|
Before the word water garden was even used, lots of these miniature aquatic features were already present in large parts of Europe and Asia. Castles, manors, and even cottages already had fountains as staple highlights. Ponds filled with koi and water lilies were already part of home building in China and Japan. Water garden design is not actually a recent thing. It’s one of the oldest and classic design aesthetics there is. In fact, early in the 16th century, water garden design was already established.
Water garden design actually involves the use of an aquatic feature as the focal point of a space. This feature need not be too large. It can range from container to man-made and natural ponds, and even to rivers and lake. Space is not an important feat. So long as a water feature is present combined with aquatic flora and fauna and accessorized with items such as rocks, statuaries, and watercourses to add depth and interest, water garden design need not be complicated.
The addition of aquatic flora and fauna is important in water garden design for these living beings are the elements that give character to a water garden. Plants can be of three types: submerged, floating, and marginal. Submerged plants like the water lily and the hornwort are the plants that grow completely underwater though some may produce leaves and flowers on the surface. In man-made ponds, these plants are usually placed a feet or two below the water surface. Floating plants, on the other hand, are free-moving types that remain on the surface of the water. In water garden design, these are mainly added to reduce the growth of algae. Famous floating flora are water hyacinth, water lettuce, water spangle, and mosquito ferns. You should check your area though because some of these plants are prohibited to be grown in certain parts of the country. Marginal plants or those that are half-submerged usually have their roots underwater and the rest of the plant on the surface. Iris, cattail, and water crowfoot are some examples. Fish is a staple fauna in water garden design. The most famous are different species of goldfish and koi but other types like eel, catfish, blue gill, carp, bass and mosquito fish can be used. For a more daring water garden design, homeowners can opt to go with amphibians and reptiles such as snails, frogs, salamanders, and turtles.
To add visual interest to a water garden design, you can use attractive stones to disrupt the flow of water or even build watercourses and waterfalls.
Water garden design is all about putting life to an otherwise plain water feature. Choosing the right flora and fauna that can match the local environment can give your water garden a natural and effortless beauty.
|
Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about water gardening and gardening articles at GreenThumbArticles.com!
Didn't really find what you were looking for?
|
|
|
| |
|
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](images/rss.gif "Subscribe to our XML Feed for RSS")
(Read 500+ times)
