Dragonflies, frogs and toads will eat mosquitoes, slugs and other garden pests. Most aquatic plants, from the traditional water lily to the marginal iris, are easy to grow. You will be dividing them and giving the excess away or plopping it in your compost within a year, or sooner if you live in a warm climate. If you suffer from a brown thumb on dry land, it will be green with water plants. And if you're already an expert at dry land gardening, you'll be an ace at water gardening.
Yards serve many purposes.
They are places to work, play and relax. The water garden enhances each of these activities. Yard work can be dramatically reduced by the proper installation of a water garden. A pond with good filtration won't need maintenance more than once a month. It's also a wonderful way to end a hard day of outside labor.