A water feature in the yard is an elegant statement of good taste when it is well designed and maintained. The plants and fish form a micro-ecology just for the enjoyment of the people who are around them: nature’s beauty in microcosm. Garden pond designs can reflect the home and family who live there.
When a person is considering small garden ponds for their yard it is important that they consider exactly what it is that they want the small water feature to do. Is it to be home to koi? Other fish? Strictly water plants? Will there be a waterfall? A wading feature for children? Will it be lighted? Will it be in conjunction with a swimming pool? Is it just for show or will there be some practical use for the pond? How much is it going to cost? All of these are questions that should be answered before the first shovel cuts the turf.
There is more to small garden ponds than just a shallow hole in the ground filled with water from the hose. Starting from the top there are the visible rocks or blocks that surround the water. These rocks or blocks hold the liner in place while giving shape and adding an aesthetic appearance to the water feature. Gravel has one look while boulders have another, and while they can be used together the style will be more cohesive if the plan is laid out ahead of time. Next come the water circulation system, usually in the form of a water fall. Then there are the plants which offer some shelter for the fish that live in the pond. Under that comes the liner, which keeps the water from simply seeping into the ground to leave a bare whole in the lawn. Less obvious are the filter and the pump which work in tandem to keep the water circulating and clean.
Garden pond designs are commercially available along with do-it-yourself kits for those so inclined. There are professional landscape designers readily available to the discerning homeowner who wants a custom look in the lawn of their mansion. Whichever way the homeowner chooses, a well designed water feature can be a joy for generations to come.