Water Gardens:  A Touch of Paradise at Home

Think about things you could see on someone's property that you believe makes it beautiful and relaxing.  Maybe in your mind, you picture a beautiful garden with lovely flowers.  Maybe you see a pond on the property.

Better yet, maybe your idea of the perfect landscape combines the two:  A water garden!  If so, you might be interested in knowing that you can have one of these small pieces of paradise right outside your own home.  By adding an attractive statue, bubbling fountains and some lights, you're sure to create a peaceful setting that you and others will want to visit again and again.  And not only doesn't this water garden have to be an expensive project, it doesn't have to be a difficult one either.  There are some people who have used something as simple as a whiskey barrel with a whiskey lining to create their water garden by simply setting it up with pump and fountain as well as some goldfish.  Your water garden can be as simple or elegant as you choose to make it.  Here are the things you need to keep in mind in creating your water garden.

First, remember to be safe.  Before you put a water garden on your property, be sure to block it off so that children won't be hurt.  This is especially important with small children.  In this case, you should incorporate a ledge in the water garden itself so that if a child falls into it, there is a way to climb out.

You should put the water garden on flat land so that the water is able to drain.  Ideally, it should be lined up straight on a path from the home.  This way, you will be able to easily supply electricity for any lights you use in conjunction with the garden, as well as for the pump.  Another location consideration: Make sure you place it somewhere that has ready access to an outside water faucet so that you can refill it when needed.  Water tends to evaporate rather quickly in the summer, and so, especially during July and August, you'll probably need to refill often.

The location for your water garden should be somewhere that gets a sufficient amount of shade and sun.  The shade is important to keep from scorching the fish-life and frogs in the pond from scorching.  And obviously, you need the sun to encourage plant growth. 

It's easier to provide sun than shade.  If there's no good location with enough trees for shade, another option is to fill the pond with large lotus or lily pads.  (Incidentally, even if you do have trees, don't put the pond under them if you know that there would be an overwhelming amount of leaves, needles and twigs falling off into the water.)

There are professionals who can install the water garden for you, if you don't feel capable of doing it. If you do choose to handle the project yourself, you can dig out a place in the grand and set a prefabricated liner into it.  Then it's just a matter of adding to it by placing decorative rocks around the edge, as well as plants, flowers, and other garden decor.  And for a great finishing touch, consider putting in a small waterfall. Once you're finished, you won't want to leave. And the best part is that you won't have to. It's your own personal piece of paradise!