| Selecting a Location |
| Step 1: |
So you've decided to build yourself a water garden/pond.
The first and most important decision you will have to make
is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! When selecting a site,
you want to keep in mind where you will be viewing the
pond from. If you locate your pond way at the back of your
lot to "keep it out of the way", you will be far less likely to
actually VISIT your pond, and enjoy it. Decide where you
will be most likely to sit and relax while looking at your
pond. Do you have a deck? A patio? A porch? Do you plan
to add one of these? Imagine yourself sitting on your deck
and being able to see the fish swimming about playfully in
the water. Imagine the waterfall as a backdrop for this
viewing area, gurgling and splashing down over the rocks.
The pond and waterfall should also be visable from inside
the house, say from the kitchen window. This way you'll be
able to enjoy the pond even during the cold winter months.
The first and most important decision you will have to make
is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! When selecting a site,
you want to keep in mind where you will be viewing the
pond from. If you locate your pond way at the back of your
lot to "keep it out of the way", you will be far less likely to
actually VISIT your pond, and enjoy it. Decide where you
will be most likely to sit and relax while looking at your
pond. Do you have a deck? A patio? A porch? Do you plan
to add one of these? Imagine yourself sitting on your deck
and being able to see the fish swimming about playfully in
the water. Imagine the waterfall as a backdrop for this
viewing area, gurgling and splashing down over the rocks.
The pond and waterfall should also be visable from inside
the house, say from the kitchen window. This way you'll be
able to enjoy the pond even during the cold winter months.
The picture above is of our yard not long after we moved
into our house. (Please note the dead bonsai at the front
of the photo on the deck. I manage to kill one bonsai every
year, and it's become kind of a sad tradition.)
If you're not good at visualizing things, this step may take
some time and serious consideration. If you know
approximately WHERE you want it, the best way to visualize
WHAT it will look like in that area is to lay out a garden
hose. You can and should paint it in later, but if you're
unsure about the shape and size of your pond, you can
easily adjust where the garden hose is laying. Lay out a
shape for the pond with the hose and then go back to your
viewing area (deck, patio, porch, kitchen window, etc.)
and sit down and take a look. Can you comfortably see the
pond from where you are sitting? If the answer is "yes",
you're ready to start the actual design. If the answer is
"no", thank you for playing and please try again.
into our house. (Please note the dead bonsai at the front
of the photo on the deck. I manage to kill one bonsai every
year, and it's become kind of a sad tradition.)
If you're not good at visualizing things, this step may take
some time and serious consideration. If you know
approximately WHERE you want it, the best way to visualize
WHAT it will look like in that area is to lay out a garden
hose. You can and should paint it in later, but if you're
unsure about the shape and size of your pond, you can
easily adjust where the garden hose is laying. Lay out a
shape for the pond with the hose and then go back to your
viewing area (deck, patio, porch, kitchen window, etc.)
and sit down and take a look. Can you comfortably see the
pond from where you are sitting? If the answer is "yes",
you're ready to start the actual design. If the answer is
"no", thank you for playing and please try again.
| Audio sounds provided by www.Freesound.org 38391- volivieri water flows over rock.wav 72722 - Manuel Calurano - Conversation between a nightingale and a frog.mp3 |
| Write me at: pondgal@gridcom.net |
When laying out your pond, these are the questions you need to ask yourself:
you like the sound of the water, you love the lilies and other water plants, or you have decided to change vocations and become
a certified koi snob, you will get the most enjoyment from your pond if it is located in a place that is easy to relax around and
has easy access for maintenance.
- 1. Is there enough room for a rock boarder around the entire pond? (plan on at least 12" - 18" around the ENTIRE
perimeter. Extra if you have big feet.)
2. Is there enough room for the filter box behind the pond? (plan on a 3' x 3' square)
3. Is there enough room for an effective waterfall or stream from the filter box to the pond? (plan on an area at least 9'
wide in the space between the lip of the filter box and where the water enters the pond. This will accommodate a stream
bed that is roughly 3' wide, with sloped planting areas on either side of the stream bed 3' wide.)
4. Give yourself at least 5' behind and around the sides of the 3' x 3' space for the filter box. You will need this hide the
filter box with excavated dirt and have adequate room to slope the excavated dirt up, creating raised flower beds.
5. Is there adequate electrical supply close by, or can it be easily added?
you like the sound of the water, you love the lilies and other water plants, or you have decided to change vocations and become
a certified koi snob, you will get the most enjoyment from your pond if it is located in a place that is easy to relax around and
has easy access for maintenance.