DIY Water Garden

Make your yard an everyday escape with a water feature. Dedicate a weekend to the job, and enjoy this peaceful spot well into the fall.

Photography by Brian Francis

Getting Started

Easy-to-install preformed ponds (#56569) take the guesswork out of creating a water garden—you just have to decide where to situate it. Because water gardens lure wildlife, you’ll want to position yours where you can observe birds, butterflies, frogs, and other critters. You can enhance the area with a paver path (Portage, tan/charcoal, #59765) and comfy seating (Great American Woodies, cedar glider, #89372).

Planting for the Pond

planting for the pond Cleverly placed plants can help blend a water feature into the surrounding landscape.

Around the Pond

Tropical beauties such as ginger, bird of paradise, croton, and cast-iron plant are great additions for landscapes in warmer regions. Grow tropicals in pots in colder zones so you can shelter them through the winter.

Shrubs and small trees will add year-round interest. Laceleaf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’), Encore azalea (Rhododendron Encore Series), contorted filbert (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’), and Tatarian dogwood (Cornus alba) dress up a water garden with a multiseasonal show. Ornamental grasses weave texture and movement into a pondscape in every season, and the soft rustling sound they produce in the wind can enhance the sensory experience.

Annuals provide continuous color; add a few bulbs for a spring show. Most bulbs prefer well-drained soil, so keep traditional choices such as tulips and daffodils well away from bog or splash zones. For damp spots, plant bulbs of snowflake (Leucojum selections), checkered lily (Fritillaria meleagris), or camassia (Camassia selections).

Ground covers will grow over and among rocks, making walls and pavers look as if they’ve always been there. Consider dwarf mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus), cape jasmine (Gardenia jasminoides ‘Radicans’), cheddar pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus), creeping sedum (Sedum selections), or autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora). Mulch the plants and keep them watered (until the ground freezes, in cold zones).

In and Along the Water

Aquatic plants play a key role in a pond’s natural filtration system, removing wastes from water and, in some cases, releasing oxygen. Plants with large floating leaves, such as water lily, shade the water surface, helping to control algae. Floating plants (for example, water lettuce and water poppy) absorb wastes and provide protection for young fish.

Marginal or bog plants can soften the transition from water to rocks and surrounding landscape. Marginals thrive in water up to 8 inches deep and include variegated sweet flag (Acorus calamus ‘Variegatus’), corkscrew rush (Juncus effusus ‘Spiralis’), and dwarf cattail (Typha minima). If you use a preformed liner, grow marginals in submerged pots filled with aquatic plant soil (#230217).

Pond Liner Options

pond liner options Water gardens offer almost countless variations in style, shape, and size, and the backyard gardener can make a water garden project as simple or as complex as desired. Easy-to-install preformed liners are available in a variety of shapes, including a cascading waterfall (#78283), while flexible liners allow for creative and unusual configurations. Robust plants such as grasses or ferns will help disguise the liner, or you can camouflage it by strategically placing flat rocks over the edges to create a 1-inch overhang.

For all your questions regarding water gardens, Lowes.com provides an extensive and helpful step-by-step explanation covering everything from the materials needed to the number of fish your pond can sustain. To access these tips, click here.

Good To Know

If you have young children, choose a liner with a shallow water depth, especially around the edges, and strategically place boulders to create a barrier. Never leave children unattended around any water feature.

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