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Getting ready for spring – choosing a water feature

Investing in a water feature with no standing water makes a great alternative to a pond if you don’t have much room, or you’ve little time for pond maintenance or there are young children around and a pond is impractical on safety grounds. A wall fountain, pebble pool or simply a large decorative jar of water, with a small pump inside rippling the water surface, have all the benefits of a water feature without the hard work of maintaining the ecosystem of a pond. With this type of feature, the same water is endlessly recycled using a pump - so be aware that it will need a power supply. As there isn’t a home for plants or animals, you can use water gardening chemicals to keep the water clear.

If you decide to go for the full pond, water plants are a must:

1. As well as looking beautiful, they will help your pond to blend in with the rest of the garden. They provide breeding places for water wildlife, such as dragonflies and fish.
2. By shading the water they help to control the temperature.
3. Their roots absorb nutrients that might otherwise foul the water, and submerged oxygenating plants are the pond’s ‘air conditioners’.

Types of water plant

1. Submerged aquatics live completely under water. They are the oxygenating plants you often see releasing streams of air bubbles in sunlight. Some types are more efficient oxygen providers than others.
2. Deep-water aquatics have their roots in water that is eighteen inches or more in depth. Their leaves stand out above the water or float on the surface.
3. Marginal plants grow in the shallow water around the edge of a pond in planting baskets standing submerged in water.
4. Free-floating plants drift about on the surface of the pond with their roots dangling in the water. These can be invasive.

Water feature photograph by Xerones, used under a creative commons attribution licence

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