Planning a Water Garden...
A water garden is the area of your landscape that will provide you with relaxing sounds of the
water, while adding to the overall details of your landscape. The water garden is a project that
you must 'plan' for continued success. If you are lucky enough to have the room in your lawn for
a water garden, you are already one step ahead of many gardeners! Let's talk a little about how
to plan for your water garden.
A few important factors about placement of a water garden that often are forgotten are:
Do you have children in the neighborhood?
If you have or live near children, you will want to keep your water garden in an area that will
be close to your home. You will want to be able to see what is 'going on' by the water. Children
are curious and they love water! Being able to see your water garden will save you worry later
after the creation of your water garden even if the children are in the yard.
Do you have a natural spring in your lawn area?
When planning a waterfall in the water garden, the use of a natural spring or water source is
going to make the continued success of your water garden much easier. A water garden is possible
with a waterfall even if you do not have a natural spring or water source, but it is a little
more 'work' to create that special effect. You can find more information about this in another
article on this site.
The lay of your land is important.
While we will discuss this in other articles as well, planning your water garden around the lay
of your land is important. If you are lucky enough to have a flat lawn, you can plan your water
garden in various areas. The landscape that includes hills and slopes are a little tricky but
using the slope in your lawn, you can create the water garden that takes care of that little
'wet patch' at the bottom of the yard!
Most water gardens are an addition or extension of the natural landscape. To encourage and
invite your guests to the water garden for picnics, for chats, and for just sitting in pleasure:
Plan the water garden so it's visible from the walkway to your home. The water garden that your
visitors and guests see while entering your home adds value to your home and to your
conversation!
In planning your water garden, use a sheet of paper to write down what you want to gain from
your water garden. Start your list by using personal reasons, value reasoning, enhancing, or
changing the overall look of your landscape. Alternately, you may simply want a place for
solitude. These are the desires you'll write on your list. From this list, you can better plan
'where' your water garden will suit you and your ideas.
The Many Types of Yellow Water Lilies...
Choosing water lilies for your water garden can be a difficult as there are so many colors,
sizes and types to pick from. Among the many types of lilies, you are faced with color choices,
here we are going to tell you all about the types of yellow lilies for your water garden. Keep
in mind the factors involved for deciding which lily you plant in the water garden include:
- how large your water garden is.
- if you have free flowing water in your pond.
- if your grow zone matches the temperature need of the lily.
The "Charlene Strawn" is a medium sized lily found in North America. The petals are wide at the
base with points on the end. The flowers on this lily push up and seem to sit above the green
lily pads. This flower does have a slight fragrance you will enjoy if you like just light
scents.
"Colonel A J Welch" lilies produce a narrow and pointed looking bloom. The petals look crinkly
and point out from the plant like a start. The leaves of the plant are green but flecked with
purple specks while the plant is still young. As the plant matures, the purple is less
noticeable and the flowers will stay open in the afternoon temperatures. This lily is a very
fast growing species that will take over small water gardens quickly. It is more suited for the
large pond or deep-water garden.
The "Chromatella" is one lily that is very popular in the water garden everywhere. The flower
itself is very large with a lighter color of yellow on the exterior petals and the inside of the
flower very bright yellow. The flower sits directly on the leaves that seem to float in the
water. The leaves are a deep olive green color but often will streak with purple. The very tips
of the petals are tinged with a pink color, creating a vibrant and lively display in your water
garden. While this is a large flower, it is suitable for most all water gardens except those
under one hundred square feet.
A medium version of the Chromatella is the "Moorei" lily flower is smaller and will use brown
spots in the leaves instead of the purple in the leaves of the plant. This plant is more suited
for the small water garden.
"Sulphurea" is yet another yellow lily grown in the small water garden. The flowers are taller
than others, held above the leaves of the plant while at the same time the petals point upwards
to reach the sun.
Changes you can make in the water garden include the use of the miniature lily, the "Helvola".
This small lily is only about two inches wide and it will fit in the smallest of water gardens
or creatively used in the container water garden.
The point of describing the various types of yellow lilies is to show you that you have choices.
If you walk into a supply store but only see one or two types of lilies, you most likely are not
going to get the full effect of what you were searching for. Be sure to read about how large
the lilies will grow, and how fast the lilies will take over your water garden so you can be
sure that your water garden will be your ultimate dream!
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