Dreaming of Your Ideal Pond
What comes to mind when you visualize the ideal backyard pond? How would it fit into your yard? Who will be enjoying it and what would they use it for? Would it be located near (or on) your deck or patio for up-close enjoyment, or would you tuck it into the woodsy section near the back fence in the hopes of attracting a few curious raccoons and colorful songbirds? Do you prefer a low-maintenance plants-only pond, or are you fully involved in the vision of a prize koi showcase? Considering all these questions, what special features would you like to incorporate?
Especially compared to blank swathes of perfectly manicured green lawns, decorative ponds are some of the most exciting landscape features to design, install, maintain, and expand over time. A carefully designed decorative pond can add drama, tie together disparate visual elements, and create focus for an outdoor retreat, or serve as a centerpiece for a stunning outdoor showcase that stimulates all the senses.
A pond that’s well-constructed and planned with sensitivity to local ecosystems can become a valuable habitat for native plants and wildlife, providing them with the crucial resources they need to thrive. For example, since many insects are specialized and only feed on one type of plant (think monarch butterflies and milkweed), they become critically threatened when habitat is lost, whether that’s caused by spreading development or injudicious use of weedkillers in residential gardens. You can help counter that man made pressure by filling your pond with local plant species, or by researching what insects, birds, or other small creatures in your area are threatened and focusing on creating a niche especially for them.
You can actively support biodiversity and wildlife conversation even if you choose to use a formal design. Plant a few Typha latifolia (Broadleaf cattail) for a dramatic height and Nuphar lutea (Yellow pond lily) for a splash of floating color. Both are native to the US and threatened by invasive species.
The Nitty Gritty Details
It takes a lot of planning to create a stunning, peaceful oasis that offers relaxation and an escape from the hustle and bustle of daily chores…without adding to those chores! It’s a fact of life—no artificial pond or water feature is maintenance free, but the good news is that careful planning can make those chores significantly less burdensome. When you’re drawing up your first ideas, keep these considerations in mind:
- Keep in mind the cost of your design, including installation, equipment, maintenance, and ongoing energy use.
- Consider the seasonal maintenance that will be required for your pond - will you need to overwinter fish or plants? Will you need to add a small heater to keep an ice-free patch for overwintering fish to allow gas exchange?
- How will equipment be powered? If your pond isn’t near an existing outlet, extending an electric line into your yard is one option, but solar power could be a reasonable alternative.
- Nearly all ponds will need occasional topping off to keep water levels steady. Where will yours come from? Is it easy to access and bring to your pond? On the other hand, if there’s too much water, where will it drain to? Take care that it won’t drain directly to your neighbor’s basement!
- Do you plan to keep your pond full all year long, or will you allow levels to rise and fall with the season? Fish won’t appreciate changing water levels, but some plants will be able to tolerate a certain amount of variability. Keep their needs in mind as you make your plans.
- How will you maintain good water quality? Will you depend entirely on plants to keep the water clear and healthy? Or will you use a pump and filtration system? If you’re including fish like koi or goldfish, it’s best to add a biofilter and pump, although a generously planted pond can probably manage on its own, even when insects, frogs, and turtles move in.
- Use a liner to keep that precious water in your pond. Preformed plastic or fiberglass liners can be effective, but they limit your choice of size and shape. Flexible liners like reinforced polyethylene (RPE) or synthetic rubber (EPDM) allow you to create the pond of your dreams, with any size or shape. Flexible membrane liners offer strength, durability, resistance to UV damage, and are easy to install and repair.
- Safety first! If there’s a possibility that children will be playing in your yard or garden, make sure you’ve included all appropriate safety precautions in the planning stage.
Choosing a Location
Sunlight is probably the first thing you should consider when settling on the exact location of your pond. Most pond plants need plenty of sun, especially if you’re looking for flowers, but fish and other aquatic and semi-aquatic residents appreciate a shady spot to escape in hot weather. If you have planted a good variety of floating and marginal plants, your residents’ shade needs will probably be already met. Of course, you may choose to install your pond close by a tree to offer more substantial shade for your human visitors. Keep in mind, though, that even evergreen trees will drop needles and cones into your pond, which must be removed regularly. You may find that a shade sail is a more practical option in this case.
Fully submerged aquatic plants are invaluable for the oxygen that they bring to a pond, which keeps the water clean and healthy for plants and all wildlife. A poorly oxygenated pond will soon lead to the death of your plants, tadpoles, and any resident fish, and eventually will create objectionable smells. To keep your oxygenating plants healthy, make sure that they’re in full sun and not planted too deep. Sunlight can penetrate water enough for their needs, but if they’re too deep or shaded out by floating plants, they’ll die.
In general, while small ponds can look attractive when placed aboveground on patios, balconies, or in-ground close to a flower garden, larger ponds will look more natural placed in a low point in the yard. Of course, there are always exceptions, so don’t let this discourage you from considering a different vision! There are some disadvantages, however, to placing a pond in the very lowest point in a yard. Rainfall and surface flow will naturally collect in the lowest point, which may seem like a boon in hot weather when you’re seeing a lot of evaporation, but more often, it triggers a real problem. Excess nutrients, insecticides, herbicides, and other objectionable things like animal waste can easily be carried into your pond and wreak havoc on your carefully curated ecosystem. In general, any kind of surface flow should be directed away from your pond and into your municipal storm drains or specially designed retention ponds. You can accomplish this by installing berms or French drains around the upgrade side of the pond. Berms can form an attractive stone wall or a planted border that might frame a wrought iron bench for relaxing.
Large ponds should be placed where there’s plenty of space to move around safely and where it’s not crowded out by nearby structures like raised beds. Small ponds can be placed in tall containers or even in unique features like an antique bathtub, where they aren’t overshadowed by their neighbors. Small ponds also are great for taking pride of place on a balcony or patio.
Finally, think carefully about how your pond will integrate into your daily activities. Will it be visible from your house, your porch, or from a favorite backyard seating area? Whatever your enthusiasm level is at this point, a pond that is too far away from the spaces where you spend your time will eventually be neglected. Install your pond where you can see and hear it for maximum enjoyment.
