfalls, and fountains can be enhanced with attractive rockwork, well placed lighting, fish and lush, colorful plants. The use of any container of water for gardening is classified as water gardening. Water gardening does not have to be a natural or artificial body of water such as a pond.

The one of the most important water gardening decisions you will need to make is the location of your aquatic garden. You will need to choose a location that has direct sunlight as well as shaded areas to allow fish and some plants to survive. If the location is in direct sunlight, you can create areas that provide necessary shade. Keeping the aquatic garden away from away from bushes and trees will help minimize the amount of debris that collects in the water.

Size is another important consideration that you will have to think about. A water garden can range from inexpensive to very expensive depending on your approach. In order that the aquatic area not overpower the property nor be overpowered by the size of the property, you will need to work out a size that will balance the feature with the environment surrounding it. Too large or too small, your water gardening feature may end up looking out of place. You must also consider your budget when deciding on the size. Water gardening can quickly escalate in cost if they become too elaborate. The time that you are willing to spend on maintaining your water garden must be factored in. Rare is the water garden that is essentially maintenance free although you can design an aquatic feature that is low maintenance.

In order for a water garden to sustain a balanced ecosystem, the plants should cover about fifty percent of the surface. The types of aquatic plants you choose should be carefully researched so that you are creating a small viable ecosystem. Free floating, submerged, and marginal plants are the types that you can choose from. Considerations are that some plants have a higher production of oxygen, which helps keep the water garden healthy, some plants are purely pleasing to the eye, and some plants have an appealing aroma. Fish, as an addition to your aquatic garden are both beneficial and interesting to watch. They assist in keeping the insect population down since insects are a food source for the fish.. If you live in an area with mosquitoes, destruction of the mosquito larvae is an important factor. Fish also help to keep the collection of some debris in check.

One of the challenges presented to water gardeners is how to keep their aquatic garden free of algae. A rise in the nutrient levels will create an algae friendly environment. Contributing factors can be over fertilization of the plants and over feeding your fish. If water features are correctly built, designed and maintained, algae management should be minimal.

Maintenance of any water garden is required year round. If planned properly, the water garden will be balanced with decorative plants, functional plants and esthetically pleasing features. The amount of time spent on maintaining your water garden should also be considered in the design phase. Having a well-balanced design can dramatically reduce the maintenance required.

Cutting back on fertilization and feeding fish will reduce algae. Additionally, utilizing more aquatic plants, making sure that the filtration system is properly functioning, and consistently replacing the existing water with fresh water will help with the algae management. Chemicals, like copper compounds, can be beneficial if used properly but will devastate your water garden if not used properly.

Although regular gardening and water gardening are very different, one does not need to consume more time than the other. Some people are dismal at soil gardening but achieve spectacular results with water gardening and vice versa. Water gardening can create a tranquil and inviting area in your garden that leads you to spend more time outdoors enjoying your creation.