A pond anywhere anytime
Water Gardening in tubs has been around for centuries in Asia and the palaces and temples still maintain large collections of container ponds for Tropical Water Lilies and Lotus. Here in Austin we have mild enough winters for tub gardens to be winter hardy and larger ones can even support small fish.
This type of aquatic gardening is very popular with city dwellers and anyone with a small courtyard, patio or balcony.
Water plants will purify their own environment and the water will stay fresh. After a few weeks you will have a balanced pond that can support a few small mosquito fish or gold fish or even tropical fish during the summer.
Tub gardens can be anything from a shallow dish will minuscule plants or a tub holding several houndred gallons with blooming lilies and marginal plants.
A starter tub garden would be a nice container about 30" wide by 14-16" deep.
Locate tub in about 4-6 hours of sun for best results in the summer months.
This would hold a waterlily, one marginal plant some spreading plants and a bunch of oxygenators; you can add a small ornament and little pump if you want the sound of water. Fish are also optional and should be kept to a minimum.
Tadpoles
Leopard frogs, Green Frogs, Bullfrogs and Toads
Frogs and tadpoles are a curiosity for young and old, and bring delight and insect control to the pond and garden. One of the first
volunteer residents in your pond will most likely a frog or toad. Naturally draw to water for safety and food these amphibians are voracious predators and will eat many unwanted bugs.
Spring and summer bring a nightly chorus with toads sometimes being very
loud after spring rains.
Frogs can also be loud but with more subdued tones and fewer participants.
Leopard frogs are green with bronze spots or variations and are very shy. Green frogs are larger than a leopard and sport a bright green face and head. Bullfrogs grow the largest and look like a green frog but duller green to brown and can grow to about a foot long, they can also eat fish so these are usually not recommended.
All frogs start as a tadpole that gradually grows to about 2" or more before turning into frogs and can take a few months to over a year to grow. Frogs are a good source of food for many animals and dont seem to overpopulate.
Toads can be extremely reproductive and can have thousands of babies in just a few days. These quantities can foul your pond and kill your fish by polluting the water or robbing all the oxygen. Toads will show up in most all ponds and are very beneficial for your landscape and promote natural balance.
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Heat Loving Agave 
Agave are excellent landscape specimens and are widely used in desert-scapes or xeriscape landscapes. Drought tolerance and a love of hot sun mean these plants should be out in the open all day. Many are native to higher elevations and may need a slight amount of water in the hottest months. Agave should not be planted on level ground, drainage is essential so mounded, terraced rock gardens or sloped areas work well.
Agave Cornelious: Bright Variegation makes this agave a focus point. Grows about 2-3' tall by wide.
Blue Dune Grass: Obscure little know grass. This very durable semi evergreen grass looks good all winter and is very drought tolerant. Factor in deer resistance seasonal grass heads and a 2-3' tall spreading habit and you have a very good all around landscape choice. Leymus arenarius can be aggressive and take over a bed of weaker plants: It
should be planted with larger plants that contrast well with the dusty blue blades.