article: Barrels Tubs and Kettle Pools

Barrels Tubs and Kettle Pools
Water gardens can be created in a variety of sizes, shapes and in many areas of your landscape. If you are interested in a smaller very controlled water garden, barrels, tubs of all type and kettles are some of the types of items that you can use in creating a small water garden. Wood barrels can be lined with plastic, kettles can be rust proofed, and tubs can be set in a manner with the drain plugged creating unique water gardens. These things don’t have to be set on top of the soil or on the deck to be a water garden, you can also dig a hole to fit the size of this container and build the in ground small water garden. You might even enjoy the container water garden that is half way placed in the ground for both enjoyment and beautifying your landscape.

Make sure if you are not going to use any type of liner that you scrub out the inside of the container and that any bleach or chemicals that you are using to clean with is totally washed out with clean clear water. Both fish and plants will die or become sick if you leave too much chemicals in the container.

If you are using a wood container, you will have to coat the wood with some type of liner so that your wood will not rot away. If you are going to paint or coat the wood with polyurethane, you can still have problems not with the wood, but the fish or the plants absorbing the chemicals. The best option is some type of plastic or rubbing lining in the wood barrel so that the water will not hurt the wood and the coating will not affect the fish or the plants.

If you have a metal barrel that you don’t want to have rust away and affect the container or the plants or fish, lining it with a rubber or pvc, or plastic lining first will ensure that you have continued success with your container water garden for years to come. Keeping your metal container water garden in an area that is not in the full sun all the time will be best for your fish. The metal is going to keep the high temperature water, hotter, which adds stress for both fish and the plants in the metal container. Just a few hours of sunlight, a day will balance the environment for the fish.

Creating the small water garden in your yard is easy using any type of container that you feel is going to fit what your landscape should look like. Using a liner will prolong the life of most all types of containers, washing containers out before using them is a good idea, and keep your small container water gardens out of the sunlight is a suggestion that will improve the quality of life for the plants and the fish in the container water garden. Keep in mind that you don’t have to have all your containers above ground, they can be set half way in the soil to keep them a little cooler and for even a more unique look!