No two gardens or gardeners are the same, and gardens change from one year to the next. Planning can be as simple as looking through garden magazines and books, reviewing nursery catalogues or visiting web-sites. That 6 inches of garden soil around your house holds tremendous potential for perennials, annuals, bulbs, trees and shrubs. Imagine your pleasure and surprise.

The Gardening Season

Ideally, gardens should change from month to month and year to year and the planning can be overwhelming. Start with the soil. Amend your existing garden soil to provide organic material and water drainage. Select plant material that will suit the individual site: sunny, shady, wet, dry or a combination of conditions. Prepare or select your gardening tools. You can start with a wheelbarrow, spade, rake, trowel and water hose.

Get your questions answered and gardening advice from other gardeners you know. Gardeners love to talk about gardening. Even the smallest of gardens can be a source of great pleasure and satisfaction in today’s busy world of work, home and family. And don’t forget those patio and balcony containers. Prepare them to receive colorful annuals, perennials and foliage plants.

Gardening doesn’t have to be a big chore if you plan early. Warmer weather is coming. At last!

Determine your water garden’s function, and think about the contours of your land. A natural depression near your patio, for example, might suggest an informally shaped pool that would complement a nearby flower border. Consider likely reflections from all angles, and study possible views from the house, deck, and other parts of the garden. A water feature located close to your summer sitting area or well-used areas of your home will stretch your enjoyment throughout the seasons.

Think through what you want before you choose the location.

- Will you want plants that are ardent sun-worshipers?
- Do you want moving water?
- Is there electricity nearby so you can readily run a line for a pump?

Size depends on existing vegetation and the lay of the land as well as the water feature’s proportion to other elements in the landscape. The water’s surface area is only half the issue. You will be constructing a backdrop and side-drop of plant materials that will give it a much greater sense of depth.

You may come up with half a dozen equally good designs. Make sketches of different types and shapes of water features for the area you’ve chosen, and outline your ideas with a hose or string. If you don’t trust your design capabilities, call a nursery that does installations, and ask whether the staff designer can take a look at your plans. He or she may also be willing to do an on-site consultation for a small fee.

Site your little oasis in at least half-day sun, away from trees that shed heavily and other producers of falling fruit and seed pods: you’ll have to skim leaves from the water’s surface and fish out any debris. And, of course, you’ll need to make any necessary corrections so that sloped terrain doesn’t carry waves of silt into the pond during heavy rains.

Check with local authorities for any restrictions on the depth of unfenced water features. After digging the hole, make sure the area is free of rocks and sharp objects that could puncture the liner. Use sand beneath the rubber for extra padding so that you can work in the dry pond without puncturing it.

Selecting plants. Every water garden needs a balance of floating and submerged plants. Floaters vary according to planting depth and how much surface area of water they need. Roughly half a pond’s surface should be covered with plants. Submerged plants such as Washington grass (Cabomba caroliniana) and wild celery (Vallisneria americana) are invaluable as water filters.

Water lilies (Nymphaea). These luxuriant flowers are skirted by beautiful, broad-leaved, often mottled foliage that provides shade and cover for fish. Water lilies need calm water, and most require at least four to six hours of sun a day.

Blossoms of hardy varieties float on the surface, opening in the morning and closing by mid- to late afternoon. Cultivars come in white, pink, salmon, red and yellow, and fully double forms resemble peonies. Hardy water lilies can overwinter even in Zone 3 if the rootstock stays below the ice.

Tropical water lilies are grown as tender annuals in Zones 3-9 but can overwinter in Zones 10-11. Often heavily fragrant, the blossoms stand well above the surface of the water. Night-blooming tropicals open in the evening and close by midmorning; day bloomers usually open by midmorning and close by mid- to late afternoon. Tropicals bloom larger, brighter, and more profusely than hardy water lilies, and some come in nearly mystical shades of blue and lavender.

The delicate foliage of floaters such as the four-leaf water clover (Marsilea mutica) and floating fern (Ceratopteris pteridoides) add variety and texture to the water’s surface.

Lotus (Nelumbo). Symbol of the sacred for Hindus, this magnificent plant produces huge, fragrant blossoms in shades of pink, coral, white, red, yellow and muted combinations. The flowers bloom on stalks that soar from one to three feet above the water’s surface. The aerial leaves are round platters one to two feet across. Smaller varieties with relatively little spread are also available. This aggressive plant would soon take over an earth-bottom pond but does well in containers too. Lotuses perform well as far north as Zone 4, except in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, where summer temperatures are too low for them to bloom.

Other marginal plants–those that need only two to 12 inches of water–include pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata), arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica), and white arrow arum (Peltandra alba).

Preserving your budget. A water garden needn’t break the bank. A 6- by 10-foot pond, including liner, pump, mechanical filter, plants and fish, needn’t cost you more than $700. You could spend a lot more, of course–cost increases with size–but you could also spend less.

Five steps to building a simple pond

Site your pond in a level, well-drained, sunny site away from shedding trees. Avoid low areas where puddling occurs or where erosion from higher elevations is possible. Dig the hole, sloping the edges to prevent cave-ins. Leave a shelf along the perimeter for marginal plants, or place them on upside-down pots or brick towers. Remove rocks, debris and roots.

To ensure that the water’s surface will be parallel to the plane of the pond, level the pond’s top edge by placing a board and a carpenter’s level across the hole. Correct any imbalances by leveling high spots, making sure that the rim remains higher than the surrounding terrain.

Add an inch of sand for cushioning on the bottom of the pond. To calculate liner size, add twice the pond’s depth, plus two feet for edging, to both the pond’s length and width. A 10- by 12-foot pond that’s two feet deep would thus require a 16- by 18-foot liner. Unfold the liner in the hole, and weight the edges temporarily with stones.

Fill with water. Trim the liner, leaving a 6- to 12-inch flap all the way around. Secure the liner by nailing the flap to the ground with six-inch nails. Edge the pond with rocks, bricks, or flat stones to conceal the flap and protect the liner from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
Pot aquatic plants in heavy soil in pans or tubs and place in the pond; use sand for potting submerged plants.

Wait a week or two before adding fish, snails, or other creatures. Be patient through the first flush of algae, which usually begins soon after filling. When the submerged plants and water lilies become established, they’ll keep the algae in check. Now sit back and enjoy.

Conserves soil moisture by reducing evaporation, and helps prevent erosion caused by rain and wind. Bare soil often gets a crust on it that prevents rain from penetrating easily.

Moderates soil temperatures. Keeps soil cooler in summer and helps to reduce the risk of damage to plant roots in winter.
Keeps soil from splashing onto leaves, which keeps plants looking neater and helps prevent soil-borne fungal diseases.
Organic mulch adds all-important humus to the soil as it decomposes, and keeps the top layer of soil loose and airy.
Garden mulching how-to:
Depth: All you do is just layer the stuff two inches to four inches deep over bare soil around your plants.
Just don’t put it right on top of perennials, and keep it from direct contact with the bark of trees and shrubs, as excess moisture right up against the bark can cause disease and rot.

When to apply:
Do your mulching in spring before hot weather comes and while annual and perennial plants are still small enough to work around easily.

How to protect plants:
If you happen to have a few spare one- or two-gallon nursery containers, put them over top of your plants and then you can shovel the material right onto the bed without worrying about covering your perennials. As for what to use, see your choices below.

Winter mulch:
This doesn’t actually keep plants warm, but maintains a more even soil temperature – a good thing in areas where winter brings alternate periods of freezing and thawing and where there isn’t enough snow cover to give plants a thick insulating blanket.

Organic mulch
- Bark or shredded wood chips
- Cocoa bean hulls
- Compost
- Grass clippings
- Fall leaves
- Straw
- Pine needles

Dry, sandy soil can be improved with plenty of organic matter, such as compost, peat moss or manure. Dig in the amendments to approximately 8 inches with a fork or spade.

Heavy clay soils need to be opened up by adding the organic matter, along with perlite or coarse sand for drainage.

- Avoid containers with narrow openings.
- Cheap plastic pots may deteriorate in UV sunlight and terracotta pots dry out rapidly. Glazed ceramic pots are excellent choices but require several drainage holes.
- Wooden containers are susceptible to rot. Redwood and cedar are relatively rot resistant and can be used without staining or painting. Avoid wood treated with creosote, penta or other toxic compounds since the vapors can damage the plants. One advantage of wooden containers is that they can be built to sizes and shapes that suit the location.

- Use containers between 15 and 120 quarts capacity. Small pots restrict the root area and dry out very quickly. The size and number of plants to be grown will determine the size of the container used. Deep rooted vegetables require deep pots.
Make sure your pot has adequate drainage. Holes should be 1/2 inch across. Line the base of the pot with newspaper to prevent soil loss.

- In hot climates use light-colored containers to lessen heat absorption and discourage uneven root growth.
Set containers on bricks or blocks to allow free drainage.
Line hanging baskets with sphagnum moss for water retention. Keep baskets away from afternoon sun.

- If you choose clay pots, remember that clay is porous and water is lost from the sides of the container. Plants in clay pots should be monitored closely for loss of moisture.
Growing Mixture

- Make sure your planting medium drains rapidly but retains enough moisture to keep the roots evenly moist. Your compost will make an excellent potting soil. Check the requirements of the plants you grow to determine whether you will need to add sand. If compost is not available, purchase a good quality potting mixture or make your own from equal parts of sand, loamy garden soil, and peat moss. Commercial potting mixes are usually slightly acidic, so you may want to add a little lime.

Most container gardeners have found that a “soilless” potting mix works best. In addition to draining quickly, “soilless” mixes are lightweight and free from soil- borne diseases and weed seeds. These mixes can be purchased from garden centers.

When you add your soil to your container, leave a 2 inch space between the top of the soil and the top of the container. You will be able to add 1/2 inch or so of mulch later.

Sunlight

Your container garden will need at least five hours of direct sunlight each day, and many plants will benefit from even more. As a general rule, leafy vegetables such as cabbage and lettuce can tolerate the most shade, while root crops such as beets and carrots will need more sun. Fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers need the most sun. The amount of sunlight needed by flowers varies depending on the varieties grown. Check the flower guides for sunlight requirements.

Fertilizer

Since potting mixes drain water rapidly, fertilizer will be washed out of the container as you water. Lighter mixes will require more frequent fertilizing than heavier mixes. It’s a good idea to use a dilute liquid fertilizer with every other watering. Liquid fish emulsion or liquid seaweed are great plant boosters, but remember that you need to provide your plants with a variety of nutrients. Check the labels on the products in you garden center to be sure that they contain a complete, balanced solution that includes trace elements.

Watering

In an exposed location, container plants loose moisture quickly. Some plants will need to be watered daily, especially during hot, dry weather.

Deadhead(cut off dead flowers) to encourage repeat blooming. This task is quick and easy, and can as much as double the duration of the bloom time.

Prune back scruffy or floppy plants during the season to encourage fresh new growth. Cutting back to about six inches is generally safe.

Stake or support tall plants like Peonies, Delphinium, Summer Phlox to avoid wind/rain damage. Stake them early, allowing room for growth.

Cut back spend perennial tops in late for or early spring. For the plant it makes no difference. Such plants as ornamental grasses could provide winter interest, while others are best off cut back in the fall to avoid any mold/mildew as the snow cover melts.

Divide perennials when the center of the plant begins to die out. A sure sign of time for division is when the plant, which generally begins growing from the centre point, shows signs of dying in the centre.

Suggestion: Divide spring and early summer blooming perennials in the fall, and late summer and fall blooming plants in the spring. Peonies should only be divided in the fall, while Poppies and Iris prefer early August