Informal Ponds

Natural ponds are invariably informal. If you want to create something similar in your own garden you should first study how water looks without the interference of man. For a start, it will almost certainly be situated in a fold or dip in the land and, although we don’t always have that much space at home, we can at least use the shapes and contours of the garden to ensure that the feature sits comfortably in its surroundings. You can use the spoil from the excavation for this contouring. Remember to keep the topsoil separate from the subsoil, replacing it last as a medium for planting or lawn.

Since natural ponds do not have any kind of artificial lining, one of the worst blunders in building an informal pool is to leave the edge of a butyl sheet or concrete rim projecting above the water. The secret is, of course, to lay the liner beneath the bank, bringing it up above the water level a short way from the edge of the pool. The sides of the pool should, if possible, dip gently towards the water with marginal planting linking the two elements together. Alternatively, a beach of cobbles or small stones can be a most effective edge and will allow animals to approach anddrink more easily.

Planting is vitally important both in and around a natural pond. On a very grand scale, trees, and particularly weeping trees, will providea strong vertical line against the horizontal plane of water. Willows are quite magnificent if you have a garden and lake of many acres but are a disaster in a small plot. Far better is weeping birch or one of the larger shrubs such as dogwood or bamboo.

I’m very much against the use of brash fountains in informal ponds. Reflections are far more telling: if a pool can be sited so that it mirrors a wide open sky or a particularly fine area of planting then your design is almost guaranteed to be a success. In a rural situation, you might even occasionally have the opportunity of using water as a boundary, drawing the more distant landscape into the garden. In this instance a fence becomes superfluous and you can enjoy that rare and precious element — an uninterrupted view of the open countryside beyond.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Informal Ponds

• Formal Ponds
• Simple Garden Projects: Birdbaths and Fountain
• Simple Water Features
• Elements of Design
• Green Garden Landscape Style and Atmosphere
• Small-Scale Solutions
• Care of The Pool and Plants
• Paths and Patios
• Hard Landscaping
• Marginal Aquatics