Style : GARDENS : The Ripple Effect

Very little water is needed to make a garden feel noticeably cooler during a dry summer. A concrete pot in a Los Angeles garden, shown at left, sits like an egg in a nest of native Pacific Coast iris. The pot is just large enough for a single waterlily, and it lies along the garden path, waiting to be discovered on garden strolls. A cork plugs the drainage hole, and goldfish keep the mosquitoes away.

Though more work than a concrete pot, a small in-ground pond is easy to install. Line the bottom with heavy plastic sheeting, and secure it around the edges with bricks or rocks. Papyrus, pennywort, umbrella plant and hair grass can be cultivated in plastic pots underwater. Plug the drainage holes, and cover the soil with rocks or gravel to keep it from floating away. Because soil mixes containing fertilizer can poison fish, plants destined for a fish pond should be potted in ordinary topsoil.

Not many nurseries stock aquatic plants, but Marina Water Gardens in Venice and Van Ness Water Gardens in Upland have sizable selections.