Planning Your Water Garden

Planning Your Water Garden

There's just something soothing about the sound of falling water, or just looking at the reflections of the trees on a pond. More and more people are adding a pond or water feature to their yards. You can add one too, and enjoy the relaxing sound of a waterfall in your yard. But to get the maximum enjoyment out of a backyard water feature, you'll need to do some planning, and there are some important points you'll need to consider in planning your backyard pond.

Location: Probably the most important consideration is location. You may want a pond as a centerpiece to your backyard, or you may want it tucked away in a secluded corner. You'll also need to consider how much sun your chosen location gets. If you want plants or fish in your pond, they'll need certain amounts of sunlight, but not too much sun. When looking at your yard, keep in mind that a pond needs to be level. Is your backyard level, or is there a slight slope that can be leveled. If there are larger slopes, can they be incorporated into the design? You'll also want to consider the proximity of the pond to any trees in the backyard. Trees can provide shade on a pond, but in the fall, it will also mean more work skimming dead leaves off of the pond.

Formal or Informal: Do you want a formal or an informal pond? A formal pond is shaped like a rectangle, square, circle, or other geometric shapes. A formal pond is usually symmetrical, with a distinct border of bricks or flagstones. Formal ponds often feature statuary or fountains, designed to draw the attention to the pond. An informal pond, on the other hand, has a more natural shape. Informal ponds are usually surrounded by boulders and plants, and made to look like a natural part of the landscape.

Size: Size is an important consideration in planning your pond. You'll want a pond big enough to enjoy, but at the same time, you don't want one so big that it overwhelms the rest of the landscaping. Often, people will install a pond in the backyard, and then wish that they had made it larger. Make sure you know what size you want ahead of time. This will prevent any regrets once the pond is in.

Purpose: You'll also need to consider just what the purpose of your pond is going to be. If you simply want to enjoy the sound of a waterfall or fountain, you'll need to plan for that. You'll need to decide where the waterfall is going to be located, and how you're going to pump the water. If you want plants in and around your pond, you'll need to take in to consideration the amount of sunlight the pond gets during the day. You'll also need to plan out where to locate the plants. Some will need to be planted on the edges of the pond, others will need to be placed in pots in the pond, and some will float freely in the pond. If you'd like to raise koi or goldfish in your pond, then that takes more planning as well. You'll need a good filtration and circulation system in the pond to keep the fish healthy. Some fish also will not do well in a small pond. Koi, for example, need a pond at least 3 feet deep, and holding at least 1800 gallons of water. If you have fish, you'll also need to keep predators away.

All of these points are importatnt to keep in mind while planning. Where do you want it? How big do you want it? Do you want to keep fish or plants? A well planned water garden will be much easier when it comes time to build it, and it will make the finished pond much more enjoyable.

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