GardenLine | Yard & Garden | Aquatic Gardening

A mini-aquatic garden in a tub or other container located close to the back door, patio or deck can provide you with some very special gardening pleasures. The challenge of something new when the petunias have been blooming the same color all summer!

A tub garden is a small commitment in terms of finances and labour. It requires neither special aeration or filtration.

THE CONTAINER

A container with a capacity of 15-25 gallons is practical. Remembering that water weighs about 10 lbs. per gallon. The container should be durable and not easily broken.

Choose tubs with interiors that are dark in color. Dark green, charcoal, or black colours are best because they give the containers an impression of greater depth, discourage algae growth, and make algae less obvious. Stones, shale and slate may be added to the tub garden to improve its appearance but keep in mind that lighter colors may encourage algae growth.

A tub garden should be locasted so that it receives a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight daily. Most aquatic plants need full sun. Less than 6 hours of direct sunlight will decrease the blooming period of aquatic plant.s

SETTING UP

Fill the container with water at room temperature in the spring and add the plants. About 50 to 60 percent of the water surface should be covered with plant material. Add water as necessary to replace loss from evaporation. Be sure that the water you add to the container is at room temperature. The water in a garden hose that has been laying in the sun may be too hot, so flush the hose out first. Do not use water from a water sofener in your aquatic garden, and do not add chemicals to the water. Nutrients??????

A tub garden is a balanced system or mini-ecosystem which will take approximately three weeks establish itself. Two weeks after you set up your aquatic garden, the water will turn cloudy with algae. In another week, the water will clear clear up and remain that way. The aquatic plants keep the algae under control by reducing the sunglight entering the water and competing with the aelgae for the nutrients dissolved in the water.

In the fall the tub may be taken indoors for storage over the winter or the individual plants may be stored until the next growing season.

PLANTS FOR YOUR AQUATIC GARDEN

Aquatic gardens need a mix of various types of plants ideal growing conditions to attain natural algae control.

Submerged plants

Jungle Vallisneria (tape grass, ribbon grass) has ribbon-like, translucent, pale green leaves. It grows in shade, partial shade or full sun in water that is 15-60 cm (6-24 in.) deep.

Cambomba has bright green, underwater, fan-like foliage. Fish will spawn in the leaves and the fry find shelter in it.

Elodea has delicate, deep green leaves which fish use as shelter as well as food. It grows in water 15-152 cm (6-60 in.) deep in full sun or partial shade.

Floating plants

Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) is a very popular floating plant. Its long trailing roots and floating foliage clusters with spikes of pale lavender flowers are very attrative.

Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) has roots are similar to those of the water hyacinth. It has velvety blue-green leaves forming a rosette of foliage similar to leaf lettuce.

Lemna spp. (duckweed) is a very small, 3-leaved plant that spreads rapidly. If it starts to take over the aquatic garden, it can simply be dipped out of the tub.

Several different hardy water lilies make themselves at home in tub gardens.

Nymphaea alba Marliacea will bloom well with only three hours of direct sunlight. It is a very dependable and popular lily with a medium spread.

Nymphaea alba 'Rose Arey' has 20 cm (8 in.) flowers of a rich cerise pink. It is a very fragrant lily and a moderate bloomer until it becomes well established. As a more mature plant it will need division. Otherwise, it will become too large for a container. Any of the dwarf or pygmy varieties will also do very well in tub gardens.

Plants that that grow boldly out of the water. Irises create a nice effect as accent plants. Iris versicolor or Iris pseudacorus are good choices. They grow .6-1.2 m (24 ft) in height with sword-shape leaves.

Umbrella palms have tropical-like foliage and grow to 58 cm (23 in.)

Water Canna are large, attrative plants suitable for larger containers. They produce flowers in later summer.

FISH AND SNAILS FOR YOUR GARDEN

About 20 gallons of water will support 1-2 goldfish in your aquatic garden. Comet goldfish are recommended; they are very hardy and quite brilliantly coloured. The fish will eat any insects that get into the tub and will also consume mosquito larva that hatch in the water. Floating and submerged plants food, as well as shelter, for the fish.

Garry Miller is a landscaper who specializes in aquatic gardening. He is currently a participant in the Master Gardener Program sponsored by the Extension Division. This column is provided as an extension service by the Extension Division and the Department of Horticulture Science, University of Saskatchewan.

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Sustainable horticultural information, offered free of charge to the public with the support of the University of Saskatchewan Extension Division, the Department of Plant Sciences and the Provincial Government.