by Sweetie Fish

Created on: January 01, 2008   Last Updated: January 02, 2008

You can build a small, simple, but wonderful water garden that can transform your home and provide you with the soothing sound of a waterfall for less than $75.00!

Start by going to your local garden supply store and purchase a half whiskey barrel - or any other large planter than suits your fancy and space. The prices range anywhere from $15.00 to $30.00, depending on your taste, and whether you're able to find something you love on sale. A half whiskey barrel has a great textural quality and will generally hold about 20 -25 gallons of water. Then by a "pond liner" to put on the inside of the barrel. If what you've decided on is a water tight container, you can skip this step. For anything else you'll want a liner so your water garden won't leak. A plastic bag won't do - they're far too fragile. Liners are sold by the foot. A 5' x 5' piece should do just fine. Get a small scrap of lumber - about 6" wide, and long enough to sit across the top of the barrel. Then buy the smallest and cheapest submersible pump they have from your local aquarium shop. The tiny ones that pump no more than 75 to 100 gallons per hour is what you're looking for. Add to that 3 to 4 feet of black, or clean aquarium tubing. And finally, a small "spitter." What's a spitter? It's a small, usually metal, ornamental decorative feature to which you'll attach to the pump with your tubing. It "spits" the water from the pump back into your barrel planter. The come shaped as fish, frogs, squirrels, cherubs - almost any imaginable shape and size. Get one that makes you smile.

Okay, now you're set. This will take less than an hour. Put the liner into the barrel and smooth it out. Pleat and trim the edges to make a clean presentation. Staple the upper edges of the liner to the barrel to keep it from sliding down when you add the water. Place your 6" wide board across the back of the top of the barrel to create a shelf, leaving about an inch opening between the back of the board and the edge of the barrel. Put your pump in the barrel, attach the tubing, then run the tubing, and the electrical cord for the pump, up through that inch opening. Follow the instructions on how to attach the tube to the spitter. Position the spitter on the shelf. Fill your barrel with water up to about 3" from where your liner ends. Plug in the electrical cord, and VOILA - you have a water garden!

Be creative! Put a few of your favorite plants on the board. Something that droops down towards the water is a good possibility - a fern, maybe? Add a few more plants around the barrel and it'll look great. For more interest you can paint the board on top a fun color.

Water plants are great! A horsetail rush, along with a bit of fairy moss are fabulous. For a water garden this size, you can add a couple of small "feeder" goldfish. No more than 2 or 3 - you don't really have enough water for more. I'm partial to the inexpensive little feeder fish because you'll be giving these critters a new lease on life - they're bred to be fed live to other animals, but do note that their mortality rate is high. They don't take particularly good care of them. With just a couple of fish, you'll only have to feed them a tiny bit of food every other day or so. However, if you chose the fish route - be sure to treat the tap water with a dechlorinator to neutralize the chlorine and chloramines first - otherwise that stuff will kill your little guys.

To add drama, position a track light to shine on your creation. Or have a small spot light shine up at it from the floor.

Now step back and admire your creation. Isn't it great? Congratulations on a job well done!

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