I am slowly working towards putting in a permenet water garden in the back yard of my parents house. I am at a loss though about how to balance the eco system so that my parents can enjoy the garden with a minimal amount of work on their part. Does anyone have experience with this? I would appriciate your input.
That's kind of tough. I know the standards for plastic liners of pools have changed drastically (plastic does weird things in the sun and water). Research would be in order. Cement, maybe? How big? We did one a couple years ago, but it was a little thing.
I do know that you'll have to make absolutely sure that no duckweed (little tiny 2 or 3 leaved waterweeds) come in with whatever kinds of plants you buy, or they'll take over. Also, you'll have to buy snails or get them from friends to clean the algae. Gotta have little fish to eat mosquitoes; easy to get from local authorities. Netting to keep cats and racoons from eating the fish -- or a REALLY deep pool just inside the lip so they can't stand in it -- is a must.
Question: will they ever be draining it to clean it, or will it stay full the entire year? If you're never going to drain it, you might want to talk to a couple of the gardeners of nearby parks with watergardens, they'll know what will and won't grow long-term in your area.
