120 
the desired size from inch boards. If the box is to be a 
large one you will save haulage by insisting that he do the 
work near the water-garden site, beside it if possible. In 
the meantime, dig the hole, two feet in depth, to receive it. 
Before setting the tank in the ground, paint the out- 
side with tar, to prevent rotting the boards. Next, procure 
from a mason a pailful of mixed Portland cement. With a 
garden trowel go over all the seams and cracks and the 
box with a double coating of the cement, and the water- 
garden is ready for its plants. In cold climates, this is 
superior to a cement tank, for unless well and expensively 
constructed, they are almost sure to heave and crack in 
weather much below zero. Of the comparative life of the 
cement or wooden tanks, I have not yet had an opportunity 
to judge. One wooden tank of my personal knowledge, 
made from a packing box of only half inch boards, has 
lasted in good condition for nearly five years, and its initial 
cost was about 80 cents. Of course, in a cold climate, the 
cracks have to be looked over and patched with fresh 
cement each spring, but this expense is so slight as to be 
hardly worth mentioning. 
In one corner of the box there should be an augur hole, 
and a length of inch pipe, two feet long, running into the 
ground, to drain off the water in the fall. ‘This tank can 
be filled with a hose, and if provided with a few fish, and 
a number of oxygenating plants, the water will keep sweet, 
and only need syringing with the hose to replace evapora- 
tion. For a tank of this size (ten feet square) you would 
need about a dozen assorted aquarium submerged plants, 
in addition to the water-lilies, and other ornamental plants, 
and about two dozen fish of about two inches in length. 
These may vary from fancy gold fish, to the familiar 
“shiner,” only remembering that fish that will thrive in 
cold running water will not live in a sun-warmed stagnant 
pool. 
The pool once in position, the next step is the planting, 
both of the pool itself, and its surroundings. As regards 
the latter question, there are many conflicting arguments, 
and opinions. Much will depend on just what type of 
water-garden yours is to be, as has been stated. But one 
rule is safe to follow, and that is to keep as near to nature 
as your desires will let you. Iris, reeds, grasses, and 
flowering shrubs are never a mistake in the vicinity of 
water, or water-gardens. ‘Tropical plants, such as cannas, 
Castor beans, Caladium Esculentum and others too numer- 
ous to mention are favored by many and give a tropical 
luxuriance of foliage. But they must be renewed each year, 
or great care must be taken in storing them over winter. 
In this article, and the diagram, I have made use of only 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
March, 1911 
such plants as are hardy perennials, with the exception of the 
gladiolus, and possibly the Auratum lilies. These last- 
named are listed as perennials, but few people have suc- 
ceeded in keeping them in their beauty for more than a year 
or two. 
The little arbor, or tea-house is an attractive but unnec- 
essary adjunct to the garden, and is not included in the esti- 
mate of fifty dollars. It should be built of cedar or white 
birch with the bark left on, and may be covered with honey- 
suckle, Wistaria, or any of the many attractive vines listed 
in the catalogues. 
Around the tank itself are collections of Iris and hardy 
grasses, some of the latter reaching a height of over twelve 
feet in the flush of the season. The garden depends mostly 
on flowering shrubs to furnish bloom throughout the entire 
summer and fall. 
For the planting of the tank itself, I quote from one of 
the best books on water-gardens, by Peter Bissets, designat- 
ing the best lilies and nelumbiums for the small water-gar- 
den. ‘“The tank can either be filled to the depth of one foot 
with rich pond muck and well-rotted cow manure, and the 
lilies planted, or the roots may be planted in boxes of soil 
two feet square and a foot in depth, and set into the tank. 
I prefer the latter method, as in winter the boxes can be 
lifted and stored entire in the cellar. The following is a 
list of the best lilies for the small garden. There are many 
others fascinating in color that you may wish to attempt 
later, but for the first attempts of the amateur, these few 
may be relied on to repay anything but unpardonable 
neglect.” 
White Nymphaea marliacea albida. 
Pink N. marliacea rosea. 
Yellow N. marliacea chromatella. 
Red NV. gloriosa. 
Among other plants suitable for a small water-garden 
are listed: 
Limnocharis Humboldi—The water poppy with yellow 
blooms. 
Limnathemum Indicum—Y ellow flowers. 
Eichornia Speciosa—The water-hyacinth—pinkish. 
Nelumbiums—White—Album Grandiflorum. 
Pink N. Speciosum (the Egyptian Lotus). 
It may not seem to the scoffer that a patch of water ten 
feet square can add much charm to a garden. Any patch 
of water might not. But for the little water-garden, how- 
ever simple, where the plants are well chosen, and the sur- 
roundings carefully thought out, my only advice is—Work 
out the plan and construct a pool as directed, to secure a 
pleasing and permanent addition to the garden. 
