The very act of making something on your own can fuel your creative desire. Garden pond design may seem like an impossible task to many when, in fact, it is quite possible to create and build a stunning garden pond if you follow some simple guidelines.

A water feature can be a simple above ground pond or a more sophisticated semi-in-ground pond stocked with fish and plants. The addition of fish and other wildlife can add to the vibrancy and attractiveness of your garden.

Before You Start On Your Garden Pond Design

Before you start, you need to decide if you want an above ground pond or dig a hole for a deeper garden pond. In most cases, people who wish to have a natural looking pond dig several feet into the ground. This type of natural pond is usually informal in design and has no walls to contain the water. A formal pond will is often constructed above the ground or at least partially above the ground, and will have rigid sides. If you choose an above ground pond be prepared to make it a minimum of two feet deep it you want to add fish. If you want a koi pond you will need a minimum depth of three feet. Shallow water tends to heat up quickly during summer and this will be detrimental to the health of your fish. It is quite possible to design a pond with, say, two feet high walls but also dig several feet below ground to have a deeper pond.

Choosing The Location For Your Pond

A shady area with some dappled sunlight is encouraged although, if you have no choice in the matter, there are ways of dealing with too much sun or too much shade.

Some people are tempted to install a pond in the lowest point in the garden where it will fill naturally with rain run-off. This is not a good location because run off from rainwater or watering the garden will contain pesticides and other contaminants which will contaminate your pond water, lead to algal blooms and kill your fish and aquatic plants.

Using A Hose For Garden Pond Design

Try designing the shape of the pond with a garden hose or similar. Leave the hose there for a while, move it around a little, think about where you might want to place a waterfall and where you’d locate plants.

A garden pond can be a very beautiful addition to your home. The sound of the water is very soothing and if you can design your garden pond close to the house you may be able to enjoy the sights and sounds from inside, too.

Technorati Tags: design a garden pond, garden pond design, garden pond designs

Choices For D-I-Y Ponds

When looking at the available choices for a D-I-Y pond, consider a few essential questions. What area is available for the pond? Certain types of pond will require more space. Koi ponds for example, not only need to be deep, but they also need to be large enough to hold a minimum of 1000 gallons of water. Another consideration is how many hours of sunlight the area receives. If your D-I-Y pond will mainly contain aquatic plants, it is important to locate your pond where it will receive maximum sunlight. Some plants require all day sun, while others can go with as few as three to four hours a day.

Once the area has been selected, design the shape of the pond by laying out  a garden hose or string or draw it on the ground with spray paint. One of the best ways to create a D-I-Y pond is to dig the area out and dig a shelf on the outside of the pond about a foot wide. The pond itself can gradually slope down; with shelves or terraces created every few feet. These terraces can be used to place containers of aquatic plants. The outside terrace is used to house the plumbing for the filtration and pump that is required in the pond.

The pond will need a liner. These can be purchased at almost any home improvement store. There are even one piece pre fabricated liners that can be laid into the ground. It is a good idea to place old blankets underneath the lining to help prevent it being punctured it when the water is put in. Rocks can be used to hold the liner down. Pots are needed to plant the aquatic and marginal plants incorporated into a pond. Floating plants do not need to be potted. Specific plants have different soil needs. Follow directions for planting the water plants for best results.

A filter and pump are two necessary items in D-I-Y ponds. This will help maintain the quality of the pond water, keeping plants and fish healthy. Without a filter and pump the pond will be invaded by algae. Plants will no longer thrive as oxygen is not being circulated throughout the pond.

A feature such as a waterfall can also be added and may be able to use the existing pond pump. Home improvement stores carry easy to install waterfall kits. To finish off the outside of the D-I-Y pond, place rocks and plants around the edge.

Technorati Tags: d-i-y pond, d-i-y ponds, do it yourself pond

Some of the things to consider when making a pond is the design and placement, remembering that any overhanging trees, even evergreens, are going to drop leaves or needles into the water and will need to cleared out frequently to protect the ecology of the pond and limit the amount of algal growth. If you are going to install any powered equipment in the water, steps to provide power and to help secure the equipment once installed should be part of the garden ponds design when making a pond.

A pond in the garden can be as small as a three or four-foot diameter hole lined with a pond liner or as elaborate as having a surface area of several hundred square feet. The size you choose will depend on the size of your yard, how much space you are willing to devote to the pond and the amount in your budget available for making the pond.

Finding Ideas For Garden Pond Designs

Finding out how to make a pond can be exciting, but deciding on what it should look like can take some time and some homework. There are many books and magazines that offer design ideas for making a pond and if you are going to hire a contractor with experience in pond construction, they will undoubtedly have several design possibilities that you can choose from.

Perhaps you have visited areas that had ponds installed and liked what they looked like and you can make a sketch to hand to the contractor. If you decide that building a pond is something you can do on your own you may still want to do some research on the proper installation of waterfalls, fountains and aeration techniques to make sure when building a pond they are done correctly.

Remember, if you plan ahead for installing electric lines or drains, it is easier to install them when making a pond than they are to put in after the pond has been filled with water.

Technorati Tags: garden pond designs, how to make a pond, make a pond, make a pond in the garden

We’ve found some great blog posts on garden pond design that you might like to look at:

• Building my new wildlife garden pond: design - Single basin or multi-basin? I prefer the latter. Single basin or multi-basin? I prefer the latter. Time to get on with making the new pond. First thing: the design - I’m going to make a multi-basin pond (the same as my first pond). …

• Water Garden Design - Which Water Garden Features Enhance Pond Design? - I’m eager to design a water garden in my backyard and prospecting space for it.

• Choosing a Garden Pond Design - If you are using a soft liner your water garden or fish pond can take any shape you like, square, round, oblong or just about anything else that your imagination can think of. If you are using a rigid or preformed pond then you are …

Technorati Tags: building a garden pond, choosing a garden pond design, garden pond design, water garden design

Duration : 0:8:48

Technorati Tags: alegre, danielle, filtration, fish, garden, kent, koi, living, Ponds, solutions, wallace, Water, watergarden

Duration : 0:1:18

Technorati Tags: design, DIY, feature, fountain, garden, ideas, landscape, patio, pond, Water, Waterfall

Duration : 0:1:53

Technorati Tags: a, aquatic, build, design, garden, goldfish, how, install, japanese, koi, pond, to, Waterfall

email us today to sign up for a consultation! tom@acornlandscaping.net

Duration : 0:4:43

Technorati Tags: AcornLandscaping.net., and, backyard, by, construction, design, garden, harvest, jalisco, landscape, landscapes, landscaping, lighting, Mexico., pond, Ponds, Rain, storage, systems., Water, Waterfall, waterfalls

Duration : 0:0:59

Technorati Tags: backyard, design, feature, garden, limestone, perth, pond, stone, Water

Duration : 0:1:16

Technorati Tags: a, aquatic, build, fall, garden, goldfish, installing, koi, pond, watergarden