Water gardens promote a sense of serenity and also help oxygenate the air. Sharon Lovejoy, author of Hollyhock Days: Garden Adventures for the Young at Heart (Interweave Press, 1994), explains how to bring a simple water garden indoors. Place your indoor water garden in a sunny area such as a sun porch or an enclosed patio. The "pond" will consist of grasses under the surface, floating plants on the surface, fish and aquatic snails (figure A), which work as a cleaning crew, removing algae from the water. To keep algae growth down, experts also recommend that 70 percent of the water be covered by plants, which deprive algae of the sunlight it needs to grow. It's not difficult to create a small indoor water garden. Container choices include crockery, a large plastic pot, a galvanized washtub and a large wooden wine barrel (figure B). Anything that holds water will work. If you plan to use a wine barrel, season it by filling it with water, letting it sit in the sun for a week, then emptying the water. This process will help eliminate chemicals used in the winemaking process. You'll need concrete blocks or bricks to raise aquatic plants to the correct height (figure C). Place bricks in the bottom of the container, and add water. Before adding plants, use a dechlorinator or allow the water to stand overnight so the chlorine will dissipate. Aquatic plants are potted with a heavy mixture of sand and clay that won't float away when the plants are submerged. Set plants on the bricks so the tops of their containers are under the surface of the water. Adjust the bricks as needed. Add submerged grasses after placing the container plants. Once the pond has mellowed for a week, add snails and a few fish. Maintenance is easy. You don't have to remove the water and clean the pond--its miniature ecosystem should do the work for you. Just keep the water level topped off.
RESOURCES :
Hollyhock Days : Garden Adventures for the Young at Heart
Model: 0934026904
Author: Sharon Lovejoy
Interweave Press
September 1994
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