Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 11, 1993 TAG: 9307090096
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROB LANDRY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This affinity for soggy bogs may explain the growing popularity of water gardening.
Kim Knight, a geology professor at Radford University, says the water garden at his home near Blacksburg gives him the perfect excuse to act like a kid again.
"When we are kids, it's OK to play in the water," says Knight. "But as adults, it doesn't quite seem kosher."
While living in Egypt at the age of 5, Knight watched his father build a water garden on the estate where his family lived. "It had an effect on me."
It's having an effect on a lot of people, says Eileen Keel, who tends the water garden at The Plant Plant nursery in Christiansburg.
Long a passion of Europeans, this unique form of horticulture is just beginning to catch on in this country.
"Interest has increased greatly during the last couple of years," said Keel. "We're even giving seminars on the subject."
Water gardens are perfect for anyone interested in low-maintenance gardening. If properly built, they become self-regulating ecosystems requiring little outside intervention.
To achieve this ecological balance, Keel uses water plants that fill specific functions.
"Some plants will add oxygen to the water," she said, adding that that's good for fish and certain plants. The Plant Plant uses anacharis for this purpose.
There are other plants which provide cover for fish and frogs, and many others are simply pleasing to the eye. Water hyacinths, pickerel weeds and the oriental lotus are colorful choices.
The incomparable water lily, with its large pink and white flowers, thrives in water gardens. In fact they are so prolific in artist Pat West's water garden near Pembroke that she sells her surplus lilies to other water gardeners.
Other unusual plants, such as parrot's feather and the arrowhead plant, can be used to adorn a pondscape. Knight even has included papyrus.
Water gardens also attract a variety of wildlife from fragile insects such as dragonflies to spring peepers to that old favorite the bullfrog.
West said a lot of birds use her water garden as a way station, and an occasional kingfisher or blue heron will try to capture an easy fish dinner.
You might think that a large pond such as a water garden is the perfect breeding ground for aquatic insects, especially mosquitoes. But if you have fish, you won't have bugs.
"The fish eat the mosquito eggs, so I've never had a problem with mosquitoes or other insects," Knight said.
Koi, an oriental relative of the carp, is a calico-colored fish that can grow to more than 2 feet in length. The golden orfi is very active and sometimes jumps clear of the water. Both are excellent choices for water gardens, as is the ever-popular goldfish.
All this plant and animal life is contained in the pond, which itself is contained by a waterproof liner. Keel says it's wise to choose a liner that's durable.
"You want to use something that's going to last 15 years."
The Plant Plant's water garden, installed two years ago, has a liner made of a synthetic material called PVC for short. It's used for municipal retaining ponds, but homeowners can buy it as well.
Most water gardens are about 4 feet deep, with a shelf roughly 2 feet deep around the margin. This provides a habitat for both deep and shallow-water plants.
During the spring algae can sometimes cloud the water before other aquatic plants have had time to shade the surface, but Keel says this growth is not a problem if a water garden's plant life is properly balanced.
"The water should become crystal clear once the larger plants have a chance to shade the pond and can reduce the amount of sunlight getting into the water."
But a water garden doesn't have to be a limpid pool in order to be well balanced. Some people can become preoccupied with making their water as transparent as possible.
"I call it the `Wonder Bread' mentality," Knight said of water gardeners who focus too heavily on appearance.
It doesn't seem right to worry about a water garden anyhow. It's much better to enjoy its soothing influence.
by CNB