article: Backyard Water Garden

Backyard Water Garden

A small backyard pond filled with pants and fish can add a wonderful and soothing touch to your yard. With a little effort, you can install your own water garden in your backyard by yourself.

Planning your water garden.

You can purchase a complete kit that will contain all the supplies you need or you can design your own. There are some important things to consider before you start digging. Make sure that you have the perfect location. The sight that you choose should get good sunlight. You may want to pick a spot away from trees for easier maintenance. Plan to build your water garden in a higher area because lower ones collect the most rain and might be hard to dig in. Stay away from areas that have utility lines when you are digging. Pick a spot that is close to water and electrical sources. You need to figure out what shape you want your garden and what decorative items to place near your garden,

It is important to pick a pond with enough depth because the water in shallow ponds can become quite warm. This could hurt the fish. You will need some supplies to build your garden.
A strong liner
Under liner and razor blade to cut it
Biological filter
Pump to circulate the water
Fountain supplies that attach to the pump and elevate a fountain to the water surface
Water hose
Edging stones
Plastic crates to elevate plants
Nails and hammer, tape measurer
Shovel, spade, level, wooden stakes and a two by four longer than the pond
Remove the sod from the pond area. Dig out the pond. Dig out a ledge around the sides deep enough for concrete blocks to be set on the top of the liner. Make sure that it is level.

Filling the Pond

Use a piece of old carpet as under liner to pad the liner and prevent it from being punctured by things like sharp stones. Also, cover the sides using nails to hold the carpet in place. Trim excess with the razor. Unfold the liner as you put it in the hole, making sure there is plenty of overlapping on both sides. Smooth out the wrinkles. Next, you want to add your pump. To figure out the size of pump that you will need, measure how much water your pond holds. Multiply the length by the depth by width by 7.5 gallon.

Fill the pump about two thirds full and adjust the folds and creases in the liner as the pond fills. Let the water sit for a few days so that any chlorine in the water dissipates. If you are adding h to the garden right away, add a dechlorinator to the water.


Potting Water Lilies for a Pond

When you are choosing a pot for your water lily, it is a good idea to use something wider than it is tall to minimize the possibility of tipping over. Good containers are dishpans, and totes. You can use any size. These are shallow, they have the advantage of having handles for easier handling, and they last a long time. You can use anything that is though like clay pots, cat litter boxes or whatever you have. If there are holes in the container, you should line them with newspaper or plastic sheeting.