Water Gardening.

Start small with an aquatic container garden.

Nothing seems to engage the senses, or enhance the landscape, like water. If you've ever dreamed of a pond of your own but were daunted by the expense and labor involved in its installation, consider starting small with an aquatic container garden. The only absolute requirements are a sunny, level spot, a watertight container and an adventurous spirit.

For gardeners with limited space and/or time, the Patio Jungle is an ideal jumping-off point; it's a free-standing container garden with a decidedly tropical feel. Or, with just a little extra work, you can install the Sunken Fish Pond. Both projects are easy to assemble (each can be completed in well under four hours) and a snap to maintain.

CREATING AN ECO-SYSTEM

Neither of these small ponds requires a filter; instead, they rely on nature to keep the water clean through a balance of flora (aquatic plants) and fauna (fish). To achieve this balance, you'll need to include oxygenators (plants whose root systems actually add oxygen to the water) and floating plants, which keep the growth of algae in check by shading the surface. Fish are …