It is not easy to create a garden pond, especially on smaller plots of land. Sometimes the place is too sunny or too hilly, and the foliage of the trees also needs to be taken into account when building an ornamental pond. And: Safety plays a role before you decide on one of the five types of pond.
There are different materials for the garden pond
Inspiration often begins when you take a walk somewhere in nature and discover a pond that over the years has been covered with wild water lilies, surrounded by summer flowers and on the banks of which there may even be a rustic wooden bench on which to sit you can take a breather. The idea of creating a similarly idyllic spot on your own property was born and took its course. Even if this contemplative little pond in the great outdoors was not planned at all, but just came about by itself: If you want to get your dream pond in your own garden, you have to organize a lot in advance.
Where do I start when building a garden pond?
In addition to many detailed questions that arise about the construction technology and the equipment of a garden pond, some basic considerations are required first, such as:
- Where should I place my garden pond best and how do I proceed structurally?
- Is it cheaper to buy a prefabricated pool or should liner be used for the self-made ornamental pond? Or are there other materials?
- How do I design the pond? Should bubbling spring stones ensure the water flow or an underground pipe system that remains invisible?
- Which planting is optimal and what do I have to consider when creating a garden pond?
Build the planning for the garden pond yourself
A whole series of factors must therefore fit together, which, in addition to the optimal location of the new ornamental pond, also its size and desired shape include. After all, the new oasis should become a place of rest in the garden and it is far from enough to simply shovel in any free space, because not every place is suitable for building an ornamental pond.
The right terrain for garden pond construction
The search for a location is not particularly easy, especially on smaller plots of land. Unsuitable areas primarily include particularly pronounced slopes and garden areas with a high population of coniferous and deciduous trees. Experience has shown that the ideal location is within a lawn area and borders directly, but not too closely, on trees and shrubs. Also important for later accessibility for upcoming maintenance measures would be a zone that is easily accessible from all sides for choosing the location of the ornamental pond to be created.
About light, shade and importance of trees
Older and already very large trees can complicate the earthwork required when excavating with their overgrown roots. And if not now, maybe in a few months or years, when roots will start to grow into the pond liner, causing leaks. In addition, that can in the fall falling leaves pollute the pond floor, form fermentation gases in the water and negatively affect the nutrient content of the water. Equally unimportant are the lighting conditions, which must be carefully explored during the preparation for construction, as they affect the growth of the pond plants. Avoid too much shade if possible, otherwise the water lilies will have a hard time blooming. The ideal pond location is exactly where:
- until 11.00 a.m. the sun can shine unhindered;
- between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. there is partial shade;
A balanced ratio of light and shade directly benefits the water quality, because the more the pond heats up, the lower the oxygen concentration, which in turn encourages algae growth and enormously increases the risk of tipping.
Creating a garden pond: level or with a gradient?
From a purely visual point of view, a self-made ornamental pond with small hills and gradients naturally has its own special appeal, although this makes it a little more complicated to build, but it is still doable. Stacked, wedge-shaped underlying stone material then provides the appropriate balance and can be covered with soil afterwards or, even better, planted. If there is enough space on the property, in this constellation even several small ponds be created with different height levels, which can be combined with each other in a particularly attractive way.
Build an ornamental pond: in the middle or rather on the fence
In most cases, the most suitable solution is to start with the garden pond construction decentrally. In the middle of the property, future garden development is often blocked and a little off the beaten track, the location usually looks much more aesthetic and quiet than in the geographical center of the property. However, do not forget that later structural changes are hardly possible, since an ornamental pond cannot be moved so easily. You are on the safe side if you discuss your building project with your immediate neighbors beforehand. Finally, it could be that larger trees are to be planted on the property next door, which may extremely limit the sunlight on the future pond.
The safety of the garden pond system
Even if it is demonstrably your property, on which under normal circumstances no one should be looking for anything that does not belong there, counts a fence From a purely legal point of view, one of the most important criteria when planning your new oasis of peace. The legislature calls this requirement on a property owner, who is obliged to take reasonable precautions that help to prevent an accident, to be traffic safety obligations. If there is a proper fence, your previously taken out liability insurance will take effect in the event of damage. The protective measures must be somewhat more extensive if you have children. They are almost magically attracted to the water, so that the risk of drowning is extremely high, even in shallow water. Therefore, when creating a garden pond, take into account:
- Make embankments and riparian zones that are as flat as possible and never build deep zones right on the edge.
- Secure bridges and footbridges corresponding devices fall-proof away.
- Process coarser stones and pebbles, especially at the edges.
- Secure the edge of the pond with additional robust plants, such as rushes, which you can hold onto in case of danger.
Which type of pond is best suited to the environment?
Which type of construction is selected not only depends on the needs and wishes, but also results to a large extent from one's own abilities. You will not be able to avoid a professional lining of the pond profile after the excavation, possibly with a dense loam or clay soil, and this is by no means done in a few hours. The costs, even if everything is built in-house, should not be underestimated. But let's first have a quick comparison of the most common types of pond design.
| design type | Per | against | building material |
|---|---|---|---|
| foil pond | inexpensive, easy to process, mostly recyclable material, suitable for all sizes; | Concessions to the aging process, questionable in terms of sustainability and ecology; | bituminous films, rubber, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PE (polyethylene), EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate) |
| prefab pool | particularly high resistance to aging and comparatively long service life, simple installation; | limited size, complex connection of several pools, small planting zones; EXPENSIVE; | GRP (glass fiber reinforced plastic or PVC (polyvinyl chloride) |
| concrete pool | Pond shape can be planned very precisely, all imaginable sizes possible, robust, very long service life; | high workload, requires special skills in concrete construction, formwork may be required; | special types of concrete with a special steel reinforcement; |
| plastic basin | plannable shape as desired, good durability, also suitable for fish stock; | Manual skill and careful processing required, EXPENSIVE | fiberglass mats impregnated with polyester resin; |
| natural material | very natural and ecological transition to the edge of the pond possible, environmentally friendly; | expensive and labour-intensive, only possible with a cheap sub-soil, only worthwhile for larger ponds; | clay and similar minerals in powder, brick or tile form; |
The shape of the garden pond construction
Since an ornamental pond is usually built to imitate nature, there is hardly anyone who will place a uniformly round or even square structure in their garden. In nature, nothing grows bolt straight, so pond builders can let their creativity run wild. The more curvaceous, the more beautiful and special at the end you are often amazed at how harmonious with such a car asymmetrical garden pond at once the entire property area acts. The best way to plan is to use a fairly simple method that requires you to:
- any family members who are at home on the property;
- one or more garden hoses or clothes lines;
- a photo camera
A family member first lays out the rough contours of the planned overall outline on the intended area with a garden hose that is as colorful as possible. The next person then changes the position of the floor plan according to their wishes, etc. This game is over when all participants agree with the final solution at the end. Then just let it sink in for a few hours, and if the family is still completely smitten, snap a few photos of your future civil engineering site. For the final decision-making, however, the following recommendations should be observed:
- the shape of the garden pond is ideally adapted to the geometry of the overall area as much as possible;
- also consider planned ones differences in water depths a priori;
- think of small indentations or peninsulas that make the structure look more relaxed;
- If possible, avoid long straight lines when laying out the lines;
tips
A finished building with plants always looks much smaller than it was during the planning phase. So really use every free square meter, because experience has shown that a garden pond cannot be big enough. Incidentally, small ornamental ponds are much more work than the large ones, as the plants have to be cut back much more frequently.