A pond that saves water seems like an odd idea. Yes, ponds are made of water. However, it is possible to design a pond or a water feature that uses very little water. Some water gardens even help the gardener reuse water in the garden!
Reasons to Conserve Water in the Garden
In many parts of the world, people have designed ponds as oases of cool delight in an otherwise dry, desert environment. In other parts of the world, it may rain at times, but there are pronounced droughts in the summer time. All of these conditions call for water conservation. What is a pond lover to do?
Surround a Pond With Shade Shrubs and Trees
One simple but effective way to reduce the evaporation of pond water that happens in the summer is to create shade. Add a small shade tree or a group of shrubs next to the pond. Shade cools off the pond, reducing water loss in the beating summer sun. A bench under a tree is also a good place to relax on a hot summer day.
Xeriscaping: Use Drought Tolerant Plants Around the Pond
The plants next to a pond can be lush, but sometimes they can also be excessive water users. If a pond is surrounded by stones and has a steep side instead of a gradual entry, this likely means that rockery plants like sedums will do well in the area around the pond. Investigate local dry weather and rockery plants and place these in the rocks around the pond. Xeriscaped areas use drought tolerant plants to greatly reduce watering requirements.
Pondless Water Features Conserve Water
Instead of a pond, get creative with the desire for a water feature. For example, choose a pondless waterfall. These waterfall features drain away at the end, then a pump moves the water up to the top of the waterfall again. Water can be used over and over.
Make a Rain Garden to Use Naturally Wet Places
Most gardens have their damp places. Choose to place a water feature there. If the garden does not have natural contours, use swales to contour the land, sending water to the places that need it. A rain garden is a wetland area in the garden designed with plants that love water. If there is a wet area present in the yard, choose this area as the place where rain-loving plants will live.
Create a Greywater Marsh to Reuse Household Water
For those who feel ambitious, reusing grey water is a way to create a water feature and becoming a water conserver extraordinaire. Grey water is household water from the shower or sink. It’s been used, but it isn’t too dirty. It’s definitely not sewage. Use pipes to channel this water into a constructed wetland in a larger yard, or simply use a dish pan in the kitchen sink to move smaller amounts of water into a grey water marsh. The wetland plants clean the water, allowing the gardener to move it into other areas of the garden, where it can give thirsty vegetables a drink.
In areas that experience seasonal or year-round droughts, it’s essential to conserve water. Choose to have a water feature that uses water sensibly or reuses water in an innovative way. It’s possible to delight in the sound and feel of water in the garden without wasting it.
Tricia Edgar - Tricia Edgar is a gardener, environmental educator, and science writer from the Pacific Northwest.
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