Pond Basics

 

Water features, such as ponds and fountains, have recently become very popular . The sound of running water is soothing and an attractively landscaped pool with some fish, water plants (even water lilies!), and a waterfall or fountain can be a beautiful addition to your garden. The most important first step is to decide where your pond is to be located, and how it is to be constructed. Things to consider are:

 

Pond size should be as large as the site and your budget will allow. Larger volumes of water do not change temperature as quickly. Depth is most practical at 18-23 inches. A pool 24 or more inches deep requires, by law, a lockable, 6 foot fence. If plants, particularly water lilies, are to be included, at least 6 hours of sunlight daily is necessary. Locate your pond where it can be seen and heard from both inside your home and seating areas of your garden. Try to avoid locating under decidous trees, as leaves dropping into the pond are a nuisance. An electrical supply is necessary for a pump and possible lighting.

 

Choosing the Pond

 

Pre-formed ponds are the easiest to install but are limited in size and shape. Heavy butyl liners are more of a challenge to install, but give you unlimited flexibility and design. Poured concrete is not practical in Alberta. With our fluctuations in temperature, they crack too easily.

 

Installing a Pond

 

Choose site and outline area with garden hose to visualize shape and orientation. Excavate area and line with old carpet, or layers of newspaper, then add sand to cushion the liner. Pre-formed ponds are set into the hole so that the lip is just at soil level. Liners are draped into the hole and neatly folded at curves to fit. Add water as you shape the liner to help it settle into the pond. Be sure the pool is level. Use a board across it with a carpenter's level. If the pond is not level, the water will still be level, so it will look unbalanced. Edge the pond with appropriate material for your garden. It might look best with rock edging if rock is used elsewhere in the area. If there are other wood features such as a deck close by, it could look best with wood edging.

 

Water Garden Plants

 

Oxygenators help filter the water and utilize nutrients that algae otherwise use, so their utilization cuts down on algae formation. They float on the water surface. Floating plants, and potted plants with floating leaves such as water lilies, cover a portion of the water surface, so also cut down on algae production by eliminating sunlight on the water. They also are very attractive additions to the pond. Marginal plants, in pots on shelves or upturned pots in the pool at the edges, grow in soil, and add a natural appearance to the pond. Plants around a pond should look appropriate, but often mimic what would normally grow in a bog around a natural pond. The area surrounding an artificial pond is usually dry, so bog plants do not do well.

 

Fish

 

Fish add a fascinating aspect to a pond, with their movement and color. Goldfish do well in a pool over the summer, and are inexpensive. Koi are more expensive, have beautiful coloration, grow to be large fish and become somewhat tame. Fish also eat mosquito larvae.

 

Overwintering

 

Once there has been a frost, water plants and fish should be brought indoors. Neither can survive outdoors over the winter. Once foliage has died back remove and keep remainder in a loosely tied plastic bag with a damp rootball, in a cold but frost-free place until spring. Check the rootball periodically to be sure it hasn't dried out. Some tropical water plants may be kept in water under artificial lights for the winter. If an appropriate place is not available to store plants over the winter (we don't always have cold basements anymore), it is best to consider them as annuals and replace them in the spring. Fish can be kept in an aquarium indoors for the winter. It will need a filter, but not a light or heater. For more information on water gardens, there are many excellent books in our bookstore.