Boulders and rocks can be locally mined or exported from far off places or created with pre-cast fiberglass. Water lilies of every color and size can be acquired that bloom by day or bloom at night only and used with hundreds of other water plants to create environments that take your breath away. Goldfish and colorful koi are just a couple varieties of fish that draw people to a pond and provide stress reduction just by their presence. 

Some of these water gardens incorporate large and small waterfalls, streams, lakes, fountains, creeks and reflecting pools, all in uncountable shapes and sizes. The water can be maintained in a natural state of balance with aeration, fish, water plants and beneficial bacteria or by a chemically treated and filtered system for sparkling water if fish and water plants are not to your liking.

Some homeowners seldom leave their houses to walk in the gardens, but this is rarely the case with those who have water gardens within their grounds. There is something new always happening in a water garden.  Goldfish and Koi may have brought some new wee ones into the world and you can see them darting from one spot to another. And there are bound to be tiny tadpoles, but you may call them pollywogs that appear soon after a rainy night chorus of frogs being amorous were heard. Birds and other animals are attached to water, which is a great thing to see, but make sure your ponds are designed to be protective of your resident fish by having grottos or underwater housing.

Many people are worried that having a pond in their garden will attract mosquitos and other obnoxious insects.  Actually a well designed pond can do just the opposite. Here are a few ideas to help avoid this problem.

One is a “mosquito dunk” for ponds that have still or stagnant water. They come in the form of disks that have Bt-I, or Bt-israelensis, which is a type of biological pesticide designed to eradicate mosquito larvae. You place mosquito dunk into your pond or water garden and it will kill the mosquitoes for about thirty days. Mosquito dunk is safe to use around both pets and children.

But the best way is to keep your water from becoming stagnant in the first place. Mosquitoes especially the females seek water which is stagnant. This allows them to lay their eggs, and pond owners who allow ponds to have still waters will cause the appearance of bacteria, plankton and algae which is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. The key to keeping mosquitoes away is a healthy, vibrant pond or water garden with moving water. The best way to get the water moving is through fountains or waterfalls which maintain moving currents so that mosquitoes aren’t able to lay their eggs.

Next, add animals that will eat mosquitoes. There are many fish and other species that naturally eat mosquitoes.  Some of these critters include tadpoles, catfish, bass, minnow and bluegill. These animals will not only keep the mosquito population under control, but will eat other types of insects as well. The Gambusia is a small, freshwater minnow-like fish native to the Southeastern U.S. They are surface feeders and will eat mosquito eggs and larvae by the hundreds every day.

Dragon flies or mosquito hawks are insects may look scary, but they are only dangerous to mosquitoes. Dragonfly larvae, “nymphs,” feed on mosquito larvae, and adult dragonflies feed on adult mosquitoes. 

The way to attract dragonflies is to provide an environment that is comfortable and safe for them. A small pond, shallow at one end and deep at the other, with vegetation that grows out of the water and plenty of flat rocks surrounding it should do just fine. This is often done by creating a shallow bog at the upper level of the pond where you can grow plants that attract the dragonflies. The nymphs will eat mosquito larvae in the shallow water, and the adults will sun themselves on the rocks, waiting for any adult mosquitos to leave the water. Another valuable aspect of having dragonflies is seeing how beautiful they are and how gracefully they fly about.

The next best thing is to seeding the pond with animals that eat mosquitoes is getting rid of the food sources that mosquitoes thrive on.  Any water garden or pond that is rich in algae or other types of plants will form a perfect breeding spot for mosquitoes. This is because the mosquito pupae consume the greens, but by reducing the algae and plants their population will decline dramatically. Pond owners keep these areas clear, which can be done using various types of herbicide to exterminate the aquatic grass and weed. Make use of weed removal tools such as rakes and cutters to get rid of overgrowth, decaying plants, and any other hiding spots that mosquitoes can use. It can also be useful to plants various plants around a pond or watercourse edge that mosquitos are known to dislike and will act as repellents. Some of the best are lemon grass, thyme, rosemary, lavender and others that are beautiful in their own right.  Their repellant oils are released into the atmosphere by people and animals (cats etc.) and perhaps a strong breeze  disturbs them. 

And finally, get creative by adding appropriate and related artistic and perhaps useful elements to your garden environment.  These elements can be bridges, fountains, sculptures or any other art object that suits your fancy and looks like they belong within the water environment.

Some Recommended Books

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