There are many ways to incorporate a pond into your garden and make it look clean. This is important because the nicer your pond, the more likely you will always be out there enjoying it – which may not happen if planting a pond makes you worry about keeping it clean!
First of all, don’t put the pond right in the center or at one end of your yard. Every time you stepped outside to enjoy this centerpiece of a water feature, you would have to walk through dirt and mud to get there. You don’t want that because you’ll have a mess on your hands.
Choose a corner of your yard to place the pond, or situate it back in the trees so you can’t see it from the house. For example, if you have a backyard with an afternoon or evening sun spot, place the pond there where it will absorb that beautiful sunlight and help warm up those chilly nights. This way you can enjoy your pond in any season and not worry about keeping it clean.
Second, buy a liner to keep your decorative rocks and plants inside where they belong. This is usually pricey but worth every penny if you don’t want to fuss with dirt anymore than necessary to keep fish happy and healthy. If you choose this route, you can make your own water feature with a creative flair by using different colored liners – at least two colors. You can also place a concrete liner outside and line it with decorative stones inside. Another option is to line your pond with some kind of plastic such as geotextile fabric and then insert stones into that.
Third, try using non-living decorative rocks that won’t rot or evaporate over time. The best rocks are natural lava rock, which you can find at garden stores or online. You can also buy pea gravel or other decorative rock to fill your pond. You can even use something else besides gravel. The best thing to use is a material that won’t evaporate over time and makes no mess in or around the pond.
Fourth, choose plants with similar requirements for soil and water temperature, then group them by color. For example, if you’re planting water lilies and lotus, they will do well in mud but need cooler water so plant them on the north side of the pond. If you are planting tropical plants such as banana trees or bird of paradise flowers they need warmer water so they should be planted on the south side of your pond so they will get more sunlight. The good thing about this is that you can control the temperature of the water by adjusting which plant is closest to the lamp or heater.
Fifth, don’t allow your pond to get dirty. If you’re running a fish pond or other decorative program, use automatic feeders so fish don’t have to come in contact with dirt. Only add an occasional snail or two since they love mud and snails can live in it. If you want to encourage plants, only put them in at first. Instead of planting trees or other large construction materials that would take forever to fill up your pond – just put one small ornament then let your kids make the rest! Or better yet make little boats for ducks and leave them floating at the edge.
Bottom line
Buy a liner and keep your rocks and plants inside. Choose a corner or situate the pond back in the trees to stop guests being able to see it. Choose colorful plants that have similar water and soil requirements, but do not allow them to get dirty or decay. Lastly, keep fish happy by using automatic feeders and snails all year round.