Container Water Garden:

What's a Container Water Garden?

by Nicky Rogers

I love it wet and swampy. To yours truly, there are few things in this world more beautiful than the meeting point where pond becomes woods and creates the perfect growing environment for lotus, cattails, water-lilies, cabomba, and beautiful green ferns.

But I lived in the middle of Chicago for years, in scummy rented apartments in throwing distance of the "El" with postage stamps for yards (if I was lucky). All I wanted for years was a large, spacious backyard with room to dig my own pond. I read articles on building water gardens, koi ponds, and backyard fountains and man, I kept wishing. Then I discovered the simple fact that all it takes to create a water garden is a sunny spot that can fit a pot of water.

It’s no more difficult to grow a water garden in an enclosed substrate (a container) than it is to grow any other garden. If you have at the very least 6 hours of full sun daily throughout the summer which falls on one spot, you can create a water garden. Your water garden can be as simple as a tub with a few submerged plants, or as complex as several arranged container gardens with rocks and a fountain powered by an electrical pump. The best part is you'll find everything you need at any large home garden store, often for cheap.

The Plan

Location is the single most important variable in planning a water garden. The space can be as tiny as a single square yard, with the caveat that it MUST receive at least six hours of sun throughout the day. So think twice about placing a water garden of any sort under shade or beneath an overhanging tree. The inevitable falling leaves will decay in the water and foul it.

So let's talk plants. They should be suited to the container that you’re using. Choose plants that are hardy for your region.

Here are four basic kinds of water plants:

• Surface plants: like water lilies, lotus, and floating yellow heart rooted in the pond’s bottom. These water plants put out leaves on long stems to float on the surface of the water. Lotuses are especially beautiful.
• Floating water plants: like cabomba and water hyacinth. These require no planting at all. They float on the surface of the water with their roots trailing to absorb nutrients in the water column.
• Submerged plants grow completely underwater, and rarely show their leaves above the surface. These submerged plants help maintain the balance of nitrogen and other nutrients, however they will require thinning to keep them in check.
• Marginal or bog plants grow at the edges of ponds in nature. They're the kind that like to keep their feet wet, having their roots and lower parts of their stems underwater. Sweet flag, Dwarf cattails, and black taro are examples of marginal plants.

When you choose plants for your container water garden, remember the size of your container, heigth, width, and depth. Don’t overcrowd your garden. The general rule is that your plants should cover no more than 2/3 of the water's surface.