As we haven’t been able to get to Universal or even have any type of holiday for the last two years due to Covid; its great to see restrictions being relaxed and our thoughts turn to summer.

Our last few summers have been spent tackling new projects in our garden or backyard as I believe some of you call it. One of my favourites was our garden pond which has given us a place to relax and watch the wildlife make its home there.

Choosing a pond

As we’d never had a pond before we did lots of googling to find information on the different types. So many decisions to make. I wanted a wildlife pond with hopefully frogs and birds but my hubby wanted a waterfall, fountains and Koi carp. Did we want an in ground pond or an above ground pond or semi in ground ? – you’d think we were after a swimming pool.

We decided on an in ground pond and then had to consider did we want pre- formed plastic, rubber liner, fibreglass or concrete ? We opted for fibreglass as these were strong enough to stand alone and wouldn’t collapse if we didn’t get the base right.

We managed to pick up a preloved fibreglass pond off ebay which came with a small waterfall. It seemed huge when we were loading it into the back of the truck but in hindsight I wish we’d gone for a larger one as once we got it in the ground it seemed tiny.

Digging a hole

Ours is only a small garden so we had to decide where to put it. I didn’t want to lose much of my lawn as I love hanging my washing out. We decided it could go near the bottom as the ground was fairly boggy there and apart from a few bushes it wasn’t used for anything else.

I did the supervising, which meant saying “careful you don’t hit a pipe” every few minutes. We turned the fibreglass pond upside down and sprayed the grass round it to leave the shape of the pond. Our pond has an irregular shape and was approximately two foot six inches deep , six foot long and three foot wide. It had a flat bottom and one end was higher with a shelf to accommodate plants.

We dug down about three inches below the depth of the pond and then applied about two to three inches of sand to the base and sides of the hole. We then checked to see how the pond fitted in, filled in any gaps with sand and used a spirit level across the top to make sure it was level. The soil we removed was piled up to make a berm on which we sited the small waterfall.

We filled the pond with tap water straight away so it would settle in the ground and also because we had read it would take a few weeks for the chemicals in tap water to be released and be safe for any pond life.

Landscaping the area around the pond.

A friend of ours had given us some sandstone so we used this to build a small rockery area from where our waterfall would appear to originate from. You can just make out the black hose at the far side of the pond which is attached to the underside of the waterfall and will eventually be joined to the filter.

The gravel covered matting on the edges really made a difference to the finished pond as it covered the green fibreglass. This was quite expensive and took a bit of time to source. I think it is used for miniature railway scenes but it was ideal as it was weatherproof and yet allowed water to drain through it. We placed weed control membrane on the area of the garden surrounding the pond, added more sandstone and then covered the whole area with golden gravel. Astonishingly we found tons of fossils in the golden gravel.

Adding the plants

Next step was to add some plants. We had a trip to one of our nearest garden centres where they sold preformed ponds and aquatic plants. The shelf in our pond held about three curved planters. We chose some varieties to give some height to make a safe environment for any wild life and some spreading plants. We weren’t sure which would come up year after year but nearly everything we put in is still thriving after four years. Plants help to keep the pond water clear by feeding on the nutrients in the water and release oxygen. We also opted for a waterlily – only one as we’ve only a small pond. That was quite expensive so I was hoping it would survive and it did. Here is an excellent article on pond plants.

Filtration

Again there is so much choice as to which type of filtration system to use. We opted for an all in one in pond filter from All Pond Solutions. Their website informs you how to calculate the water volume of your pond in order to get the correct size of filtration unit. We chose the All Pond Solutions 2500L/H all in one pond pump filter UV CUP-311. It comes with connections for a waterfall hose, several fountain attachments, ceramic media to grow beneficial bacteria, coarse foam filter and a UV steriliser to keep the water clear.

Tips

• We clean ours every couple of weeks using pond water to maintain the good bacteria.
• We do leave ours running in winter but disconnect the waterfall hose to prevent the water freezing and splitting the hose.
• We threaded a plastic tie through the lid of the filter to use as a handle to pull the unit out of the pond so we didn’t damage the hose connector by pulling on that.
• Support the filter on a couple of bricks so it doesn’t sit directly on the floor of your pond. If your waterfall hose sustains a leak and empties the pond without you noticing; your fish will survive in the few inches of water that will be left.
• The UV bulb will need changing at least once a year or when you notice your water is not kept clear.

Fish and wildlife

Of course most people wanting fish in their pond would ultimately choose Koi but not many have a pond large enough for Koi to survive. As a guide the experts say roughly one inch of fish per square foot of water surface. We chose Comets as they look like small Koi without the expense or the whiskers. They get quite tame and will approach you to be fed.

I initially wanted a wildlife pond but its turned out a bit of both. We have Comet fish and every year we get baby fish. We also get frogspawn so we must have frogs although its not often we see them. The fish eat the tadpoles and the frogs eat the baby fish so nature stops it getting overcrowded. We don’t feed the fish over winter when the pond temperature is less than 10 degrees Celsius as their metabolism slows down.

We get lots of insects and have the occasional dragonflies in summer. We also get a variety of birds coming to drink from the pool at the top of the waterfall and using it as a bird bath. Last week we had a Peregrine Falcon sat on the fence eyeing the fish up. The fish’s main enemy is the Heron. We have lost many fish in spring despite covering the pond with a net over winter. We always seem to remove it too soon but it does work when it’s on. The Heron is a magnificent bird and its just nature I suppose. I used to name all my fish but after losing a magnificent all white comet called Casper with an amazing long tail, I gave up, as we lost so many. A net doesn’t look very attractive but it works. The heron only seems to come in spring so the net comes off over summer. I have read that a heron can stab the fish through the net so we sling our net over the washing line making a sort of tent. We always think the heron has taken all our fish but after a couple of weeks, the few that are left will emerge from their hiding places. We have two black comets who bred in our pond and appear invisible to the herons. It’s always the bright coloured fish that we lose.

Calm, relaxing oasis

There’s always something going on in the pond. I love sitting on our deck, watching the fish and relaxing to the gentle sound of the waterfall. We added some lighting which we could have put underwater but just put around the edge of the pond.

It took a few weekends to complete the task as hubby only has Sundays off but, it was worth it and just wish we had room for a larger pond. I’d advise anyone to go for it.

As always be safety aware; we have an enclosed garden with a barred gate to prevent any children getting in.