Have you ever noticed how the sound of running water gets your attention? I have a water feature in my front yard that you can hear from the street and I’ve noticed how people walking by actually stop and say, “Do you hear that?” It is so soothing and inviting. When I bought my house it had a huge pond in the front, complete with a waterfall — except for the fact that it didn’t work nor was it likely to in the near future. We spent years trying to get it working and no matter what we did, it would not hold water. Once, when we thought it was working correctly, we ran down to the pond store and picked up a few shubunkins (fish) and put them in the pond. By the next morning they were history, thanks to the local herd of raccoons. Note to self: wait a bit on the fish.
After about five years, we finally gave up on trying to get the existing pond to work, so we bought a bathtub from the Rebuilding Center, filled in the existing pond with super rich soil, plunked the bathtub in the soil up to its rim, added a bubbler a statue and voila — we had a killer new smaller pond and very happy bog plants. The statue we chose is a very humorous Easter Island head and it cracks me up every time I look at it.
Does a water garden sound like too much? It can be something as simple as a standing pot with water plants. As much as you may love the idea of an in-ground water garden or a water fountain, perhaps you don’t have a backyard. Luckily, a water garden could easily work even in a small area like a balcony or a patio.
First pick out your container and make sure it is watertight. Either choose a pot with no drainage hole or plug it up and seal with a waterproof sealer. There is no shortage of great pots out there, so go to your favorite nursery and see what they have. Get a pot you love. If you are going to use a pump in your pot for a fountain or a bubbler, put the electrical cord through the drainage hole and then seal the pot, or carefully hide the cord coming off the back rim of the pot and disguise it with plant material. The size of your pond could vary from a small bowl to sit on a table to a large standing pot with a small bubbler.
Then choose your plants. I love water lilies and grasses. Try a crazy curly juncus grass for texture and visual interest. Look for plants that vary in size, texture, and form as well as a combination of edge, submerged, and floating plants. Get a few tall plants for the back of the pot and a floating plant or even a water lily and a few trailing plants to spill over the edge of the pot. I had a hibiscus in a water pot once, and it was amazing. Actually, the pot that my hibiscus was in stopped draining and turned into a water garden all on its own. How does that phrase go about making lemonade?
Use a rich soil in the bottom of the pot and load the soil down with a thick coat of gravel or pebbles, the slowly fill the rest of the pot with water and you have a water garden! If your pot does not have a fountain or a bubbler, be sure and change out the water every few weeks so mosquitoes don’t take over, or buy a product like a mosquito dunk to do the job for you.
Most garden centers in our area offer classes on how to create a water garden and they usually offer assistance to put it all together, from the pot to the plants to the pump. So if it seems too overwhelming on your own, call in the experts. My favorite is Farmington Gardens, but Al’s and Portland Nursery and Garden can all help you put together the perfect arrangement for your space. So off you go on a new project and have fun with it. Here’s to dirt under your nails!
JJ De Sousa is the owner of digs inside & out, located at 1829 NE Alberta, Portland, OR. She can be reached at jj@digs-pdx.com or 503-460-3447.
