Essential Elements of a Backyard Water Garden: Zen on a Budget

The Pond 

Obviously, the most important element of any backyard water garden is the water. Building an in-ground pond is perhaps the best option for beginners on a budget. But you also have the opportunity to include several areas of water and even small streams that connect them. The precise design will largely depend on the amount of space you have available. One pond is sufficient for the size of most backyards.

You could hire a contractor to create the pond or you could do the work yourself. The former will be costlier but you will ensure professionalism. So, if you’re on a budget, you might want to take out a home equity line of credit, which you can do with SoFi’s HELOC loan application.

You may prefer to build the pond yourself, but be aware that if you make a mistake, it could cost you more in the long run. So, you should thoroughly research how to build a pond in your backyard before you decide to do the work yourself.

Whichever option you choose, it’s a good idea to build a pond with sloping sides and plant terraces that step down to the deepest area of the water. You can then plant a wide range of diverse plants and create different habitats.

To ensure the pond doesn’t freeze during the winter, it’s best to go with a depth of between twenty-four and thirty-six inches. As for lining the bottom of the pond, most professionals use a liner made of plastic, fiberglass, PVC, or butyl rubber. Regarding the style of the pond, it could be round, square, raised, sloped, or a more intricate pattern. 

A Fountain

To create a stunning backyard water garden, you’ll need more than a pond. For a striking central feature, install a fountain. You could go for something grand like a statue of a dragon in which the water spouts out of its mouth or you could choose something simpler, such as a stack of round rocks in which the water travels down. Look at the various options available for fountains so you can select the best choice at the cheapest price.

Stepping Stones

You’ll want to create a path that leads to your pond and water feature. Depending on the layout you choose for your design, you could even include stepping stones that are placed in water pathways. You can then easily step from one side of the water to the other. Stepping stones will also give your water garden a zen flavor and are sure to add aesthetic appeal.

Plants and Containers

You can add floating plants to the pond, but you’ll want to include a lot of different plants in your backyard space to create a truly beautiful water garden. So, carefully consider both the plants and the containers that you will use.

Many plants can be grown in tubs. One good idea is to use old barrels, which don’t have to cost much. Simply line the barrels with plastic lining and fill them with water. Then, add plants like lotuses and miniature water lilies. As for the floating plants you add to your pond, they won’t only be aesthetic additions. Floating plants will also help to suppress algae and keep your pond clean.

There are a wide number of floating plants that you could buy. Popular and inexpensive options include water hyacinth, water lettuce, duckweed, frogbit, and water lilies.

The latter is seen in all traditional zen-like water gardens, and seeing as water lilies are available in a range of bright colors, such as pink, red, and yellow, they will add some beautiful color to your backyard garden.

Statues and Other Features

Once you have determined the kind of pond, fountain, plants, and containers you want to use in your water garden, you can choose some other features that will match your design well.

Visit your local garden center and look online to see what kinds of statues and other features you could add to your garden. Even when you’re on a tight budget, you’ll be able to find all kinds of affordable features to add to your water garden. You can also look on sites like Freecycle to pick up free garden features.

You could choose things like statues of Buddha, animals, and birds, as well as other features like sundials, pedestals, polished rocks, carved wooden sculptures, and small colorful windmills.

Just make sure that you don’t buy too many eclectic things. You should have a clear vision of what your garden will look like and ensure all of the different features complement each other well.

Fish

Adding fish to your pond is a finishing touch that will help to completely transform your backyard water garden into a beautiful ecosystem. Though it’s important that you balance the number and size of the fish you add to the water, as too many fish or too many large fish can lead to algae blooms.

Both koi and goldfish are popular and affordable fish to add to your pond. Both species can survive in winter months as long as the water doesn’t freeze all the way to the bottom of the pond.

Koi are large and colorful fish that are popular in Japanese water gardens. But you’ll need to ensure your pond has a filter and/or oxygenating fountain as koi require highly oxygenated water. Goldfish are a good choice because of their bright colors and the fact that they are less destructive, as they don’t eat plants. Any kind of fish will also help to keep mosquito populations down, and fish waste is an excellent source of nutrients for plants.

Once you have added fish to your pond, you’ll soon see creatures like birds, frogs, toads, and dragonflies appearing, and each will settle into its preferred habitat to complete the ecosystem.