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East Coast Blooming List


August 2011

Watching the Water Flow

Leonard J. Buck Garden, Far Hills, NJ
A new water feature is on display at the Leonard J. Buck Garden. Much like aquariums, water features dazzle anyone lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the beauty they offer.

The pond was constructed to coincide with Garden State Gardens Consortium’s (a non-profit organization of New Jersey's’ public gardens) September theme, Liquid Assets to educate the public on using and conserving water in our gardens. Buck Garden staff constructed the pond and filled it with a variety of water-loving plants and goldfish.

Moving water creates a uniform frequency that helps screen out unwanted sounds. It is a wonderful way to welcome visitors and will be on display through the fall season.

Small water features are rising in popularity. They make little demand on space and can fit in any style garden. What this water feature loses in size it makes up for in innovative design, unconventional materials, and general appeal. Small water features are particularly suitable in courtyards like ours, or areas surrounded by high fences where they introduce reflected light. The water can be viewed and touched at close quarters. Children love it.

It started with a kiddy pool, black plastic and a pump. The pool is 4 feet in diameter and lined with durable plastic. The pump is designed for pond use and is called a “magnetic drive utility pump.” A small piece of tubing is used to direct the flow of water over the rocks.

This water feature was created to show an appreciation of Buck Garden’s natural landscape so we used rocks from the garden property only. Rocks were picked for their natural design and purpose. Some serve as framework around the pool, while others help create the multidirectional falls. By using rocks from the garden an appreciation of the natural landscape is achieved.

No matter the size of your water feature it is important to think about the selection of each rock and its placement. This way, the beauty of every rock may be seen.

Once the rocks are in position and the water feature is established, it’s time to add water and plants. Initially the pool took approximately 90 gallons of water. During the summer we have to top off the level of the water when evaporation is high. This is very important for water features that run continuously.

Next add aquatics. Aquatic plants aren’t just used in the water garden to provide beauty; they also help balance the pond’s ecosystem. Their biological filtration helps remove nitrogen, ammonia, nitrates, and other minerals on which algae would otherwise feed. In addition, the plants provide food, shade, and protection for the fish that live in the pond.

To prevent reckless growth, all the aquatic plants are in containers. This also aids in the health of the pond and reduces maintenance. The plants are dominated by strong, upright leaves, such as the canna, which gives a striking contrast to the horizontal expanse of water and the surrounding edges.

Some of the aquatic plants you will find living in our water feature are: Sagittaria latifolia - arrowhead, Thalia dealbata - water canna, Marsilea quadrifolia – water clover, and Equisetum hyemale - horsetail. You can also observe these aquatics along the shallow edges of our lower pond.

Sagittaria latifolia - arrowhead, duck potato: A vigorous, deciduous, marginal aquatic perennial that grows 1 to 4 feet tall and is noted for its arrowhead-shaped leaves and three-petaled white flowers in whorls of three. It commonly grows submerged in shallow water or out of water on wet muddy banks. It is native to sloughs, swamps, marshes and margins of streams and ponds throughout North America.


Thalia dealbata - water canna: Water canna, with its tropical appearance, makes a striking accent or background plant for the water garden. They look like tall versions of the common garden canna, having similar sword-shaped leaves and bright pink, red, orange, or yellow flowers.

They adapt equally well to damp soil or water up to 12 inches deep. Since this is a tropical plant, bring it in for the winter months. Winter over either by storing the rhizome in a ventilated container with sand and peat moss, kept damp, at temperatures above 65 degrees, or bring the entire plant inside, keep it warm, in sunlight as much as possible and water frequently. In both scenarios you can bring the pots back to the pond in the spring once the water temperature reaches 65 degrees.

Marsilea quadrifolia – water clover: A plant most distinguishable by the four-leaf clover it produces when grown submerged. This plant is native to Europe and Southern Asia where it grows in submersed and emergent terrestrial forms along marshlands, riverbanks and streams. Water clover spreads through runners across the substrate floor. As it creeps along the surface, new clover like leaves will emerged that are supported by petioles that can grow to a length of 4-6 inches. Propagation is completed by splitting the runners and replanting them. A slow growing plant that is not demanding and is more than satisfied with any pot as long as it is filled with water and a little soil at the bottom.


Equisetum hyemale - horsetail: An evergreen species consisting of many reed-like, segmented green tubes growing straight up to a height of four feet. Attractive black and gray bands are found at both ends of each segment. Stems may be singular or have whorls of branches. Horsetails can be standing in water or in wet areas. The stems contain silicon crystals (sand) embedded in its tissue. This gritty texture gives it a common name of “scouring rush”. Horsetail plants become evasive when planted directly in the ground because they spread through their root system. For that reason, horsetail plants are more suited for growing in containers, either alone or as an attractive, dramatic filler-plant with other plants. Horsetail plants have survived since prehistoric times, are relatively pest and disease-free and do not require any supplemental feeding. Keeping the plant in moist soil conditions is the main factor for bountiful horsetail.

Rock and water have been used in gardens for many years and by various cultures and now Buck Garden Staff has created a successful partnership between the two elements. This small water feature has brought a small place to life by providing a mixture of sound and movement. Take a break and visit the Leonard J. Buck Garden and experience the soothing and stress-reducing benefits from our new water feature.

- Tricia Scibilia, interpretive gardener, Leonard J. Buck Garden, Somerset County Park Commission: www.somersetcountyparks.org
**Photos by Tricia Scibilia
***To learn more, a workshop called “Into the Wet: Plants and Ideas for Natural and Created Water Gardens” will be held on Saturday, September 17 at Buck Garden. Call 908-234-2677 to register.

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