Garden & Pond Top Tips

Create a water feature in your garden. A pond, ideally without fish, will enable amphibians and dragonflies to breed. If a pond is not practical, a simple bird bath or pebble fountain will provide a place for animals to drink.

Undertake spring pond maintenance within March or April.  Preferably when the temperature has been up above ten (Celsius) for a bit and the fish are eating and looking a bit perkier.

Want a pond but not sure what to do?

To get the very best from your pond it is important to consider all aspects carefully, being as clear as you can be with your plans. If you are planning on a pond with koi for example, plan on a lot of waste and therefore a better more comprehensive filter. If you keep your fish correctly they will grow quickly, so even small koi can soon become big, hungry brutes that expel large amounts of waste. Waste that then needs to be effectively dealt with, so a good comprehensive filter system is imperative for your assured long term enjoyment.

Without the right equipment for your pond you may find yourself doing too much. At this point I guess your pond becomes a chore, as a rule of thumb your pond will need some attention once a month. The right equipment for your situation isn’t always the most expensive or most up to date. Every single pond is different and therefore the supporting mechanisms for each can dramatically vary. There are many, many products available, differing both in terms of quality and ability.

We want your pond to be a success and will always advice on how to achieve this. Your interest in a pond can become much more when planned properly, constructed well and then nurtured.

If you would like for us to consider your specific needs, we can do that within an initial consultation. With this we will look to design and position your pond, advice of require construction techniques and our recommendations of all associated pond equipment. From this we will provide you with an estimate, with a detailed scheduled of works and overall project cost. The usual cost of this consultation is £65 (+vat), this is refunded should you wish for us to complete the works for you.

These are the considerations we make when considering a project for you. If you would like to follow this process it will help you to not only get a handle on your pond from the outset, but help you to a situation you can thoroughly enjoy.

  • Type of pond
    Formal or Informal
  • Position
    Sunlight, leaves, roots, drainage, ground conditions; will you enjoy it, should it be nearer to the house?
  • Size
    In keeping within your overall garden, big enough to incorporate all of your design features. Pond shouldn’t appear jumbled
  • Access
    Getting your muck away, does it need to be skipped, relocated within the garden. Will it be good enough to redistribute?
  • Inhabitants
    Koi and other carp or goldfish, shubunkins and orfe
  • Wildlife
    Accomodating frogs, toads and newts, dragon and damselflies
  • Aquatic plants
    Compatibility with fish, Pond depths, indigenous species, hardiness, colours, encouragement of wild life, overall benefits, oxygenating plants
  • Additional features
    Boggy areas, beached areas, bridge, waterfall, fountains
  • Child protection
    Temporary or permanent solution, consider how these will work with your pond
  • Heron protection
  • Lining
    Butyl, PVC, glass fibre, concrete, clay
  • Electrics
    Independent protected supply to be available, where is it coming from and how and when is it to be fitted.
  • Perimeter line
    Paving slabs, rockery stone and aggregates, turf, meadow grass, boggy plants
  • Filtration Equipment
    How much waste, how much sun, how many leaves, do I need a skimmer, how much time do I have to clean it.
  • Positioning of filtration
    It needs to be discreet and accessible, Is it gravity fed or pressurized? It can go anywhere think laterally
  • Plumbing
    Make sure plumbing can be re-accessed and inspected, if buried install correctly and keep a plan as to where it is
  • Construction
    After recognizing all of these things it is time to put it together. How will it be built and what will it look like. Not everything will work out exactly from this, so reassess as necessay and make any amendments until you have something you are ready to construct.

Once you have established the pond you want and would like for us to consider the construction of it for you, we are happy to provide an estimate for free and without obligation. Please make contact to arrange a convenient time to discuss your pond.

If you tend your own pond make yourself known to us.