Pond Design

How your garden pond should look like is entirely based on your outlook. You can go for a simple oval/circular shaped pond or consider a more complicated design. If your backyard pond will have wildlife and aquatic plants, you can also consider multiple layers. If you plan on making your garden pond design extremely professional then you can make use of pond design software programs to get design ideas in addition to looking at pictures of garden ponds.

Size of your Garden Pond

The size of your garden pond again depends entirely on the space availability and the actual purpose of your back yard pond. But as a general rule of the thumb, larger ponds are easier to manage and are actually less costly per gallon as compared to small garden ponds. In addition if you are considering introducing aquatic life like fish into your pond, it is best to go for a larger pond. This is because larger ponds are ecologically stable for aquatic life and look beautiful too.

Again, there are chances that you might be considering a bigger pond in the future and by then reconstructing a smaller pond into a larger one will be a tough ask. So as far as the size is concerned, try to go for as big a pond as possible.

Location of your Pond

To find a suitable location for your pond you got to first decide on the type of pond you are planning to install; whether it's a water garden, an ornamental pond, wildlife pond or a Koi pond. All these types of ponds have different requirements that need to be taken into consideration.

For instance, if your pond is going to have more of aquatic plants then you should find a place in your yard that receives at-least five to six hours of sunlight per day, to ensure healthy development of the plants. On the other hand if you are planning to install a Koi pond then you should locate it in an area that is shady and does not receive direct sunlight for longer hours. Here are a few factors you can consider for your pond location.

Tips for Pond Location

• Locate your pond in a place which is visible from your home window or your favorite relaxation place. This will help you fully utilize its beauty
• Irrespective of the type of pond, make sure you locate them away from trees that create debris. Like for instance, pine trees can shed pine needles that can poison the pond and cause harm to the fish
• Unless you are construction a Koi pond, ensure that the pond location gets at least five to six hours of direct sunlight. In case of Koi, you can decide on locating your pond at some shady area or cut direct sunlight by overhead sheds
• Consider your electric points while deciding on location. It would be best to have access to an electric point near to the pond for easy installation of lighting, pumps etc.
• Consider locating your pond on an elevated area instead of a low lying one to prevent run-off water from rains and other sources from infiltrating and polluting it
• At times you can find certain areas of your backyard being overlooked as nothing grows there. If you have such an area, then a pond should be a perfect fit there, provided other conditions are right

You can make use of a garden hose to mark the pond circumference when you are deciding on the location. The garden hose can be moved with ease in comparison to marking a position with chalk which can be a daunting activity.

Continue to Pond Budgeting and Building

Pond Building Guide

Introduction
Pond Design, Size and Location
Pond Budgeting, Building and Edging
Pond Filters, Pumps and Lighting
Building Backyard Fish Ponds: It Can Be Done!
Select a Water Pond Pump