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| GARDEN ARTISANS NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2008 |
| When I think of August, the first words that come to mind are "hot," "humid," and "beach," primarily because the beach is where I'd rather be than the sweltering summers of Washington, DC. If a relaxing beach vacation isn't on your calendar this month, try testing the temperatures with a low-maintenance container water garden instead! Lying in your new eucalyptus furniture with your eyes closed, a toe in the water, and a refreshing drink in hand, you might just forget you're only in your backyard. |
| Container Water Gardening |
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Container Water Gardening
| When I was in high school, my mom installed a pretty significant water garden into our backyard, equipped
with goldfish, water lilies, and a mini-waterfall cascading into the pond below. The new addition made for
pleasant evenings as we listened to the cascading water over dinner, yet I often found her slaving away at
the water garden, trying to find the source of her latest leak, removing the algae, or fishing out the fallen
leaves in autumn. Mom never complained, but this added work often made me wonder whether the new garden was
worth its benefits. Even though I now realize steps could have been taken to decrease the maintenance --
such as securing a tighter seal along the edges, using a thicker liner, or covering the garden in the fall
with a fine mesh to catch the leaves -- I'm still partial to the easier alternative: water gardens in containers.
Mom's opinion, on the other hand? "If I had to do it over again, I would make the pond even bigger!"
Choosing the Container
Container water gardens make for a cool respite to hot summer days, without the added maintenance required of in-ground
water gardens.
And when the temperatures turn chilly, the ambience can often be transported indoors during the winter without much fuss, saving the extra expense of buying new plants the next spring. Many mediums will serve as a fine container, including watering troughs, barrels, ornamental containers, or even a bathtub. For an elegant effect, try an Orinoco Bowl from Garden Artisans, with different sizes and colors to coordinate with your plantings and other garden features. Our Montana Bowl is a more contemporary alternative for a shallower water garden, also in an assortment of earth-tone colors. I like to mix and match with several containers, creating a dramatic statement with various colors, sizes, and styles. One of the most common mistakes made with water gardens is overplanting. A good rule of thumb is to plant approximately
two-thirds of your water garden with plants, leaving the rest as open-water to allow good air flow and minimize plant disease.
Another critical component is proper placing of the water garden; in order to ensure minimal algae growth and healthy plants,
position your container garden so that it receives at least six hours of sun per day.
When it comes to water gardens, there are three common classifications to describe water loving plants: 1. Submerged/Oxygenating Plants - Roots can either be in soil or free-floating , with the entire plant most often completely submerged. 2. Marginal/Bog Plants - With a small portion of the plant above, or to the surface, of the water, marginal or bog plants tend to keep their roots and lower portions submerged. 3. Surface Plants - These plants have roots in soil, with long stems extending to, or through, the surface of the
water.
Below is a list of plants ideal for wet environments. For variety, depth, and overall health of the water garden, I like to choose at least one plant per category when designing water gardens.
Submerged Plants:
Marginal Plants:
Surface Plants:
| Sincerely,
Courtney Capstack Garden Artisans
About the Author
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Courtney Capstack is a trained horticulturist from Virginia Tech. Courtney has worked at the Chicago Botanic Garden and as a volunteer at the Hahn Horticulture Garden. Courtney currently works at the American Horticultural Society in Alexandria, Virginia.
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