Good article, great info, Mary/fiwit.
I've used these types of "water beds" for quite a few years now, and they're not just for daylilies. I also made mine like you did, using landscape timbers (much less expensive than 2-by lumber!)
As you can see I use them for all kinds of potted plants. The reason being is I grow hundreds (or thousands?) of plants and normally I spend a LOT of time watering them all, usually each one individually rather than using an overhead sprinkler. Watering that way is very time consuming. SO...the best part about the water beds is as you water the plant the excess water eeks out the pot and is captured, not lost to soaking into the ground/weed mat, etc. Even better, it gives me a reprieve from having to water later in the day or the next day (or next!) because as the pots begin to dry out the captured water will be pulled back into the pot. What a great form of recycling, eh!?
I've never had to worry about mosquitoes because each year I have ample tadpoles that take up residence in the beds. And of course, loads of frogs follow later, yet another beneficial to add to your surroundings.
I think this pic, taken later in the year, shows a wider variety of plants enjoying the pond!
Again, good info you've shared. Using these beds really helps to conserve water, helps keep your plants consistently moist, brings on the beneficial critters (tadpoles and frogs), and sure cuts down on watering time!
Shoe (lazy by nature; happy with water beds!)
edited to add: Those of you worried about excessive water, I usually have a corner of the beds that is naturally lower than the others. At this corner I leave a small gap between the timbers so I can pull the plastic down thru it and it'll drain the pond as little or as much as I need to, for example after a huge downpour or if there are too many days in a row where there has been little to none water usage by the plants (cloudy/rainy days, etc)
