Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

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Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
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Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

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252 chapter 6

CONTAINER

WATER GARDENS

Easy to make and maintain, containerized water

gardens hosting a small fountain or bubbler

bring the sound of moving water to the landscape

and create a small-scale habitat for birds, frogs,

dragonflies, and other aquatic creatures. You can

even put a few fish in your patio water garden—

they’ll eat the mosquito larvae and add another

element of interest.

Containerized water gardens can be simple or

complex, large or small. All you need is a container,

a few plants, and water. The upcoming project

takes building a patio water garden one step

further and includes instructions for making a

bamboo fountain to circulate the water in the pot.

At the end of the growing season, you have

several options for seeing your water garden

through the winter. The first is to completely drain

the pot and overwinter the plants indoors. Most

water plants can be placed in a tub of water in

a cool basement or garage for the winter, where

they’ll shift into dormancy. Another option is to

keep the water garden outdoors all winter long.

Hardy varieties of aquatic plants can be left in the

pot during the colder months, though you’ll need

a birdbath heater to keep the water from freezing

solid. If you plan to leave your container outdoors

all winter long, stick to plastic, acrylic, or other

frost-proof container materials for a longer life.

Turn the fountain off and move the pump indoors

until spring arrives.

Maintaining container water gardens is easy.

There’s no need to ever swap out the water in your

container; just top it off with collected rainwater

or de-chlorinated tap water as necessary

throughout the season. Mosquitoes seldom

become problematic as long as the water is being

circulated, but if they do become an issue, float

a round mosquito cake made from the biological

pesticide Bti (Bacillius thuringiensis va r. israelensis),

called a “mosquito dunk,” in the container. It will

Even the smallest container water garden serves as not harm plants, fish, or other aquatic life.

excellent habitat for frogs and other creatures.

Container water gardens can be made out of any type

of container, including the kitchen sink! This one uses

a re-circulating pump to send the water from the basin

back out through the faucet.

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Text Black

For this containerized water garden we used a glazed

ceramic pot, but any water-tight container will do.

Avoid porous pots, such as those made of unglazed

terracotta, as the water will quickly seep out of them

unless you take the time to apply a sealant. If you want

to build a water garden in a half whiskey barrel or

another container that may slowly leach water, line

the interior with a double layer of pond liner at least

10 mm thick before filling the container with water.

There are many different aquatic plants that grow

well in a containerized water garden. Select three

to four plants from the following list for your water

garden or head to your local nursery to see what they

have in stock.

• Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)


• Dwarf cattail (Typha minima)


• Dwarf papyrus (Cyperus haspans)


• Dwarf umbrella palm (Cyperus alternifolius)


• Water iris (Iris louisiana)


• Variegated sweetflag
  (Acorus calamus variegatus)


• Parrot’s feather (Myriophyllum aquatica)


• Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)


• Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)


• Water lilies (many species)


• Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera, N. lutea,
  and hybrids)


• Floating heart (Nymphoides peltata)


• Taro root (Colocasia spp.)

MATERIALS NEEDED

1 large non-porous container; this one

holds 30 gallons

1 tube silicone caulking

1 to 2-in. diameter bamboo stake; about 5

to 7 ft. long

2 plastic zip ties

1 roll jute twine

1 small submersible fountain or pond pump

with adjustable flow control (100 to 140

GPH; pumping height of 3 to 4 ft.)

3 to 4 ft. of flexible,^1 ⁄ 2 -in. clear poly tubing

Bricks or blocks to prop up plants

Rocks to weigh down pots

Decorative rocks for the container’s edge (if

desired)

3 to 4 aquatic plants from the list at left

TOOLS NEEDED

Caulk gun

Folding saw or bamboo saw

PATIO WATER

GARDEN WITH

BAMBOO

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

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Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

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