Well, okay, our veggie and flower gardens aren’t getting enough water from the big faucet in the sky. But this past weekend, I saw a lot of pretty cool water features that were on the Twin Cities Pond and Landscape Tour.

It’s an annual event for me and my partner. We save both weekends (this year, it was last weekend and next weekend, July 21-22 and 28-29), hop in the car, and visit dozens of private homes that invite gawkers in to see their ponds, streams and waterfalls. Along with the water features, we also get to see a wide variety of aquatic plants, fish and landscaping that includes everything from tiki huts to pizza ovens to putting greens. And every year, I get inspired and insist that I’m this close to breaking ground on my own. And really this year, I am.

I think water gardens have a special reflective beauty to them. I’d love one that’s big enough I can slip in for a dip when the mercury climbs too high. They also attract wildlife — and hey, my cranberries will love the little bog I build for them. Of course, they take time to tend to, but so does everything involved in gardening. For me, that process is part of the fun.

I have lots of questions, of course. Should I try to build it myself, or hire it out? Do I need a landscaper or a garden design firm or learn to drive a Bobcat? (I bet there are at least 100 choices). Should I try to keep it open all winter? How do I control algae? How big a pump do I need?

If you have a water garden, what other things would you say I need to know about? What advice do you have for me? If you’re also interested in water gardens, what are your questions?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 24th, 2007 at 7:48 am and is filed under Water gardens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.