4 Tips for a Successful Water Garden

A water garden is a landscape or architectural feature that is used to house and take care of a certain species of aquatic plant. A water garden can be natural or man-made. For a manmade water garden, here are some of the tips to follow so as to make it successful.

Simple start

While designing a water garden, it is advisable to start simple, that is you should start with what you have, not stressing about creating a design that you will not be capable of maintaining. Make sure you carryout a thorough research on how to design water gardens and come up with the simplest design possible that will meet your suit and will be easy to maintain.

Be nature motivated

This simply means that you should create a water garden that is compatible with nature, let it be as the nature would design it. Whether it is visual or functional aspects of the water garden, let them be realistic. Make the water feature look like it has been there for ages.


Your water garden should provide a diverse habitat for your aquatic life. The plants have various surviving environments that helps them play their role to the ecology effectively. Some are submerged, some float, some are marginal and others are emergent. So when designing your water garden, make sure it provides suitable habitats for these plants to grow.

Also provide shade and aeration, this makes your water garden more habitable, providing a cool environment where you can rest and maintain clean water. Shade help prevent water from turning green since the sun supports the growth of algae. Also make sure that your water is not stagnant, create fountains and waterfalls, this also helps in air circulation and sufficient oxygen is provided which is very important to aquatic life.

Add fish and observe

A water garden is not complete without fish, a very important aquatic beings since they help keep the water garden lively, for example by consuming mosquito larvae and algae, they also help in the recycling of nutrients.

On the case of observing, make sure you make the water garden your resting place, by these you get to observe and interact with the environment and get to learn what is need in the water garden and the changes that ought to be made so as to keep the water garden intact.

Controlling Algae in Your Water Garden

Not all algae blooms are harmful, but those that are can be toxic for plants, animals and humans alike. Even when the unwelcome green blooms are harmless, they can raise a stink, turn into an eyesore and obscure and kill colorful fishes by hogging up their oxygen. The good news is that it does not take a lot to control the green menace. Continue reading to know how…

Keeping a check on the algae problem

While it is neither beneficial nor possible to completely eliminate algae from a water garden or pond, there are a few things you can do to ensure that the messy green does not overshadow all else.


  • Don’t overfeed the fish because this leaves too many nutrients behind to feed the algae.
  • Don’t go overboard with the number of fishes in the water garden.
  • Keep your pond free of organic debris, which turns into algae food upon decomposition.
  • Keep the filters clean of decomposing organic matter, including foliage.
  • Ensure that your water garden has less than ¼th inch of sludge at the bottom.
  • Having a circulation system in place that keeps the water moving and oxygenated even at the lower levels.
  • Use bacterial and enzymatic additives to improve water quality.

Going natural with algae control

Plants to the rescue: Use floating plants (40-60% water surface coverage) to starve algae of light, oxygen and food; shallow water plants to clear excess nutrients from the water and submerged plants to increase oxygenation at the lower levels.

No sunlight, no food: The use of pond dye limits the amount of light that penetrates to the bottom of the water garden. Since algae need sunlight to bloom, a water dye helps to limit their growth.

Technology against aggressive algae!

  1. An ultraviolet water sterilizer/clarifier offers one of the most effective ways to kill free-floating green algae cells. Ultraviolet light degrades the algal cell membrane and stops algae from reproducing. Since there can be as many as 5 million of these green-blue cells in every square millimeter of water, you are talking about a significant amount of killing here and a notable reduction in the amount of green slime.
  2. A pond ionizer is another device that gets the job done effectively and safely. The device releases just the right amount of minerals in the water, which help the plants to thrive and kill the algae.

UV water sterilizers don’t work against filamentous/stringy algae that grow on waterfalls and rocks. You will have to either scrub off this green problem or remove it by using a high-pressure hose or a net.

Chemicals and good ol’ elbow grease!

You will find both natural and chemical algaecides in the market. On the natural front, barley straw extract and copper laced algaecides are among the most effective. In addition to these, you can also use water clarifying chemical treatments that cause the algal cells to clump together and settle at the bottom. You can, then, use a skimmer net or pond vacuum to get the green clumps out.

There is simply no way to completely rid your water garden of algae; not to mention that some of these green suckers actually help the ecosystem of the water body. But, you sure can stop them from turning into a problem by maintaining a balanced environment.

While algaecides, filters and advanced algae killing devices offer quick reprieve from the green, slimy menace, only Mother Nature can provide a long-lasting and permanent solution. So, consider a natural plant filter system to keep your water garden full of the right kind of green!

How to Make a Container Water Garden


How to Build a Container Water Garden





A Water Garden Can Completely Change Your Landscaping

The sound of running is one that most people find soothing, that is why so many people build homes next to rivers and oceans.  If waterfront property isn’t possible then you can bring the water to you.  A water garden can completely change your landscaping and create a serene space where you can unwind and just enjoy your garden.

Choosing Your Water Garden

There are a variety of different water features that you can incorporate into your landscaping or backyard garden.  You can choose a variety of fountains, pools or even a pond.  Here are a couple of different water gardens that you can choose.

Decorative Features

Decorative water can give you the soothing water feature that you like without redoing your landscaping.  You also still have a variety of options to choose from, you can have a simple bubbling urn or a container water garden.  All of the decorative water features are still going to have to be connected to power and water.  You can get them in a variety of sizes too, so even if you have a postage stamp sized backyard you can still have a decorative fountain.

One of the easiest water gardens to add to your existing landscaping with simple containers or tubs.  All you need is a shallow container, it can be of pretty much any shape and you just fill it with water and aquatic plants.  If you like the sound of a burbling brook but don’t live near one then you can get a bubbling urn.  It will need to be connected to the water supply but the water can be re-circulated with a pump.


A pond in your yard whether it is natural or one that you have put in is a whole ecosystem right in the backyard.  You will have bacteria, insects, fish and algae all living in the pond.  It is there to provide a living environment for the fish you will add to it.  These are more work than just a water feature but you can do it yourself or have pros come in and install your pond.  Koi ponds are extremely popular but there are other options as well.


You can install a waterfall without having to install a pond or a different kind of water feature.  You can place it near a wall but you are going to need some type of reservoir for the water.  You will also need a pump to circulate the water.  A waterfall is the easiest feature to maintain once you set it up you’re can largely leave it running.