Creating a container based water garden is a wonderful way to get your very own water garden started, without needing much space at all to do it in. It's also easy, quick, and fairly inexpensive to create as well.
By Esmee McCornall
Container water gardens can be made as small or large as you'd like them to be, but keep in mind that the larger your garden is, the more space you'll need for the water garden container to be placed. On the opposite end of the equation though, if you create your water garden too small, you won't have much room for some of the gorgeous water loving plants you'll start finding out about.
Many people create container water gardens in half barrel sized gardening containers, because these are readily available at most discount department stores. Often they come with a liner included too, which is something you'll need for creating your water garden. If the flower container you've chosen to use doesn't have a liner included though - and the container is also not waterproof - you'll need to buy a liner that will fit into that container you've chosen.
Now, water garden plants have their roots submerged below the surface of the water level even in a container garden, so they need special soil that works well in that wet environment. The plants you buy will often come in that soil already, but you'll usually need to buy some sort of pebbles or peat moss that will be placed on top of the soil before you submerge your plants. This material will help hold the soil in place instead of letting it float out into the main water area of your garden.
Water loving plants
Once you've chosen a container and liner to create your new water garden in, place it where you'd like it to reside because it will be heavy once you've gotten the garden created. Put the liner into your container according to instructions, then fill it up with a water hose. Let that sit for at least twenty four hours or so, to be sure that there are no leaks. This sitting time also allows the chlorine to evaporate from the water too.
The next step is to create "shelves" on the bottom of your container. Stack pieces of bricks on top of each other, or turn an old plastic garden container upside down and put a brick on it to keep it from floating up to the top. The stacks of bricks and containers are what your new water loving plants will sit on to make sure they're at the growing height they need.
Varying heights and sizes
Some water loving plants will need to have their leaves only at the surface of the water, and the rest of the plant will be fully submerged. Other water garden plants however, need to have their soil base at the surface of the water instead, so you'll need to sit those plants onto some type of shelf or raised surface.
Your new water garden will also be much more interesting if the plants are not all the same height. When you choose plants for your garden for instance, try getting one which may grow two to three feet tall at maturity, and one that only grows a foot or so. Then get one which floats on the surface of the water, and another which will cascade over the side of your water garden container too. These varying heights and sizes will make the garden much more attractive and appealing.
Once you have your container and shelves ready, now you simply need to put a bit of pebbles or peat moss into the top of each plant container that you'll be putting into the garden, then submerge the container into the water and sit it on the shelf you created for it.
Once you have all your new plants in place, you now have a beautiful self contained water garden to enjoy to your heart's content!
By Esmee McCornall
Container water gardens can be made as small or large as you'd like them to be, but keep in mind that the larger your garden is, the more space you'll need for the water garden container to be placed. On the opposite end of the equation though, if you create your water garden too small, you won't have much room for some of the gorgeous water loving plants you'll start finding out about.
Many people create container water gardens in half barrel sized gardening containers, because these are readily available at most discount department stores. Often they come with a liner included too, which is something you'll need for creating your water garden. If the flower container you've chosen to use doesn't have a liner included though - and the container is also not waterproof - you'll need to buy a liner that will fit into that container you've chosen.
Now, water garden plants have their roots submerged below the surface of the water level even in a container garden, so they need special soil that works well in that wet environment. The plants you buy will often come in that soil already, but you'll usually need to buy some sort of pebbles or peat moss that will be placed on top of the soil before you submerge your plants. This material will help hold the soil in place instead of letting it float out into the main water area of your garden.
Water loving plants
Once you've chosen a container and liner to create your new water garden in, place it where you'd like it to reside because it will be heavy once you've gotten the garden created. Put the liner into your container according to instructions, then fill it up with a water hose. Let that sit for at least twenty four hours or so, to be sure that there are no leaks. This sitting time also allows the chlorine to evaporate from the water too.
The next step is to create "shelves" on the bottom of your container. Stack pieces of bricks on top of each other, or turn an old plastic garden container upside down and put a brick on it to keep it from floating up to the top. The stacks of bricks and containers are what your new water loving plants will sit on to make sure they're at the growing height they need.
Varying heights and sizes
Some water loving plants will need to have their leaves only at the surface of the water, and the rest of the plant will be fully submerged. Other water garden plants however, need to have their soil base at the surface of the water instead, so you'll need to sit those plants onto some type of shelf or raised surface.
Your new water garden will also be much more interesting if the plants are not all the same height. When you choose plants for your garden for instance, try getting one which may grow two to three feet tall at maturity, and one that only grows a foot or so. Then get one which floats on the surface of the water, and another which will cascade over the side of your water garden container too. These varying heights and sizes will make the garden much more attractive and appealing.
Once you have your container and shelves ready, now you simply need to put a bit of pebbles or peat moss into the top of each plant container that you'll be putting into the garden, then submerge the container into the water and sit it on the shelf you created for it.
Once you have all your new plants in place, you now have a beautiful self contained water garden to enjoy to your heart's content!
How To Create a Beautiful Container Water Garden
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