Water Gardens

Home Water Garden

Rick Gibson
Cooperative Extension Agent, Agriculture
Pinal County, Arizona

Water features can make an excellent addition to a home landscape.  

Imagine sitting outside in a favorite section of your garden listening to the quiet tinkling of water cascading down from a fountain spring into a lily-covered pool.  The images and sounds of falling water have always captivated the human mind, as evidenced by the remains of pools, ponds and waterfalls in gardens from even the most ancient of times.  Just as they have done for generations before, water gardens can bring a unique flavor to your outdoor living area.  

A pool of water with water-loving plants, a few well chosen water features and a school of fish to keep down the insect population are key elements to a water garden.  Many people add a small waterfall to provide sound and a natural feel to the garden. Centered on these basic elements, the size and design of a water garden can be as simple or as complex as the builder desires.  

A water garden does not have to be expensive.  With a relatively simple design and with restraint in shopping, a water garden can cost as little as $100 or less.  Kits that can be purchased from home and garden stores can make installation simple.

Water gardens can bring unexpected benefits to a landscape. A trip to the pond can become an instant biology lesson for children and adults alike. Depending upon their design and construction, water gardens can also double as a birdbath or as a wild animal watering hole.  Many people have been able to get to know their wild desert neighbors by watching the pond early in the morning or at dusk as animals come to get a drink of water.

A good way to decide if a water garden is right for you is to visit places where a garden has been installed and to experience their benefits for yourself.  When you go, pay particular attention to where they have been located in the landscape.  Are they a focal point of the garden that can be seen from the patio, courtyard or the balcony of a home? Perhaps they have been secluded away at the end of a path or in the midst of an oasis-type grouping of plants.

Check the shape of the water garden and see if there is a waterfall or fountain to aerate the water and to provide the effects of moving water. Also pay attention to the type of plants and fish that make up the garden.  Once you have looked at several different gardens you should be able to decide if a water garden is right for you.  

If you are unsure about your ability to properly construct a water garden, there are a number of excellent books and publications on how to plan, install and maintain a water garden that can be a valuable resource and provide good support and ideas from start to finish. 

Water gardens come in many types.  Some people, especially those who are renting, choose to use a variation of a container garden which is portable and easy to maintain. These containers can either be free standing above ground or they can be sunken into the ground and surrounded by rocks and plants to give a more natural feel to the appearance of the garden.

More elaborate ponds can either be raised above ground in attractive frames or can be sunken into the ground for a more permanent and durable construction.  All ponds can be further enhanced with the addition of a fountain, a waterfall or a running creek to provide contrast and a more natural appearance to the garden.  

Probably the most common, permanent water garden is the concrete lined, sunken pond, but the emergence of quality plastic liners and paving stones have given additional options from which the builder of a water garden may choose.  In either case, the principles for installation and care are much the same.

The very first step before making the first purchase or shoveling the first spadeful of soil is to check your community’s building codes for size and depth limitations.  Even if there are no codes to follow, a shallow pond is best if children will be visiting because a pond or other water feature will be like a magnet.  Sooner or later, someone is going to fall in.  A shallow pool allows them the chance to stand by themselves.  For safety’s sake, smaller children and those who are unable to walk should be supervised continually when outdoors.
    
The next step to locate where on the property your water garden should be placed.  Most water plants like full to filtered sunlight so this should be the first consideration.  Avoid deep shaded areas to ensure that the water plants will have vigorous growth.  

Other considerations for placing the pond should include the proximity to a water source, the rockiness of the soil and the availability of an outdoor electrical outlet from which to run electric pumps for fountains. Sharp rocks in the soil can easily cut plastic liners and other equipment.

Once the location has be determined, it is time to dig and prepare the site.  Decide on the shape of the pond by using a garden hose or rope to test various outlines on the ground.  When locating the outer perimeter of the hole, do not forget to consider the thickness of the plastic or concrete liner.  A concrete lining may add about four inches to the diameter of the hole.  

The next step is to outline the shape of the pond with spray paint so that your design will not be lost during excavation.  Once this is done, it is time to start digging.  Remove the soil to the desired depth and slope the sides to about a 45 degree angle if you will be using concrete.  Make sure that you dig a shelf for edge plants and do not forget to compact the earth on the bottom and sides of the hole. 

You will want the water in the pond to be level within the garden so it is essential to make sure the top edges of the pond are level during construction.  Check the edges of the hole regularly with a carpenter’s level in several directions to ensure proper orientation .  If you include a pump and fountain, decide where to place the electrical cord and water-return line at this time.

The next step is to install the liner.  If a plastic liner is to be used, simply place the liner into position and gradually fill in around the edges of the liner with soil.  It is a good idea to begin filling the pond liner with water at the same time to make sure that the pressure of the soil does not cave in the liner before backfilling is completed.  

A concrete liner will require the placement of a wire mesh within the concrete for strength.  Mix the concrete into a fairly stiff, not runny, mixture and place the concrete into position with trowels.  For difficult nooks and corners, it may be necessary to use your hands so have a pair of rubber gloves handy.  Once the concrete is in place and smoothed, wet the concrete often with water to slow the drying process and help prevent cracks that would later allow water to escape from the pond.

Finally, the last step is to install the features and plants that will make your pond into a garden.  Waterfalls and fountains will require small pumps and tubing to remove the water from the pond and release it again at the appropriate place.  Water lilies and other plants will provide greenery and colorful flowers to the garden.  Fish, such as goldfish, will add diversity and turn your pond into a small ecosystem.  

One final piece of advice may be helpful. To prevent your pond from becoming a mosquito haven, add a school of small mosquito fish.  Their voracious appetites for mosquito larvae help break the insect’s life cycle, and keep your yard free, of these annoying and potentially disease-transmitting pests.

A water garden can make an attractive addition to any landscape.  They provide color, interest and a unique feel to an outdoor living area. With a little time, a few resources and some know-how, anyone can build, maintain and enjoy a soothing and refreshing pond or pool.

If you have questions, you can reach one of the Master Gardeners at the Cooperative Extension office, 820 E. Cottonwood Lane, Building C, in Casa Grande.  The telephone is (520) 836-5221, extension 204

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