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What gives lily ponds the charm

Photo: T. Singaravelou

Nature’s way: Lily ponds help bring down temperature.

This exquisite facet of nature has allured many an artist and thinker. For instance, Claude Monet, among the greatest of the European masters, could never have enough of it – of lily ponds, which he celebrated in several of his brilliant paintings. And understandably so. Luckily, it is easy enough to create a lily pond, both indoors and outdoors.

Though they generally go by the name ‘lily ponds’, these ponds can equally well be the sanctum of other water plants like the lotus. In fact, there are about six kinds of aquatic plants that can be raised in a pond, such as water violets and water hyacinths. If you plan to create a natural pond in your garden, fashion its depth between 18 and 24 inches. While lilies take root in the soil of natural ponds,so do they need deeper water to thrive. On the positive side, they are very hardy and have a long blooming season. As for indoor ponds, they need a minimum depth of two feet and a diameter of three to five metres. "You don’t need to add manure to the water. Good water is all that these plants need. Metro water we get is okay, but check to ensure that it is not heavily chlorinated. You can start off with just a few bulbs of lilies or lotuses. They multiply very quickly.

Watch out for the mosquitoes! Stagnant water encourages breeding of mosquito larvae, so the trick is to move water by connecting it to a cascade powered by submersible motor pump. A half Hp pump will serve the purpose. The other option is to change the water as often as required. To cut down on evaporation in ponds, spray a water-oil mixture which will spread on the water surface and act as a barrier to evaporation, Navneeth advises.

Ponds also collect moss, which has to be cleaned up. To bypass this, drain the water and scrub the surface clean with bleaching powder once every three months in the case of ponds with an artificial base. In ponds with a mud base, the aeration is more, and you can filter off the moss. This apart, maintaining lily plants, or other pond plants is relatively hassle free. In fact, these plants absorb the floating organic matter and keep the pond clean.

If your pond seems to be getting dirty too often, you could perhaps incorporate a moving water fixture in it, such as a waterfall or a water guzzler; the action of moving water sets in force natural filtration, or add pond fish which will feed on the organic matter. If the pond looks unmanageably dirty, use biological filters. Floating plants like the water hyacinth need more attention as they grow faster and become water weeds. To add to the zen ambience, if your pond is an outdoor fixture, give it a border of rockery.

Well, the lotus and the lily are inspiring plants, and well kept ones can spread an aura of peace and (intellectual) reflection in the atmosphere. Scented varieties of lilies emanate a subtle fragrance into the atmosphere. As for the practical benefits, pond plants help reduce the algae growth in water and add oxygen to the garden pond. Ponds attract birds. And of course, they bring down the temperature of the place, not to mention the soothing of frayed nerves.

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