How to Create a Backyard Water Feature
Small backyards can have the beauty of a water feature without the fuss of pumps, filters and electrical conduits. Making a bog garden takes two days, and maintaining the garden only requires topping off the water and moving the plants inside during winter in harsh climates. As a result of water gardening's popularity, more water plants are available at local garden centers and nurseries. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 1 glazed pottery garden planter, 24 inches in diameter and 12 inches deep
- Oil-based polyurethane
- Duct tape
- Pond sealant
- Matching glazed planter, 18 inches in diameter and 14 to 16 inches deep
- Smooth pebbles
- Small piece of wire mesh
- Gravel
- 1 Canna 'Tropicana'
- 1 Colocasia affinis 'Jenningsii'
- 1 Red Dragon rice plant
- 2 small water hyacinth plants
- Pruning shears or tin snips
Instructions
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Preparing the Large Container
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1
Paint the inside of the large container with oil-based polyurethane. Paint on two to three coats, letting it dry according to the manufacturer's directions between coats. Turn the container upside down and tape a piece of duct tape over each drainage hole. The tape will keep the pond sealant, used in the next step, from bonding the container to a surface while it's curing.
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2
Turn the container right side up and place it on a level, flat surface. Fill the drainage holes with a pond sealant that will cure underwater and bond to ceramic and stone surfaces.The duct tape does not have to be removed.
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3
Level the spot where the water feature will sit. Move the container to the spot it will occupy after the sealant has cured. Fill one-third of the pot with water and check for leakage. If there is a leak, drain the water and reseal the leaky hole.
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4
Add gravel to the container carefully, filling it halfway. Use smooth tumbled gravel or ornamental small pebbles for their look. Aquarium gravel in a natural color mix that complements the container color could also be used.
Planting the Small Container
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5
Carry the plants and tall pot to the large outer container. Cover the drain hole in the taller pot with a small piece of wire mesh. Put a 2-inch layer of gravel in the bottom of the pot. Make a small mound of potting soil in the bottom of the pot on top of the gravel.
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6
Remove the bog plants from their nursery pots by cutting away the pots with pruning shears or heavy tin snips. Cut off any circling or broken roots.
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7
Set the tallest plant, the canna, in the pot toward the back. Make sure the crown of the plant (the top of its soil ball where it meets the stem) is 3 inches below the lip of the pot. Set the colocasia and the Red Dragon rice plant in the pot. Bring their crowns up to the level of the canna by mounding potting soil under them.
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8
When all plants have the tops of their root balls at the same height, fill around them with potting soil. Firm the soil by hand as you go. Put a 1-inch layer of smooth decorative pebbles on top of the soil around the plant stems to preserve moisture.
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9
Center the tall pot inside the shorter one. Add water to the outside container to within 1 inch of the lip. Put the two small water hyacinths in the water of the outer pot. Check in one hour for leakage.
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10
Top off the water in the lower pot the following day. The inner container's soil will soak up water till it becomes waterlogged. Check the lower container every few days and top off water as needed.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If the large container has several small drain holes plug them by using corks. The corks will swell when water is added making a tight seal.
Bog plants need at least four hours of sun a day, so site your water feature where it will get at least four to 6 hours of sun.
Floaters, like water hyacinth, are sold in plastic bags. To hold them over for a day, set the bags in a bowl and open the tops for aeration.
Do not dispose of unwanted plants by putting them in local lakes or streams. Many easy to grow aquarium and container garden plants are noxious weeds in the wild.
Avoid watering the inner container. Adding water there will cause it to leach into the bigger container.
Spotting mosquito larvae means you will need to buy a mosquito dunk safe for pond use. Do not leave larvae to mature.
