Water being an elixir of life attracts bees, birds, butterflies, dragonflies and other insects too. Presence of these features makes a water body an instant focal point.
Water features for compact spaces:
Water garden: Basically water gardens are containers filled with water in which aquatic plants are grown. You could create your water garden by using a tub, bathtub, glass bowl, ceramic planters or wooden barrels with plastic liners.
Believe it or not, you could create a small-space water garden in a few hours. Wish to know how?
- Take a large and strong ceramic container with no drainage holes.
- Fill it with pea gravel to help the plant containers stay at the bottom.
- Plant a mix of aquatic and bog plants.
- Use bricks to raise plants a little from the bottom.
- You can add fishes to keep a check on the mosquitoes. Before adding the fishes de-chlorinate the water, and let it settle in the pot for about a week.
- If the pot isn’t sealed from inside, paint it with pond sealant and leave it to dry overnight.
1. Freestanding and wall fountains:
Water gardens make a perfect accessory for a balcony. Easy to install and extremely beautiful, these freestanding and wall fountains can be permanent or temporary, simple or intricates, small or large.
The most common form of a freestanding fountain at home is the cement one. However, there are many creative ones like bubbling urns, watering cans, graduating bowls, and cylinders. Another elegant form of fountains is - Wall fountains.
Water trickling down from a wall is truly mystical. For wall fountains, you could opt for a forced water design or a disappearing water scheme.
2. Small Ponds:
Arrangement of a small pond would compliment your mini yard perfectly. You could use a prefabricated line to create one. If you would like to incorporate ready-made ponds with unique shapes, then do not forget to disguise its edges with rocks, soil, and plants.
You could build a pond too. Dig the desired shape in your garden, line it with a plastic liner and get set go. Choose a location that receives ample sunlight. Do not fabricate your pond under trees, because the leaves will contaminate it and hamper the aquatic life.
3. Birdbaths:
This is the quickest way to add a water feature to your garden. You could choose from an array of gorgeously made bird baths available in ceramic stone, glass, copper, cement or ceramic tiles.
Birds, bees, butterflies and various critters would love a shallow birdbath so that it is easier for the creatures to get in and out without being trapped. To keep your feathered friends happy, incorporate a dripping or sprinkling bird bath and do not forget to keep the water clean. You may like to read about how to attract birds in your garden.
Choosing plants for water garden:
1. Aquatic plants for water gardens:
Choose aquatic plants for your water garden as they stay afloat. They also help in controlling the algae population by shading the water from the sun.
3 Floating Plants for your garden water feature are:
- Water Lily
- Floating Heart
- Fairy Moss
2. The second variety of plants you could select are Marginal Plants.
These plant varieties grow along the edge of a water body in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are known as marginal plants because, they lie between plants that grow near water and true aquatic species.
Three Marginal Plants for your garden are:
- Sweet Flag
- Water Snowflake
- Umbrella Palm
3. The third variety of plants are Submerged Plants
Also known as “Oxygenators” these plants absorb carbon-dioxide at night and release oxygen. They leach out excess nutrients from the water and prevent algae build-up.
Three Submerged Plants for your garden water feature are:
- Water Violet
- Willow Moss
- Parrot’s Feather
Fishes for water gardens
The three fish varieties that you could add to your water garden are:
- Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) - Peaceful, easy to care, and consume insect larvae. These also keep the algae build-up in check.
- Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) - Peaceful, easy to care, and consume bugs and insect larvae.
- Goldfish (Carassius auratus) - Peaceful, need moderate care and consume tiny insects, aquatic plants, and algae.
Do you have a stunning water feature in your small garden? Share pictures in the comments section below.
