J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Have always fancied a pond, Spoon mentioned has one so got me thinking as we are planning on doing some radical garden work next year, Summerhouse, new patio, plants etc.

I quite fancy a pond, the wife does but she thinks it would have to be meshed over and is terrified of small children wandering in and falling in it, that worries me but with adequate precautions it should be ok, our kids are aged 7, 9 and 10 so should be old enough.

The garden is over 100 foot long and 40 odd feet wide, big hedge, trees and shrubs all around so a pond would finish it off, I was thinking a sort of half circle using the shrubs to disguise the straighter edge making it look like half a bigger pond.

So any pointers as to how to do it, I suspect its not just a case of dig a big hol, especially since the neighbours at the back is very close to the boundary, they may object to a big pond right near there house.

Have always fancied Koi and perhaps going for a bit of a Japanese feel with Maple trees and Bamboo.

Do they involve loads of work ?>

Brendan Hughes

Is your garden level? Building a back wall for a pond on a slope spoils it a bit.

Koi I think are hellish work, maybe I'm wrong.

I don't see why/how neighbours could object.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

No its flat

David Lock

I think ponds are terrific for a garden and good for kids to as they attract a lot of wildlife. But they can be hard work and expensive, especially if you go the Koi route. But you can buy small Koi for a fiver so you don't have to start with the 12" £600 plus jobs!!

Best thing is to go and see a selection of ponds and get some ideas. And talk to pond and fishy peeps; thay are like people with bad backs - they will talk for ever

You must plan it if you are serious - no point in spending ££££s on a 3ft deep pond only to find out that Koi ponds need to be say 4ft deep minimum.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...uet/POND-1.jpg

Happy digging. dl

InvisibleMan

i shouldnt worry about kids falling in but when they do, dont worry about the grass snake bites, they dont hurt, they might be abit scared by the experience but no harm done...Watch out for herons getting your koi. and cats theyll have the fish, frogs theyll just play with, whereas the snakes will eat them whole(the frogs that is not the cats), so if yer kids are squeamish they may not like seeing frogs sliding down a snakes gullit, though knowing kids theyll probably think its cool. If anything its a haven of nature & life for the kids to observe so enjoy, unless you're agm in which case itll be fortified and electrified to keep the cats, herons and kids out

Spoon

J4CKO, I had a JCB come in and dig 2 ponds as I wanted a bridge running through the middle. The whole design takes up about 60 sq ft and is way up the top of the garden.

You will need to find out whether or not your pond can hold water without being lined. The only way is to fill the hole with water and wait. Both my ponds also benefit from pumps to keep the water 'fresher', particularly in the summertime. Lights all around too are great at night.

I had to cover my ponds over, only because of the herons that fed for free. They are no longer covered over as I lost 20 odd Koi because my then German Shepherd puppy found it amusing one night to take the fish for a walk and store a few in his kennel.

I am looking to get a few more fish but not bother with the expense of Koi again. The last lot cost thousands, only to become garden ornaments one morning.

My ponds do pose a huge job to maintain if you want the surrounding areas, that have all manner of trees and shrubs, to stay looking good.

Trees overhanging the water will also make life harder as you'll be fishing out leaves, and in my case, apples.

The design is up to you but you'll need it deep enough and relatively clean enough for Koi. As merely a wildlife pond with some fish, the depth and clarity isn't as important.

DMC12

Now I want one...

speedking

Echo what DL said.

Useful tips here. I would start by thinking about whether you want fish or not. If you do, what sort and size. Then calculate the area and depth required.

Quite hard work at this time of year, lifting and cleaning the filters about twice a week.

Think properly about maintenance. Can you get to the back of the pond to attend to plants etc. Have a waterfall or similar for aeration. Make the filter easy to access (I have to get a plank and lay across the pond to reach mine ) Don't plant trees to close or the roots will puncture the membrane!

Good luck.

The Snug Rhino

My parents have just filled theirs in after about 15 years......LOTS of hard work unless you are happy with a "natural" look (green and full of weeds)

I like the idea but couldnt be bothered with the work load.

Spoon

Employ somebody then, you tight wad.

Dave T-S

Have a 60' long ornamental fish pond in the front garden, but about to dig a very large wildlife pond at the back. Just trying to deal with the headache of disposing of 1000 cubic metres (yes, that's 1000 ) of spoil that will come out

Could always dig a hole and bury it I suppose.......

The Snug Rhino

lol....not a bad idea!

Duck_Pond

Why not get a lazy-man's version then, made from a half-barrel? Do a search for such ponds on Google. They seem easy enough to create and manage.

Brendan Hughes

David Lock - what does your fencing guard against? Seems odd, the angle of it. I guess heron, but I don't understand why/how.

pauld37

Koi are a bit of a worry, plenty of looking after, but certainly worthwhile .
I wouldn't personally advise planting bamboo, we had loads in our garden and it ran riot, roots popping out everywhere, took ages to shift

The Snug Rhino

yep- keep the bamboo to tubs/pots (or buy a panda)

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

The big thing people tend to miss with ponds are the filters.... one idea is to have a filter pond feeding the main pond and connected by a stream - or dig a bloody big hole for the bacteriological one.

You'll need to run a mains cable up to the pond for the pump (and you NEED a pump), so you may as well wire in some lights, it looks stunning if done well.

Koi are worth it, but they are a complete PITA.

I only wish our back garden was big enough

David Lock

Brendan, the angled posts hold 3 trip wires running around the pond. Angled inwards to try and put Heron off balance if he leans over from land side and prevents him flying in from water side and perching on edge of slabs inside wires. A bit ugly but seems to have worked so far and we get a Heron most mornings on his way to local village pond. David

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

yep- keep the bamboo to tubs/pots (or buy a panda)

LOL !

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

This is the garden taken from the back bedroom.

that in the middle of the garden is a piece of old worktop the kids have dragged from somewhere, and the white thing is my wife's straggly old bush....

philc

i was thinking about a water feature until I was told that the pond should be above the prevailing water table - otherwise the lining of the pond will be pushed up by the water table.....the garden was low lying with a high water table in winter (ie a few inches below ground level in the garden).

speedking

Only the surface of the pond has to be above the water table. If the ground is fairly flat then you could fairly easily build a 15-30cm bank around the pond to raise the level adequately to allow for any low levels in the pond due to evaporation, although it is likely that the water table level would also be lower at the same time. (Does not apply if you live next to a river that floods, or the pond is sited on a spring.)

CooperS

Your wife's bush needs a trim