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Water gardens, also known as aquatic gardens, backyard ponds and garden ponds, have become popular in recent years.

Usually referring to a man-made feature, these gardens typically combine a pool with aquatic plants and often ornamental fish. Fixed items such as rocks, fountains, statuary, waterfalls and watercourses can be combined with the pool to add visual interest and integration with the local landscape and environment.

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How To Design A Water Garden

Author: Scott Goodman

Designing a water garden is enjoyable and simple; it can be created by a person or by a professional landscaping company. A water garden design should factor in the space allowed, the plants preferred, and the typical weather of the area the garden will grow in.

Digging A Hole

Making a water garden in one's back yard begins by digging a hole in the ground. When planning the dig, increasingly slope the sides to allow different plants optimal growing conditions. Some water plants flourish in deeper water and others are suited for shallower water.

Some water garden designs will begin with a shelf for plants that enjoy one foot of water or less and from that point the pond will slope to around eighteen inches and the deepest point over twenty-four inches deep. This will allow for a variety of plants to be grown in one water garden.

Choosing Pots

A water garden design should be planned similarly to a container garden because that is essentially what a water garden is. One difference is the type of pots needed for water gardens, water garden plants will do best if they are fabric pots which allow the water to flow freely around the soil and the roots.

Also even the smallest water plants will need a pot at least ten inches wide to allow the water plants room to grow. Water garden designs should figure places for pots to be placed to allow the particular plant the most sun, water depth, and soil that it needs to be healthy and thrive. Some plants will need the long "window box" type of plastic planters to allow the plant room to grow.

If fabric pots are unavailable or undesired plastic pots will also work well for water garden designs. The pots can be placed on cinderblocks while young to encourage them to grow faster and lowered slowly as the plant matures.

Choosing The Types Of Plants

There are too many beautiful water plants to talk about each in detail; however there are some general buying guidelines to follow when selecting appropriate plants for the region in which one lives. The United States is divided into ten climate zones; these zones are based on the date which there is no longer a risk of frost for that year.

Water plants labeled tropical will only do well in extremely hot conditions; they prefer the very edge of Florida, Texas, and southern California. Most other areas even in the south will not have consistent favorable temperatures for enough of the growing season.

Plants labeled hardy will grow in most areas of the United States except for extreme climates such as Alaska and a few other pockets of the country. Hardy plants are ideal for most people's water garden designs as there is a large variety of plants that can suit anyone's taste.

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