Small water gardens are easy maintenance

Sunday, 14 September 2008 8:12 PM

Once your water garden has been planted, caring for it is a simple matter. If the plants don't seem to be thriving, more than likely the problem is not enough light. If that's the case, then move the container to a brighter spot. If it's too heavy to lift, remove the plants, empty out the water, move the container, and then rearrange it.

Water plants grow quickly but, even so, I encourage them by using fertilizing tablets. For new plants, I delay fertilizing until they show signs of growth. When a plant gets big, I divide and re-pot it in heavy clay soil with a layer of stones over the top. Dense soils won't cloud the water when containers are moved, and, just to be sure, I always firm the soil fairly tightly before lowering the container back into the water. If the plants seem too robust, I limit their growth by keeping them in small pots and trimming off the oldest and tallest leaves.

There's no need to change the water in a container garden, although you should top it up every few days to replace liquid that may have evaporated. I've never had problems with mosquitoes breeding in containers, but if you want to eliminate any chance of establishing a breeding ground for insects, you might wash the larvae out by overfilling your container with water or add a few goldfish. Goldfish varieties that eat mozzie larvae and are best for outdoors are Comets, Shubunkins and Fantails - all common in pet stores.

Aquatic nurseries have also developed specially formulated products for killing mosquito larvae.

When winter comes, it doesn't have to mean the end of the garden. Most Water Plants will become dormant and re-shoot in spring. Hardy plants can be left in the container but may need protection against freezing. Where winters are severe, aquarium-type heaters can prevent your container water garden from turning into a giant ice cube.

One plant to look out for is the Water Hawthorn (Aponogeton distachyos). This plant is one of the few to flourish and even flower in the cold. The white scented flowers and oval shaped leaves float on the water like a water lily.

So give a small water garden a try. First, decide on a spot in your garden and then come in to Bliss to see the great range of water bowls, water plants, and fountain equipment. There you will see small water gardens set up to show you how they are to look, and just how easy it is to create.

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Choosing water plants for a small water garden

Sunday, 14 September 2008 8:10 PM

Water, cupped in a container or basin, is a thing of beauty. Its flickering reflections are a welcome presence in any garden. But dressing it up with plants transports the display to a whole new dimension. I like to create compositions that are vibrant and dynamic, so I use plants with contrasting shapes, colours, and sizes. For me, the more contrast, the better.

I like to combine the tall, slender, spiky shapes of an erect, fine-leaved marginal plant like yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) or sweet flag (Acorus gramineus) with the floating foliage of an easy-to-grow water lily (nymphaea sp) or some of the smaller lily-like plants such as Showy Marshwort (Nymphoides spinulosperma) and Nardoo (Marlilea mutica). Bare in mind, water lilies will be too big for most water bowls, so it may be better to stick to the latter 2 varieties and other small floating varieties.

As an especially dramatic accent, I might add a Papyrus or a clump of brightly colored chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon'). I especially like using plants that have a story of their own: pitcher plants (Sarracenia spp.), for example, eat insects, digesting small bugs in the recesses of their large, trumpet-shaped leaves.

To finish off a planting, I sprinkle a few small floating plants -- like water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) or water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)-over the surface of the water. I also might soften the hard edge of the container by letting a cascading plant like water mint (Mentha aquatica), with its fragrant foliage and powder-blue flowers, tumble over the side.

Whatever plants I use, I try to keep them in scale with the container. Huge plants spilling out of a tiny container most likely would not create a pleasing effect. There are no strict guidelines to follow, so I just aim for a plant and container combination that looks harmonious and proportionate.

The first mistake beginning water gardeners make is jamming too many plants into their container. Though a water bowl easily accommodates up to four plants potted in 140mm and 200mm pots and a host of floating plants, there's no need to use that many. An overcrowded container often results in designs that are chaotic. Keep it simple. Especially when you're starting, it's easiest to make pleasing designs with only two or three plants. As you gain experience, you can graduate to more complicated compositions using greater numbers and varieties of plants.

However many you use, how and where you place plants in the container is of paramount importance. The plants should fit as a unit to create the picture you want. First, determine how the planting will be viewed. Designing a container that will be seen from a few directions is a lot easier than making one that's meant to be viewed from all sides.

Unless the container is to be seen from all around, place a tall, spiky plant at the centre rear to create a dramatic backdrop. Then use a broad-leaved marginal or two in front or to one side, where their generously sized leaves will contrast sharply with the whip-like fronds of taller plants. Remember to keep it simple, otherwise you risk diminishing the effect. For containers that will be seen from all sides, I put the tall, vertical-leaved plant in the middle and arrange broadleafs on each side.

For either kind of design, I arrange and rearrange the plants until I get the effect I'm looking for. It's easy to change the height and position of plants by perching them on bricks or empty, overturned containers. Most marginals, whether their leaves are thin and vertical or broad and horizontal, give excellent results when their crowns are placed 6 inches or less beneath the water's surface. Only after the main parts have been positioned do I begin adding accents like floating or cascading plants, or for a special touch, an eye-catching specimen.

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Choosing a water bowl

Sunday, 14 September 2008 8:06 PM

Choose a Water Bowl based on the look you want to achieve

Water bowls come in a variety of shapes and colours. Some can even be a feature on their own. If you would like your water garden to be an accent feature, choose a striking water bowl with a bit of height. In it you can place tall accent type water plants like Papyrus, Lepiromia, or Iris. This will provide you with a good overall height and real impact.

If you are more interested in the plants and water, choose a water bowl that is low and wide, ensuring the bowl is less of a feature and giving the ability to fit more plants and possibly a small fountain. With a low and wide bowl, not only can you fit more plants, it is a better level for the eye to look down on the water allowing for water lilies and goldfish to be the feature.

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Create small water garden, container water garden

Sunday, 14 September 2008 8:01 PM

How to create a small Water Garden in Canberra

Thursday, 31 July 2008 10:49 AM

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Low water use garden

Thursday, 4 September 2008 9:35 PM

Low water use garden - Part One

Soil Preparation

First Prepare the soil. Try to do this ahead of time, weeks or months if you can. I'm a big fan of a sort of "No-Dig Garden". This is where you layer materials on top of the soil without digging them in. This method is perfect for areas where the soil is too hard to dig, where the area is weed infested, dry areas, or physically you are unable to dig.

Here is a basic version of the No-Dig Garden I have used with great success.

If there are weeds or lawn, simply mow as low as you can.

First lay down plenty of gypsum and manure. This will break down into the soil providing nutrients, enabling the soil to hold more water, and encourage worms to come to the surface.

Then lay down a thick layer of newspaper or cardboard. I prefer cardboard as its thick, easy to get (from recycling depots around Canberra), and quick to lay (using big sheets). The Cardboard will last long enough to kill all the weeds and not let others germinate. It also provides a great layer to prevent evaporation.

Cover this with a thick layer (7cm-10cm) of mulch, preferably lucerne or straw, or a thick layer (7cm-10cm) of a wood chip or bark type mulch will do. This will hold the cardboard to the ground and keep it moist so it rots down. The mulch will also rot down once the cardboard has gone.

Thoroughly wet the area to settle the mulch down onto the cardboard.

After a month the soil underneath will be moist and ready to plant into. After 6 months the cardboard will have composted into the soil which will now be dark and friable.

Continue to layer compost and straw onto your garden as it rots down and always keep it well mulched.

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