Basic Water Garden Design Elements

Before designing a water garden it is a good idea to consider the basic elements that you will need to put it together. A water garden can be quite simple or it can be complex but in either case the design of it can use some planning. This is because the design of a water garden is not just dependent on your personal taste but also on your budget, availability of materials, drainage methods and the limitations of your environment and climates.

The most basic of water garden components if of course the garden pond. The simplest of garden ponds is made out of a prefabricated plastic or fiberglass tub that is set into the ground. This type of water garden does not even need a pump, if you are not planning to keep fish in it. All you have to do is occasionally dump it out and refill it with a garden hose.

However if the pond is over eight feet long or if you want to keep a lot of fish or plants in it then it is recommended that you make it from scratch by digging a hole in the ground. Give yourself a square foot for each Koi fish you intend to support in the pond. After you dig the hole, line it with black polyethylene sheets to slow the leakage of pond water into the ground. Larger ponds are more complex both in terms of construction and maintenance and involve the use of such devices as drains filters and pumps and depending on how big it is you may or may not want to hire a professional contractor.

Before you construct a water garden, you might want to take into account that they can be dangerous. You will need to build a fence to keep local pets and children away from it. You might also be investing in several types of filtration systems if you intend to keep fish in it. If your water garden has a fountain in it then you will also be investing in a water pump. If you plan to keep fish in it over the winter then you will need a pond de-icer to keep it from freezing over.

If you do not have an intelligent design for your Koi pond, then it is going to be a hassle to care for. The bigger and deeper your pond and the less greenery that is planted in or around it, the less trouble it is going to be for you to maintain. Your best course of action is to keep its design as simple as possible.

Fountains can installed using air pressure pumps and hoses that can be bought at any water garden supply store. The water pressure of your homemade fountain can be adjusted arranged so that the water either burbles gently or gushes in a dramatic way. Filters can be bought to help eliminate green algae. Then all you have to do is add fish, aquatic flowers and plants at the water’s edge and you have a beautiful water garden.

A water garden that is well designed is tune with the natural rhythms of evaporation and the life cycles of local insects, amphibians and plant life that is around it. This way it is self-renewing and lower maintenance.

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