How Build a Wood Water Garden

Wooden half whiskey barrels are a popular container for patio water gardens.

Container gardens are a popular method of water gardening in places where space will not permit an in-ground garden, such as on a deck or patio. A container garden is similar to an aquarium in that the garden is a careful balance of plants, water and fish. One popular method for gardening in containers is to use a half whiskey barrel. A half barrel is more portable than an in-ground water feature. Additionally, a half barrel provides a very rustic look to your deck or patio.

Things You'll Need

• Half whiskey barrel
• PVC liner
• Measuring tape
• Utility knife
• Carpenter's staples
• Carpenter's staple gun
• Screw driver
• Garden hose
• Net water gardening containers
• Aquatic plant soil
• Bricks
• Aquatic plants
• Sand
• Mosquito fish or guppies
• Snails

Instructions

1. Measure the width of the lip of a half whisky barrel. Cut a PVC liner so that it is twice as wide in diameter as the whisky barrel's mouth.

2. Insert the liner into the half whisky barrel. Staple the liner to the inner lip of the barrel with a carpenter's staple gun.

3. Fill the barrel with water from a garden hose. Smooth the PVC liner by pulling any wrinkles taut as the barrel fills with water. Pry loose the liner at the top by pulling the staples free with a screw driver and then re-stapling them once you have smoothed out the wrinkles.

4. Allow the water to sit for 48 hours before adding plants. This will give any chlorine in the water time to dissipate.

5. Select plants for your water garden based on the size of the barrel. Good plants for whiskey barrel water gardens include marginals such as bulrushes, floating plants such as dwarf lilies or water lotus and submerged oxygenator plants such as parrot feather. Plant the rhizomes of marginals and floating plants by filling a net pot with aquatic soil. Place the rhizome on the surface of the soil and cover with sand or pea gravel. Place the pots at their proper depth in the whiskey barrel. Prop shallow rooted plants up at their proper depth by placing them onto bricks in the barrel.

6. Add small fish such as mosquito fish or guppies and snails five to six weeks after stocking the water barrel with water. The fish will eat mosquitoes or other insects that lay eggs in the water, while the snails will consume algae and fish wastes. Use 1 to 2 inches of fish length per every square foot of water surface.

Tips & Warnings

• Any size barrel or wooden container will make a good water garden as long as it will hold at least 4 gallons of water.

References

• Texas A&M University Extension: Construction of Barrel Water Gardens
• University of Minnesota Extension: Container Water Gardening
• Texas A&M University Extension: Design Consideration

Resources

• Mississippi State University Extension: Creating Water Features in the Landscape