A water garden is a garden built around a pond, stream, or other body of water, where you can grow aquatic plants. A water garden is an excellent way to enhance the beauty of your Plainfield-area back yard.

When you install your Koi pond, it is important to consider the areas immediately surrounding it, and what types of vegetation and fish you plan to host. When you landscape around the pond, it is your opportunity to create a water garden that beautifies your back yard.

A water garden should have sloped sides with planting terraces angling down to the deeper parts of the pond. This will make it easier to fill your pond with plants later on. It will also allow you to choose from a wider range of plants later on.

Water gardens can contain a variety of floating, submerged and edge plants. Submerged plants (as you can guess by the name) spend their entire lives growing underneath the surface of the water. They work to improve water quality and keep it clear by consuming dissolved nutrients. Edge plants end up creating a shelter for the fish.

Fish can be a fun addition to any koi pond or water garden. Koi fish are large goldfish, and the most popular choice for pond life. Once your pond is more established, birds, frogs, butterflies and other water insects and wildlife may soon appear.

If a koi pond is more work than you initially anticipated, many water plants can be grown in containers as well. This makes a water garden a more manageable experience, and possible on a patio, or in a back yard with no intention to build a pond.

If you have any questions as you consider installing a koi pond and planting a water garden, contact a Plainfield-area professional landscaper.