A garden with a pond is complete

Water is the elixir of life for all the living beings. Apart from being the basic sustenance factor for greenery, water can also shelter various kinds of beautiful plant-life. Those who have seen and experienced the splendour of the aquatic greenery will vouch for the same. Apart from nurturing plants, water bodies complementing the home garden will offer a diversified landscape and relief to the eye.

Water bodies in the garden may include fountains, artificial waterfalls, or small ponds, all rendered more elegant if decorated with pebbles, rocks, and lighting. Apart from plants, they can also have fish, snails and other small creatures, sharing a symbiotic relationship with plants.

Choosing the appropriate spot could be the trickiest job while venturing to have an aquatic garden. Almost all the water plants need good amount of sunlight to live and hence, the spot should be exposed to sun at least for five to seven hours in a day. And also, care should be taken to see that the pond does not fall into the shade of any tree or undergrowth.

“The pond could be natural, dug up in the ground and equipped with perennial source of water. In such case, there will not be a need for pots. In case there is no such naturally viable spot, one can build a concrete one or use a plastic tub. One can even dig up sufficiently and cover the area with thick plastic sheets to hold water. In any case, one should use only fresh water and not saline water,” informs an official from Buddha Purnima Project Authority.
Variety of plants

The number of aquatic plants one can display obviously depends on the space available. However, one should be cautious to fill only 50 to 60 per cent of the surface with plants, so as to avoid cluttering.

Aquatic plants can be of many types depending on their growth specifications. Prominent among them are floating, partly emerging, marginal, and submerged.

Floating plants, as their name suggests, float about in water and do not require root penetration for survival. Most of them have weed-like growth and hence, need to be restricted manually. Water hyacinth and Pistea are the best example of the floating plants. Partly emerging plants are the ones that have their roots entrenched in soil, while the leaves and inflorescence are above water. They offer a beautiful sight to behold. Water lilies and lotuses are examples of the partly emerging plants.

Emergent plants, in some cases, could be taller and have their stems visible above the water. Submerged plants are the ones that remain beneath the water surface. Mostly aquarium plants, they do not offer much visual appeal, yet are instrumental in curbing algae growth by consuming excessive nutrients. They also produce oxygen during daytime and are known as Oxygenators.

Trees such as Salix babylonica, Barringtonia and Bottle Brush varieties can be planted on the edges of the pond by virtue of their tolerance to water logging. These are known as marginal plants and include palms such as Nipah (Nypa) fruiticans and Ravenea palms.
Useful tips

While natural ponds can have the plants in the soil, pots could be used to accommodate the same in the concrete ones and plastic tubs. Alternatively, the container may be half-filled with soil.

“Heavy soil should be used for the aquatic plants with choice mix of horse manure or chicken manure. Algae should be removed from time to time. Periodical replenishment of water is must,” informs the official.

Those desiring a mix of partly emergent and emergent plants may use pots fixed atop a perch (bricks or inverted pots) as per convenience. One can also use ornamental fish to clear the algae. They will prove to be an effective deterrent to insects and mosquito larvae.