Water Gardens Gain Popularity

GREENVILLE, Va. – If you want to spend more time with the birds and the bees, build a water garden. Planning to set aside a place for contemplation and relaxation? Build it around a water garden.

If you like the sound of a stream, design it into a water garden.

Just in case you haven’t figured it out yet, water features enrich your home in a great variety of ways.

“Few landscape features are so versatile,” says Keith Folsom, president of Springdale Water Gardens near Greenville, at the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley. “That can mean reflecting pools or fountains and waterfalls. You can put in formal (water) gardens or use designs mimicking and miniaturizing nature. People come here for incredibly varied reasons.”

Folsom’s company specializes in the retail, wholesale and mail order side of the business. He has built dozens of water gardens over the course of his 24-year career but prefers teaching people how to build their own.

Residential water gardens began growing in popularity about a decade ago. Fountains, overflowing barrels, statuaries and flower-fringed ponds have become commonplace in condominium courtyards, on suburban decks or around ranches and farmyards.

An estimated 16 million American households, or 15 percent, have built water gardens of one kind or another, the National Gardening Association says. Total water gardening retail sales for 2003 approached $1.56 billion.

“The water gardening category continues to be one of the fastest growing lawn and garden categories seen over the past five years,” says Bruce Butterfield, the association’s research director.

Aside from their artistic value, water features offer homeowners a hefty payback. Landscaping properly done – especially a theme garden – adds anywhere from 7 percent to 15 percent or more to the value of your home, realtors say.

Many water gardeners already are moving into Phase 2. They’re expanding or going in the opposite direction – installing something smaller, like a bog garden or sculptural fountain, Folsom says.

“People are going from a relatively small pond – like a puddle nowadays – to 1,000 gallons or larger,” he says. “That compares with just a couple hundred gallons a few years ago.”

Some gardeners may be reworking their pond because they chose the wrong location. Perhaps it’s too near some trees, which requires a lot of leaf skimming, or it’s too far from where they spend the bulk of their outdoor time.
Maybe they want more diversity in fish and flowers, or they may have tired of the constant cleanup required of a smaller pool.

Self-sustaining gardens are in, meaning bigger is definitely better, Folsom says.
“Bigger requires less per-square-foot maintenance,” he notes. “You can grow bigger and better kinds of beneficial bacteria. That helps make the pond fully self-sustaining. More water means a more constant water temperature. That helps it stay cool and clear and that's what people are after.”

Like any other major landscaping project, plan long and hard before installing your water features.

“People tend to do things in reverse,” Folsom says. “They tend to want to plant to the garden they built rather than build to the kinds of plants they want. If you want deepwater thalias, then build to that.”

Water gardens should be at least 18 to 24 inches deep, he says. That, along with a good heater and pump, should see your plants and fish survive chill winters. “Take it three feet or more if you want koi.”

Koi are colorful fish often seen in Asian ponds. They can grow to a couple of feet in length and live well over 70 years. It isn’t uncommon for Japanese families to pass their koi along from generation to generation.

“People tend to look at fish more as pets and fun, but they’re necessary in a pond. They’re good for insect control. They provide beneficial bacteria to the water. And they contribute to the food chain with their waste.”

If predation becomes a problem, consider going with less expensive fish. That could mean choosing goldfish, fantails or Shubunkin. Those range in price from $2.50 apiece – depending upon their size – to nearly $20 each for premium koi.

Folsom recommends stocking no more than one fish for every eight gallons of water.

Water gardens make more than a visual impact. The sound of running water is soothing, and attracts a variety of wildlife.

“Moving water is background music in a sense,” Folsom says. “People can hide something they don’t want to hear, like road noise.”

There are many extras people can add to their ponds if they’re looking to upgrade. “Better filtration. More water. They also can move up to larger pumps and larger flow rates,” Folsom says.

But he recommends that first-timers keep things simple. “Don’t get caught up in those extras until you’re ready to get into the second generation.”

Source: Associated Press