How Creating a Water Garden Can Help the Environment

Gardening can help the environment in so many ways, and even just the smallest changes can make a big impact. Whether you are an experienced gardener or a total novice, a water garden can truly help to boost your outdoor area and make a positive impact on the planet. Here are just a few of the ways in which creating a water garden can help the environment.

What is a Water Garden?

A water garden is an area of water in which aquatic plants are displayed, propagated, and grown. This can be anything from a pond in your garden to a container on your decking. The aim is to nurture and grow specific types of aquatic plants. They are a great way to learn about gardening and eco-systems and have a minimal impact on the environment. As well as helping plants to grow, you can also keep fish in your water garden, as they both benefit each other. Water gardens and the areas surrounding them can also attract different types of wildlife by providing food, shelter, or protection to many types of creatures.

Improved Water Quality

If you have a pond, turning it into a water garden can have a positive impact on the quality of the water. Still, water can easily become stagnant, which can attract unwanted insects and cause illness and damage your plant life, among many other issues. Introducing water features and accessories such as those at water-garden.co.uk can help to create a water garden that is both beautiful and beneficial. Another way to boost water quality is to install a fountain, as this provides constant movement of water. This makes it harder for harmful bacteria to develop. The plants in your water garden can also affect the quality of the water. Depending on the types of plants you include, they can oxygenate the water via photosynthesis. They can also help prevent algae from growing by absorbing the nutrients from the water that the algae would need to grow.

Attracts Wildlife

Water gardens can also be home to different types of fish. The fish work well with aquatic plants, as the plants consume the nutrients from the waste of the fish. Not only does this benefit the plants, but is also helps to keep the water clean and healthy for the fish to live in. The area around your water garden can also help to create habitats for other animals. For example, rockeries and edge plants provide great hiding places, shade, and protection for small backyard animals. Granted, there are some garden pests that you want to keep out, and there are many ways of doing this without causing pain or destruction. For example, placing lights in or around your water garden can deter any predators, therefore helping to keep your plants and fish safe. Rockeries can also help with this, as well as acting as a barrier to debris that may find its way into your pond and damage the plant life.

You can even install a bird bath fountain to attract different types of birds into your garden. Bird bath fountains are a good alternative to general bird baths, as the fountain element provides movement of water, helping to prevent it from becoming stagnant. Encouraging birds and wildlife into your garden is great for the planet, as there are plenty of breeds and species that are becoming endangered, and a lack of green spaces can contribute to this. As well as your water garden, planting certain types of flowers and plants, hanging feeders and birdhouses can also bring more creatures into your yard!

Plants Support the Wildlife

Aquatic plants come in four groups: submerged, emergent, free-floating, and floating leaved. As previously mentioned, the types of plants you grow in your water garden can work in harmony with the environment and fish to thrive. Oxygenating plants are submerged aquatic plants, and can also provide shade, not just for the fish, but in order to prevent algae from being able to grow. As a water garden is a self-contained eco-system, everything that you put inside it must work with everything else. During photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Fish need oxygen to breathe, and their gills help to filter oxygen out of the water. In this way, the two support each other by providing the other with vital products that they need to survive.

Reduced Energy Consumption

One of the main attractions of water gardens is that they are self-sustaining. Often, gardens need a lot of maintenance, which includes watering. This can cause your water bills to increase greatly, costing you a lot of money, especially in the warmer months. As the plants in your water garden are constantly submerged in water, you do not have to water them at all. They will still need maintenance, but you won't have to use time, energy, and money on watering. Furthermore, many of the accessories you can get for your water garden, such as lights and filters, have solar power options. This is a great way to save energy, money, and help the planet. Solar power is a brilliant alternative to using mains electricity, and can also be used in water gardens where a source of mains electricity is not available. Conservation is a large part of water gardens, and they sustain themselves and allow you to conserve the amount of water and energy you use.

Education

The environmental benefits of water gardens can expand beyond the garden itself. Water gardens can even influence young people or others to start their own! As they are a complete eco-system, they are the perfect place to learn about plants, nature, water, and habitats. This can help to introduce others to the idea of environmentally friendly gardening, and encourage a general interest in nature. Caring about the environment and understanding the impact that humans can have is a vital step in becoming environmentally friendly. Even a feature as small as a water garden can help teach younger people about the environment, and encourage them to develop habits that have a low impact on the planet.