Build your own
Garden Pond
Building a backyard pond is easier than you think! With a little
planning and effort you can create a garden pond in just a
weekend. A garden pond for reflecting, filled with koi or waterlilies can be
one of the most beautiful areas of your garden.
Start with some careful planning
Choose your area thoughtfully - Avoid putting your
pond into that low boggy spot in your yard. Areas like this
attract
runoff from your own yard as well as your neighbors and that means
groundwater and even chemicals may filter into your pond
system damaging plants and fish.
If you plan on adding lilies or other aquatic plants,
be sure that you place your pond in an area that will receive at least
4 to 6 hours of sunlight every day.
Don't hide it away in an area no one will see either.
Place it close enough to your house so that you can enjoy the view
from your deck or window. Keep in mind as well, that
being closer to your house means you will be closer to the electricity
which you'll need if you plan on having pumps or filters.
Decide on the shape, size and depth
Depth - If you plan on fish, they will need at least 2
feet of water. If you are in a cold area and experience a long
winter freeze, then your pond needs to be deep enough to allow 1
foot of clear water under the ice. In other words,
if you think your pond will have 2 feet of frozen ice on it,
then dig it 3 feet deep to allow your fish to survive the winter.
Water lilies and other aquatic plants need to have at
least 18 inches to thrive, but don't worry if your pond is
deeper as you can set the plant pots on cement blocks or flat stones
down under the water. But if all you want is a reflecting pond without aquatic
plants or fish, a depth of 1 foot is all the water you will
need.
Shape and size - You can purchase preformed pond shells and simply dig
out the ground according to their shape, or you can design your own
and use a flexible liner which allows you to make the pond as big or
small as you wish.
Using a pond liner
If you choose the liner, the easiest method is to lay out
your garden hose until you achieve the shape you like, then spray
paint around it right on the ground. Then you are ready to start
digging! You can use the dirt in other areas, but
you will need to save some for backfilling.
When your pond is the size, shape and depth you want,
line it first with felt or old carpet underlay. This will
protect your liner from sharp rocks and save you from a leaky pond. Choose a good quality, heavy duty liner. They are a little
more expensive but will save you the headache of having to dig up
plants and rip apart your pond to replace your liner after only a year
or two when it gets a puncture.
When laying your liner into the hole, make sure it is pressed up against the sides of
the pond as best you can and if you want to be sure there are no air
pockets you can fill it partially with water to help press it out. At this
point, if you plan on a pump or filter, these need to be placed
into the pond with the wiring laying out on the ground up out of the
pond, ready for you to connect to whatever power supply you will use.
Use rocks and slabs to create the pond edge
When the liner and pump are in place, put your first
layer of rocks on top of the liner along the edge of the pond.
Make sure you leave a small space where the pump and filter wires exit the
pond in case these ever need to be replaced. Next, fold the
liner up behind the rocks you have placed on the edge so that it is
sticking up in the air and backfill with dirt. Then you can trim
off the excess liner. If you use this method, your
pond can be filled right up to the bottom of the first layer of rocks.
That way your liner won't be exposed to the sun and won't be as likely
to degrade.
After this, the finishing rocks, or slabs can be place
around. Some pond owners may like to put these rocks firmly in
place with cement. You can then backfill with topsoil ready for
planting.
After your pond has been filled, you need to
wait at least a week or two for the water to stabilize before adding fish
which gives any chemicals that may be present in your water time to
dissipate.
This will give you a chance to add some water lilies
and other aquatic plants as well as add the finishing touches to the
landscape surrounding your beautiful new water feature.
Congratulations, you are the proud owner of a charming new garden
pond!
For more details on
ponds and pond equipment
check these retailers that we have reviewed.
