The natural beauties are the ones that contribute to the tranquillity of your home. The water gardens and the garden pond are these beauties. They are what complete your garden. They are the reasons why your garden is becoming more serene and beautiful.
It shouldn’t be a problem to have the garden in your home. As a matter of fact, cultivating your land and planting some flowers can be your ideal fun time, then building a magnificent landscape filled with ponds and water. What you should care about is this garden’s upkeep. Here are some tips to help maintain the Water Garden:
You will be able to pick the best plants for your water garden to go with. Make sure these plants fit in the water. Some plants are supposed to live on land alone while others are better off in the water like the water lilies. These flowers polish up your pond’s beauty. The more in your garden, the better you ‘d look at your pond. There are many different water lilies colours. Choose all those colours that will make your garden lively. But if you want to be consistent with colours, then just choose one.
Another thing you can do to keep your water garden beautiful is to drain off the floating, dried leaves and flowers in the water. Such items will destroy your garden ‘s beauty and survival. You should be able to keep the water clean so that you can also stop the chances of mosquitoes laying eggs on it.
Having clear water inside the garden is always amazing. It is advisable to change your water after 3 to 4 months. This will avoid the spread of insects in the water and the scent of rotting substances. When you apply this tip, you will be able to attain the beautiful bright water garden in no time.
Another thing you can do is put the water garden in a safe position where it isn’t prone to falling debris from the trees’ branches. These falling branches may destroy your water garden, and may also depreciate its beauty.
And if you’re inspired to get water gardens and
ponds, then you do need to be guided to maintain it. Gain the outside feeling
relaxing and soothing.
Types of Water Gardens
Containers
A water container garden is a good choice for those with the restricted workspace. The container garden specifications include a sunny place on your patio or roof, some lovely aquatic plants and a suitable container. Containers vary from bowls containing small gallons to full barrels and tubes. Water Container gardens have the advantages of being easy to construct and easy to care for.
Raised ponds
Raised ponds are human-made ponds, which are often easy to construct but need specific masonry skills as concrete blocks or bricks are used to create the ponds. Such ponds are ideal for fish since the water temperature is more stable than a water garden tub. Such ponds are well equipped for formal gardens and are healthy for kids as well as the maintenance and cleaning workability. Such ponds can be elevated partially or fully.
Sunken Ponds
A Sunken pond is another human-made pond that requires a lot of digging and placing a flexible or preformed liner once the hole has been created. In addition, patio stone can be placed around it to add to the decor. Such ponds are ideal for fishing and aquatic plants, too.
Bog
A Bog is an irregular-shaped hole that has been dug out in the ground. It is constructed by digging some soil out and laying a flexible liner holding it down with sand, plants, and rocks. This feature is ideal for wildlife, for example, dragonflies, frogs and others. Natural bogs can be made with a liner and very little water, which is used for handling and treating the runoff of rainwater and is an essential environmental feature.
If you enjoy the sound of running water, you can
add that in several ways to your water garden too.
You can add a small waterfall which runs straight into your pond. Or you can add a cascading feature with a series of waterfalls running down into small pools over rocks before trickling into a central pool. Perhaps you can get a fountain from a pump placed under the surface possibly installed within a statue that throws the water into the air. This statue is usually placed in the middle of the fountain.
And you’ll want to incorporate features such as
garden bridges, statuary, stepping stones, and other decorations for that
unique touch, which will provide just the right decor to your tastes.
A Guide to Water Gardening
Several things to remember. There are certain things you should consider when you plan on starting your water gardening:
Water Garden Size: The size of the water garden or the elevated bed garden plays a significant role in expressing the elegance of your uplifted gardens. Don’t make it too small or too big; just make it proportionate to your location.
Water Garden Budget: You can set your water garden with rocks, fountains, and other styles to make it look way more attractive, depending on your budget and requirements. Be careful in choosing the best useful plants to suit your garden budget.
Variety of Plants & Fishes: Fish do not just make beautiful attraction to your water garden; they can keep the pool clean of debris. There are different kinds of plants you can choose from if you want the one that floats effortlessly you can get them or you can get plants that are going to be submerged too. Get some oxygen-providing plants for your garden, which helps keep the pool safe forever.
Apart from building a water garden in your compound, a raised bed garden can be made as well. These raised gardens enhance your home ‘s look, and you can work comfortably in elevated beds. Compared to regular yards, it is easy to create and maintain a raised bed gardens. Not only do these gardens save your time, but they will hopefully save your money. If you don’t have the appropriate drainage facilities, then these elevated bed gardens can be the perfect solution.
Raised bed garden is enough to provide you with
better soil conditions, and you can have varied soils from bed to bed. Whether
you want to grow a vegetable garden or a flower garden, then elevated gardens
are your preferred choice. This style of gardens can remove the excess moisture
with ease. In these beautifully planned raised gardens, the plants look
incredible. The raised bed gardens have better yields for you. And control of
pests in the raised gardens is made easy. In other words, those raised gardens
give an appealing look to your home and garden just like water gardens.
Mosquito Control in a water garden
Construction
Creating a water garden shouldn’t be a mosquito
breeding site. When designing a water garden, the first thing to remember is the
water movement. Mosquitoes lay only the eggs in shallow, stagnant water. The
most important thing to remember is that you have a steady surface water flow.
Consider the beginning and end of the surface water when planning your water
garden or koi pond. A waterfall or a stream can be the start. This not only
causes a lot of movement of surface water but also adds oxygen to the body. And
nothing is more relaxing than the sound of water drip in a stream, or a
waterfall splashing. A reliable skimmer in the pond will be the end. In
addition to sweeping most mosquito larvae into its mechanical filter, a skimmer
will also keep the surface clean, giving the larvae less to eat. Care should be
taken in not letting plants taking over the water surface. While you might have
enough water flow, plants such as water lilies and parrot feather may cover too
much of the surface of the water and create stagnant areas in the garden. A
fountain or spitter will help, and most water plants, except water lilies, will
enjoy the splash of water. You should plant water lilies far enough from the
edge to allow water to flow through. Still, you may have to pipe water to the
sides of the water garden where the surface movement is not enough. Adequate
drainage should be designed to avoid puddles when the pond overflows from heavy
rains. Note, in 5-14 days, and the eggs will become adults.
Natural Control
Any water garden or koi pond will draw predators to feed on mosquitoes and their larvae. Dragonflies and damsels have an insatiable mosquito appetite, and their larvae are prey to mosquito larvae. Toads and frogs also consume mosquito larvae by preying on mosquitoes and tadpoles. Other predators include water striders which eat mosquito larvae, also called water skippers.
Small fish are very vital in ensuring management
of mosquito populations. Fathead minnows are an established method of reducing
or eliminating mosquito larvae from ornamental ponds, stock ponds, and other
semi-permanent water to permanent. Fathead minnows can feed in dense aquatic
vegetation and in small pockets where they can’t reach giant goldfish and koi.
They can withstand up to 80 degrees of water, and under optimal conditions will
reproduce up to 4 times a year. It is recommended to place between 250-500
minnows per surface acre of water (this is equivalent to 1-2 minnows per 10
foot by 10-foot area but it does not seem to be detrimental to add a few more
for a tiny pond). Generally, fathead minnows will survive winters unless the
pond is too shallow and completely freezes over. Rosy red minnows are fathead
minnows bred for the colour red-orange. The fathead, as well as the rosy red
minnows, are readily available in pet shops. Mosquito fish are known for their
mosquito larvae appetite if they can be found locally. In colder climates, they
are not as hardy as the fathead minnow, or the rosy red minnow. Guppies are
also quick to use and breed, but don’t expect them to survive winter. All those
fish can be used from the whiskey barrel to a large koi pond in any water garden.
Because koi and goldfish do not prey on other fish, they can be kept with no
problems.
Biological Control
Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israaelenses (BTI) kills mosquito and black fly larvae for 30 days or longer. This bacteria will not cause harm to cattle, birds, fish or plants. BTI may be used in birdbaths, ponds, flowerpots or any standing water where eggs can be laid by the mosquitoes. Dunks of mosquitoes and bits of mosquitoes float to the surface. Mosquito dunks cover a 100 square foot area, and bits of mosquitoes are significant for birdbaths, whisky barrels, and other features of little water. Microbe-Lift has a liquid BTI which can handle 2,500 gallons for seven months with a 6-ounce tank.