Create a Beautiful Stream-Side

When to Start: Spring
At Its Best: Spring to summer
Time to Complete: 3 hours

Materials Needed:

• well-rotted organic matter, such as manure
• spade and pond liner
• Canna indica
• Sedge, Carex comans

• Primula pulverulenta Bartley hybrids
• Horsetail, Equisetum hyemale
• Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'
• Dryopteris filix-mas

Create a Stream

To make a stream, dig a shallow, sloping trench with a large hole at the lower end. Then add a pump to move the water.

Prepare to Plant

If the soil is dry, consider creating a bog garden. Even if your soil is damp, add some well-rotted organic matter to further increase its moisture-holding capacity.

Planting and Aftercare

Arrange the plants in naturalistic drifts along the banks in groups of threes and fives, where possible. Plant at the same depth as they were in their original pots. Water in the plants and mulch with chipped bark to help retain moisture and suppress weeds. Water the plants frequently during their first year.