A garden pond is a beautiful addition to any landscape design; it adds a visual, and also auditory element, the sound of water is soothing, and can even help drown out noisy neighbors. A garden pond can be simple and small or it can be very complex, involving waterfalls or serious depth—some even add fish to their pond, creating a fun splash of life and color. Ponds also provide the perfect answer for any soggy spots throughout your yard or commercial property. There are so many reasons people install a pond to their landscaping, but before you decide to install a pretty little pond of your own, beware the loads of hard work these high-maintenance water holes require.
How Much Work Are You Willing To Put In?
The experts, those that have already installed a garden pond of their own, all say the same thing: it is more work than they ever expected. Also, consistency is key, the moment you start to slack on the touchy maintenance your pond can go from a beautiful relaxing focal point to a stinky, backyard eyesore. See if you’re really up for the challenge by starting small and installing a hard-shell pond (3×5 feet or so), planted shallow into the ground. These rigid pond liners are typically very affordable, although they don’t offer as much design diversity as more invasive garden ponds.
No matter how big or small your pond is you will need to control the surrounding area for pests, as water and plant life side-by-side quickly find the attention of all nearby bugs. Look for natural ways to ward off bugs, especially if you have fish; you don’t want any harmful pesticides to leak into your pond and harm your helpless fish.
Before you even get started picking out a garden pond for your yard, you’ll have to first check with your city’s guidelines and laws regarding ponds. In many states the same rules apply to a pond as a swimming pool. You may be required to build a fence around your pond or keep it under a certain depth, to prevent children from falling in or drowning.
Here Fishy, Fishy—How To Successfully Add Fish To Your Pond
If you decide to put fish in your garden pond you want to make sure that they will all get along, just like the plants in your garden certain species of fish
don’t mix well together. Although, underwater the devastation appears faster when one fish simply eats the other. Once you’re sure all gill-breathers get along,the next threat to your fish will lurk through the neighborhood on 4 furry legs. The neighbor’s cat and the hungry raccoons that live out behind your house are all craving some fresh fish. Too many people run out and buy expensive fancy fish, only to find their pond water empty come morning. Make sure your pond fish are not easy prey by installing proper precautions.
Potted Plants Make Great Garden Pond Accents
A garden pond beneath a bushel of big tree branches sounds ideal and beautiful, besides you might even be thinking the shade will help keep away the algae. Think again, trees create a lot of mess in ponds; in fact, direct sunlight presents less damaging exposure. The mess begins as soon as a tree starts shedding its leaves—which is always. Quickly you will find leaves strewn all throughout your pond if it resides directly beneath a tree, and if you don’t continually remove fallen debris they can create algae and other bacteria to form in the water. Also, it’s possible for some ponds to damage nearby tree root systems; a great way to avoid this risk is to place potted plants around the outskirts of your in ground pound. Potted plants are easier to maintain near ponds because they have their own root system and can be moved so that they provide shade without littering your garden pond.
Is A Pond Right For You?
A garden pond will add a unique wow factor to any space, especially when adorned with the perfect collection of potted plants, if you are willing to put in the work to maintain a pond it can provide a tranquil spot to relax and enjoy life. Just don’t forget, the moment you get lazy about maintenance the natural beauty of your garden pond will disappear, leaving you instead with a swampy mess. There are plenty of ways you can add a punch to your landscaping without granting yourself all of the excess work a pond comes with. For instance, check out our wide variety of functional decorative planters, each varied design offers a low maintenance source of style and beauty.
More Pros and Cons for adding a Garden Pond