Garden Ponds

Garden Ponds Help Attract Wildlife

Most people when thinking of garden ponds tend to include fish in the scenario, so if we choose to have fish we should make sure the pond is an adequate size and then maintain 
a healthy habitat for them. 

Fish are easily stressed and this can lead to various 
diseases that can kill them. 

There is also the fact that fish like to eat and they have very healthy appetites and will find what we are attracting to our pond a delicious addition to their diet. 

Even so, having fish in garden ponds is achievable and to 
many very satisfying, but it does require more expertise.

At this stage its good to keep in mind what our initial objective is in having a garden pond, so the following advice should come as no surprise to anyone who is familiar with the mindset of Wildlife Gardening Tips. 

Start with a simple easy to make and to maintain pond and then let your pond grow with your increased expertise. 

Having said the above there is the option of making a pond that could accommodate fish in the future and introduce them when the pond and its wildlife are well established. 

Most garden ponds are very adaptable and can be managed 
to meet the needs of local wildlife as well as our own added interests, which are often born from increased knowledge.

There is a variety of options when it comes to installing 
a pond in our garden space. 

Containers were used to create the front and side walls 
for this pond then it was finished off with cladding.

Raised Pond With Cladding

Garden Pond Kits

With so many garden pond kits available to us, we should 
be able to create the pond that is right for our garden.

In my mind what could be described as a timeless 
style is a timber framed raised garden pond. 

It could equally look at home in a contemporary garden as 
well as a more traditional one. With its interlocking system 
this pond kit is easy to assemble. Once assembled its just a matter of fitting the liner in the usual way. 

For me the hexagonal shape will either be a big plus or it's a best not trying to fit a round peg into a square hole situation. 

Along with various sizes there is a "half a hexagon" shaped option which might be just right for the spot we have in mind. 

Preformed Flexible Garden Pond Kits

These are a cost effective way of having the instant pond.

As they are available in a wide variety of depths and sizes 
it's more than likely we will find one that fits where we want 
to site our pond. 

The shapes vary, being approximately square or oblong, all sizes having shelves at different depths to place plants on. 

A hole has to be dug to the approximate shape of the pond though, then lined with a soft sand, which is also used to firmly back fill while the pond is being filled with water. 

This may sound more difficult than it is. The end result at 
a relatively low price is a pleasantly shaped durable pond 
that would look well in most gardens.

Free Standing Preformed Flexible Garden Pond Kits

These are rigid in design which means they can either be installed in the ground, be free standing or buried to a comfortable working or aesthetic height. 

They are described as impact resistant medium density polyethylene, so it will take knocks, but we are advised 
to still take due care if installing it in the ground. 

Choose from the colours black, blue or green and from 
two feet square (61cm) to nine feet diameter (277cm) with rectangular shapes also available. 

Shelves would have to be created if needed. 

The Simplest Of Garden Pond Kits

The final and most popular option we will mention is 
the flexible, adaptable and durable pond liner.

This is the way to go if a customized garden pond is required and it has to be achieved on a relatively low budget. 

An added attraction with this option is that it can be purchased in complete garden pond kits. Meaning that along with the liner and pond liner protector a pond pump and pipes are supplied as well. 

There are several packages available and it would be surprising if we couldn't find one that meets our criteria to a reasonable degree if not perfectly. 

With this option we can also consider including some 
form of pond waterfall while installing the pond. 

This will require a little more thought and preparation but will be easier to do at this stage and to have moving water will add to the attractiveness of our pond, to us and the local wildlife. 

So any garden pond kits that include a pump that is able to supply a waterfall is worth giving some extra attention. 

We didn't include a pond waterfall and we do wish we had, 
so for us this is a project still to do. 

Whatever type of pond we have decided to use and assuming we haven't used contractors, up to to this point we have been doing all the work in installing our pond. 

If we've included a pond waterfall it will be working 
with us by helping keep oxygen in the water. 

One parting but by no means unimportant point 
to highlight has to do with pond safety. 

Water is fascinating to most of us which includes children, 
so we need to consider what steps we might need to take 
to avoid accidents. Whatever we do - Keep It Safe!

A wildlife friendly garden pond definitely helps attract 
a variety of local wildlife and adds to the experience 
and pleasure of creating a Wildlife Garden.