Waterfront Property – with a Garden Pond

Location, Location, Location

Select a spot that is level and, if you want to add fish, out of direct sunlight. Make sure that there is enough room for the pond as well as plantings. To complete the job, you’ll need: a shovel, a garden hose, ax, metal rake, bucket, sand, plastic liner or shell, pump and filter and, most importantly, your imagination.

Dig It

After you’ve found the perfect location for your pond, you’ll need to decide whether you want a hard-shell liner or a flexible vinyl liner. A hard shell is more durable, but you’ll have to dig more precisely to match the exact shape of the shell. A vinyl liner allows you to create a free-form pond and is more forgiving than rigid plastic. But, it can rip.

If you choose a hard-shell liner, you can purchase them in various sizes and shapes at any good garden store. Place the shell on the ground and spray around the bottom edges. This will create a watery outline for you to use as a pattern to dig. Make your hole a few inches deeper than the pond and pour sand into the hole to stabilize and level the liner. Then place the liner into the hole and fill the liner with water; use a level to determine if it is set evenly in the ground. Once the water is level, fill in around the edges with more sand and then with topsoil.