Water gardens , also known as aquatic gardens , backyard ponds and garden ponds , usually referring to a man-made feature, typically combine a pool with aquatic plants and often ornamental fish. Fixed items such as rocks, fountains, statuary, waterfalls and watercourses can be combined with the pool to add visual interest and integration with the local landscape and environment.
They have become popular in recent years. They have also been famous in Chinese and European history.
Types of water gardens
- Containers
- Man-made ponds
- Natural ponds
- Bogs
- Wild River
- Lakes
- Halka lever
Man-made ponds
In the sixteenth century, Europe was recovering from the Black Death and towns were growing and prospering again. Renewed interest in Greek thought and philosophy led some aristocrats to reconsider the works of Hero of Alexandria in hydraulics and pneumatics. His devices, such as temple doors operated by invisible weights or flowing liquids, and mechanical singing birds powered by steam, motivated several European princes to create similar clever devices to enhance their public image.
In Italy especially, some princes took things a stage further and constructed large water gardens incorporating mechanical devices in water settings. The best-known is the Villa d'Este at Tivoli, constructed in 1550 AD. A hill presented several fountains and dozens of grottoes, where water-driven figures moved or spouted water. Within 50 years there were imitations all over Europe; the best-known today is the Hellbrunn Palace, full of performing figures (human and animal), fountains that erupt without notice, and a water-powered puppet theater.
Wild river
One chooses a spot on the banks of a fast-moving river, and places rocks in the path of the water to make a small waterfall. The rocks interfere with the waterflow, causing splashing and bubbles to form. The water splashing makes a pleasant sound and new habitat for fish, crustaceans and wildlife that feed on the fish and the crustaceans.
The river's water level may vary considerably, so proper location of the rocks requires ingenuity to achieve good aeration from the splashing. Finding a good placement of rocks is similar to arranging a Zen garden or Japanese rock garden. A well-done, intuitive placement of rocks can stimulate a feeling of peace or Zen while also achieving a practical effect, since the splashing water adds valuable oxygen to the river and may prevent hypoxia. The more bubbles formed, the more dissolved oxygen is being placed in the river.
Flora
Typical water garden plants are divided into 3 main categories: submerged, marginal, and floating.
1. Submerged plants are those that live almost completely under the water, sometimes with leaves or flowers that grow to the surface such as with the water lily. These plants are placed in a pond or container usually 1-2 ft. below the water surface. Some of these plants are called oxygenators because they create oxygen for the fish that live in a pond. Examples of submerged plants are:
- Water lily (Hardy and Tropical)
- Hornwort ( Ceratophyllum demersum )
2. Marginal plants are those that live with their roots under the water but the rest of the plant above the surface. These are usually placed so that the top of the pot is at or barely below the water level. Examples of these are:
- Iris or Flag ( Iris )
- Water-crowfoot ( Ranunculus fluitans )
- Bulrush ( Scirpus lacustris )
- Cattail ( Typha latifolia )
- Taro, Elephant Ear, roots for poi ( Colocasia esculenta )
- Arrowhead ( Sagittaria latifolia )
- Lotus ( Nelumbo )
- Pickerelweed ( Pontederia cordata )
3. Floating plants are those that are not anchored to the soil at all, but are free-floating on the surface. In water gardening, these are often used as a provider of shade to reduce algae growth in a pond. These are often extremely fast growing/multiplying. Examples of these are:
- Mosquito ferns ( Azolla )
- Water-spangle ( Salvinia )
- Water-clover ( Marsilea vestita )
- Water lettuce (Nile lettuce) ( Pistia stratiotes )
- Water-hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes )
Some areas of the United States do not allow certain of these plants to be sold or kept as they have become invasive species in warmer areas of the country, such as Florida.
Algae are found in all ponds. There are hundreds of species of algae that can grow in garden ponds but they are only usually noticied when they become abundant. Algae often grow in very high densities in ponds because of the high nutrient levels that are typical of garden ponds. Generally alga attaches itself to the sides of the pond and remains innocuous. Some species of algae, namely the dreaded 'blanket weed' can grow up to a foot a day under ideal conditions and can rapidly clog a garden pond. On the other hand, free floating algae are microcopic and are what cause pond water to appear green.
Fauna
Fish
Often the reason for having a pond in a garden is to keep fish, often koi, though many people keep goldfish. Both are hardy, colorful fish which require no special heating, provided the pond is located in an area which does not have extremes of temperature that would affect the fish. If fish are kept, pumps and filtration devices are usually needed in order to keep enough oxygen in the water to support them. In winter, a small heater may need to be used in cold climates to keep the water from freezing solid. Examples of common pond fish include:
- Goldfish (Common, Comet, Shubunkin varieties, Wakin and the Fantail varieties. With the possible exception of some of the fantail varieties, the fancy goldfish are not suited to pond life.)
- Koi (Nishikigoi, Butterfly Koi and Ghost Koi)
- Golden Orfe
- Golden Tench
- Rosy Red Minnows
- Mosquitofish
- Eel
- Catfish
- Bass
- Acipenser
- Carp
- Crucian carp
- Bluegill
Snails
Small aquatic snails are usually in ponds which have plants. Some people purchase Apple snails to keep in their water garden. Another common variety is the Melantho snail.
Amphibian & Reptile
Ponds located in suburban and rural areas often attract amphibians such as common frogs and fire salamanders, and reptiles such as turtles, lizards, and snakes.
Predators
Garden ponds can attract attention from predators such as (in North America) raccoons, heron/birds, snakes, and domestic cats. These predators can be a danger to fish. Owners of koi are often particularly upset by this as some varieties of koi can be very expensive.
See also
- Landscape architecture
- Aquascaping
- Rain garden
- Biochemical oxygen demand
- Chemical oxygen demand
- Wastewater quality indicators
References
- ^ James Burke, Connections (Little, Brown and Co., 1978/1995), p. 106
External links
- Dugout Pond Aeration Flash Animation
- North American Water Garden Society
- WikiHow: Build A Water Garden in 20 Steps
- Pond Conservation:
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