Add a unique touch to your patio by building a water garden. Water gardens can provide a restful element to your patio haven. Not only will they add some color to the area but they are also great conversation pieces! The great thing about water gardens is that there are a variety of ways to create these little oases of calm. The hard part will be choosing the plants to incorporate!

Creating your water garden in a large container is probably the easiest and most cost effective way. And thanks to the plethora of pots, tubs and other garden containers, you can craft your own “look” to complement the décor of your patio. Just a few containers that would make for great water gardens are whiskey barrels, galvanized steel tubs, terra cotta pots and large glazed ceramic pots painted in a variety of patterns. Even recycled toilets have been turned into water gardens!

Before you get started on this project, decide on how big you want your water garden to be. Some people create small ones that hold just a few gallons of water and others use large containers like a metal water trough a rancher uses for cattle. Depending on the size and type of container will dictate the materials you will need.

If you use a container that is watertight, then you do not have to worry about a plastic liner. If you like the look of a rustic whisky barrel holding your water garden, you would have to use a plastic liner or take the easy way out and find a plastic watertight container that could fit snugly inside the barrel without detection.

Once you have your container picked out and make sure it is watertight, fill it with water about two-thirds of the way then leave it for a few days before you are ready to incorporate your plants. Since the water supply many cities and towns use a chlorinated process, you want to make sure that the chlorine disperses before adding plants to the water.

During those few days you are waiting for the water to stabilize, you need to decide upon the plants you will incorporate into your water garden. Choosing one plant as a focal point with a variety of others complementing it is one design idea. There are a variety of lilies that could make for a great focal point because of their blooms. Water irises, hyacinths and lotus are other flowering plants that are popular in water gardens.

Water plants that could provide a healthy balance to those flowering versions include cattails, water lettuce, floating fairy moss and cotton grass. You will have to do a little research on the internet and at your local garden nursery to select the plants that will complement your patio’s décor.

There are a few tips to consider when choosing the location of the water garden for your patio. First, you really need a sunny location since plants in water gardens seem to do well with at least four to six hours of sunlight every day. In addition, try and select a spot that is guarded from the wind and any debris that could blow into the container.

Work with the patio elements that you have. Your patio water garden can be as simple or as elaborate as you want. And while water gardens are fairly self-sufficient, you may have to perform a few maintenance tasks like culling out multiplying water plants that could take over and choke out the other plants in the container. Other than that, your only job is to sit back, relax and enjoy your patio water garden.