Fast Container Water Garden Options

by The Garden Site on November 28, 2009
in Water Gardens

: Image by Henryr10 via Flickr

You want to enjoy the soothing sound of water in your garden, but you don’t have the time, money or resources to create a pond or purchase a large fountain. Fortunately, there are many fast and easy container water garden options that are open to you. If you don’t want to spend the effort in digging (or paying someone to dig) you a pond for a water garden, here are some easy ways to achieve fast container water gardens that are lovely to see and hear.

A Versatile Container Water Garden

Do you want a water garden without all the fuss? If so, here is one quick and fun project that will have your guests oohing and ahhing. This project takes all of a half hour to set up. A container water garden is essentially a large watertight pot with floating water plants. You can use your creativity to choose the container and the type of floating plant that you would like to put on display.

How to Create Your Own Unique Container Water Garden

Begin by finding a watertight pot that is the right size for your garden space and the plant you would like to feature in your water garden. A good choice is a glazed pot that can be used to grow lotus plants. These types of pots are known for their watertight structure. But if you cannot locate a traditional glazed lotus pot, any large watertight pot will do the trick. For the best effect, make sure that the watertight container you choose is at least 18 inches in height. You will also want a container that is at least 24 inches in diameter. When it comes to a water garden, aim for the size of half barrel. In fact, a half-barrel is the ideal size for your water garden, except that they are not watertight. However, many nurseries now sell plastic liners that are fitted to half barrels, which make it easy to transform a half-barrel into the perfect place to create your own water garden oasis. If you choose to use a half-barrel to create a water garden, make sure that you will be placing it in the right location. Remember that these are difficult to move and quite heavy, so they may not be ideal if you are planning to place your water garden on a deck or balcony patio.

Putting Together Your Water Garden

You will obviously need to work with aquatic plants in order to create your own water garden. You will need to fashion a platform on which your aquatic plant will sit. An easy way to achieve this effect is to use a stack of bricks on the plants can sit. However, this method should only be used if you don’t plant to move your water container garden, or if the weight of the planter does not matter. Once you have created a stable platform for your aquatic plants, you are ready to fill the container with water. Once you have filled your watertight container with water, arrange your aquatic plants on the platform in a way that you find pleasing. Let your imagination run free as you work on the composition of your aquatic plants.

Adding a Decorative Touch to Your Water Garden

If you want to hear the sound of water in your garden, you can add a neat decorative touch to your water garden by installing a re-circulating hand pump. This is an easy way to create a working water garden fountain. Simply install a small pump at the bottom of your water container garden with a short hose attached. This will keep the water circulating, which prevents the water from going stagnant.