Ardcarne Garden Centre

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Building a Garden Pond

The tranquil reflections or sound of moving water from a pond greatly enhances the relaxing ambience of the garden. A pond is also an easy feature for anyone to install and can usually be completed over a weekend. Before you start digging however, there are a few important points to consider. Firstly, the site for your pond should be in an open area away from trees as the roots, fallen leaves and shade can cause serious problems. The style of pond should also suit the rest of the garden and house. Square or rectangular shapes would suit formal gardens while the more natural styles would be best in a country or cottage garden.

When you have decided on the shape, you now have a choice of materials for the pond construction. Rigid fibreglass liners can be bought in several shapes and sizes and are particularly suited to small ponds less than 2m2, while the flexible butyl rubber or heavy duty PVC liners are very versatile for any shape or size of pond and we tend to favour these. Unlike rigid liners, flexible liners also allow you to make the pond to a greater depth which is important if growing larger aquatic plants or stocking fish such as Koi carp. Butyl is slightly stronger than PVC and is a better choice for large ponds where it may be necessary to step into it occasionally to clean out.

If you choose a flexible liner it’s important to line the hole with a 2 inch layer of sand to ensure that no sharp stones cause a puncture. Check the levels carefully as water finds its own level and you don’t want to see a lot of liner at one end after it is full with water.

You can disguise the top edge of a flexible of rigid pond with bricks or slabs of natural stone but ensure they are set down securely if they are likely to be walked on. Then, simply fill the pond with water and install a small pond pump and fountain. Finally you can give your new pond a real boost with some aquatic plants such as waterlilies in the pond and marginal plants in the shallower water around the edge. Even in the space of a year, your pond will look well established and become a haven for wildlife such as dragonflies and frogs. Most of all it will become a peaceful and pleasant part of the garden and you’ll wonder how you managed without one for so long.