Will My Plot Be Big Enough For The Water Garden?

It does not matter whether you have a small or large plot. There will always be a design to suite your water garden. What you need to do is spend as much time in your garden assessing the condition of your garden and see how the things in your garden will help. You can also spend time walking in other garden that inspire you and get some ideas on how to utilize your available space..

Thinking about space for your garden...

Take a walk in your garden at different times of the day - in the morning, lunchtime on weekdays and weekends. Look at how your garden fairs in different weather conditions; Does it look much more beautiful when it rains or when there is sunshine? All this information will help you decide on the best water garden style to have. You should try and understand how the different conditions affect your space. A small garden in the city may feel more spacious in the evenings when there isn't too much traffic when compared to early in the morning.

You might want to turn the whole space into a water garden by combining all the walls, plants and trees. Perhaps you only want a single small area set aside just like a room in the home is set aside for a specific task. You need to ask yourself how the conditions will affect you and your family. Will the sound of bustling birds irritate you in the morning, or perhaps maybe that will wake you up.

You need to also think about how this space is going to be used by your family and friends. How are your children going to be affected by having a water garden ponds - Are they going to be safe.

Assessing your water garden will help you spot you opportunities...

You must have a look at your site and figure out how best to make all these things work well for you. Look at the slope, the soil, the rocks and so on. Try and think positively when you are assessing your water garden as not every bad aspect will be bad. One mans poison is another's food - do not take rocky ground as a problem, rather think of the stone waste as being useful.

If for example you have a sloping site then it would be possible to introduce a fast-flowing stream and have a meadow stream water garden. Perhaps you have a flat surface then you need to have a calm pond. If you have very wet soil then you can introduce some bog plants

If you have fascinating walls between gardens - such as brick, stone or flint - you would use them as a backdrop for things such as formal ponds and wall masks. You can use left-over materials as a backfill for raised ponds and structures. A large pile of soil can be used to model and reshape the contours of the water garden.

Tips for new gardeners

The best way to start is by drawing out designs for the entire garden, and then divide the work into smaller jobs that are easier to manage. For example you may construct the main pond this year and add in the second pond next year. When building ponds there is no room for modesty - Always aim for the biggest possible pond. A large body of water is much more appealing than just a small body of water.

Have a clear vision from the start and do not let anything get in the way. When you fail to do something  - do not be discouraged quickly - try, try and try again, eventually you will get it right.