Introduce water to your garden and with it will come a little bit of magic. Wildlife – from pond skaters and dragonflies to newts and frogs – will soon appear as if from nowhere, and birdlife will proliferate. You might even wake up to find that a pair of passing ducks have settled in. As water is one of the basic elements of life, it seems somehow to complete a garden, however large or small. A still pool can bring a sense of calm, especially if there is an open expanse of water that reflects a portion of the sky, while the gentle gurgle or splash of a flowing fountain can add a soothing distraction from unwelcome noise elsewhere.
As water is one of the basic elements of life, it seems somehow to complete a garden
ANY WATERTIGHT POT OF A GOOD SIZE CAN BE TURNED INTO A MINI-POND. SURROUND IT WITH LUSH PLANTING TO INTEGRATE IT AND ADD ONE OR TWO AQUATIC PLANTS TO HELP KEEP THE WATER ALGAE-FREE
AN INFORMAL WILDLIFE POND CALLS FOR SOME CLEVER CAMOUFLAGING: IT IS ESSENTIAL TO MAKE THE EDGES LOOK AS NATURAL AS POSSIBLE AND TO DISGUISE THE BUTYL LINER REQUIRED TO MAKE IT WATERTIGHT. USE NATURAL STONE IF YOU CAN AND CREATE A BEACH EFFECT AT ONE SIDE WITH COBBLES AND/OR SMALL STONES AND GRAVEL
A STREAM (ABOVE) IS PERHAPS THE ULTIMATE WATER FEATURE IN A GARDEN. IF YOU ARE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE ONE, YOU CAN ENHANCE IT WITH CAREFULLY CHOSEN PLANTING ALONG ITS MARGINS. VARY THE LEAF SHAPES FOR CONTRAST, USING SWORD-LIKE PLANTS SUCH AS VARIEGATED Acorus gramineus AND WHITE OR BLUE Iris laevigata
AND YELLOW I. pseudacarus,
ALONGSIDE GLOSSY-LEAVED PICKEREL WEED Pontederia cordata, WHICH BEARS PALE BLUE FLOWER SPIKES
A LARGE CHINESE POT (LEFT) MAKES A SELF-CONTAINED POND IN A PARTIALLY SUNNY, SHELTERED SPOT, PROVIDED IT IS FROSTPROOF OR AT LEAST FLEECED WHEN A FREEZE IS EXPECTED. DWARF WATER LILIES ARE MOST SUITED TO THIS SIZE OF POT – TRY WHITE-FLOWERED Nymphaea tetragona, YELLOW N. ‘PYGMAEA HELVOLA’ OR APRICOT-ORANGE N. ‘AURORA’