Even if you garden on a small patio or a terrace, you can build a water garden appropriate to your site. Garden designer Mayita Dinos explains how to create an entire ecosystem in a pot. Everything needed to support aquatic life can be contained in a large pot. Incorporate floating plants to supply oxygen, plants such as the submersible canna for interest and algae control, snails to keep everything tidy and fish to control mosquitoes. Begin with a large container that has no drainage hole (figure A). Place the container where you want the finished pond to be: it would be very difficult to move once it's full of water. Fill the container with water, and let it stand for a day or two to allow chlorine to dissipate. Chlorine can harm fish and aquatic plants. Planting begins with a hardy water lily. Leave the plant in its original pot, and place it directly on the bottom of the water-filled container. Arrange the leaves so they're not tangled. Next, add a parrot feather (figure B), an oxygenator and an excellent choice for a small pond. If the plant is too low in the water, prop it up with a brick until the leaves just reach the surface of the water. As the plant grows, you can remove the brick. The plants will spread out and look natural after they've settled in for a week or two. The water may be murky until the mud settles. Dwarf papyrus (figure C) adds vertical interest to a pond. Floating plants such as water lettuce and water hyacinths add oxygen to the water with their dangling roots. Floating plants multiply quickly and could rapidly cover the surface of the water. As they spread, remove some and toss them into the compost pile, or share them with friends who are starting water gardens. Stop adding plants when 75 percent of the water's surface is covered with foliage. Algae needs sunlight to photosynthesize, so by limiting the amount of sunlight that reaches the bottom of the pond, you retard the growth of algae. Mosquito fish are small, plain fish that will eat mosquito larvae that hatch in your pond. Goldfish perform the same job and look pretty too, but they aren't as aggressive as mosquito fish. Include both types of fish to keep the pond free of pests. Aquatic snails will keep the sides and bottom of the water garden clean and free of dead plant material. A few days after planting, the water will clear up. It may cloud up again for a few days in the spring, but this is only temporary. Never completely change the water in your water garden -- just top off the pond with a hose to keep the level consistent. If leaves from nearby trees drop into the water garden, remove them daily.
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