Making the final decisions on your pond design can be a daunting task, but making those decisions ahead of time will be what makes the difference in the success, cleanliness, and your overall enjoyment of the pond. Taking a closer look at the landscape architecture that goes into pond design (the placement, size, style, etc.) will help you make the right decisions for your pond. So, to make it a little bit easier for everyone, here are our top pond design ideas, and tips.
Basic Pond Design Ideas and Tips
To start gathering ideas for your pond, take a closer look at the world around you, buy related magazines, and pay attention to ponds you see in your local area. These things will not only help you gather ideas for what you like and what you want in your pond design, but it will help you see what may work best in your particular environment.
When you start designing your pond on paper make sure your pond is open and doesn’t have any bends or narrow necks. Those are breeding grounds for stagnant water and algae build up. If those things can be avoided from the beginning, you will have a much easier time maintaining the pond in the long run.
Decide if you are going to have wildlife in your pond and what kind specifically. Once you decide, make sure you know if these creatures will need any specific type of design to optimize their habitat.
Tips for your Koi Pond Design
Koi ponds are becoming a very hot commodity, but a lot needs to be taken in to account when you are considering these beautiful creatures for your pond.
First off your pond should be large if you want to keep koi fish. They are large fish and need a lot of space if you are going to keep them healthy. Of course then, the more koi you want to have, the larger the pond you will need.
Second, you may want to steer away from having a lot of pond plants. Koi will munch on pretty much anything and having extra plants for them to munch will only contribute to their waste, which contributes to dirty water that you will want to avoid.
Third, from a maintenance perspective, koi fish eat a lot, which means they will also put a lot of waste in your pond. You may need to make extra efforts to keep your water clean and clear because of this. Investing in a good quality filtration system will be a must.
Koi fish are a beautiful design aspect to your pond (especially when viewed from above….yet another reason to keep the water clean) and you will be able to enjoy them in so many ways, for so many years.
Lounge the afternoon away next to your Backyard Pond
Backyard ponds are relaxing and serene. Even if you have a small backyard, you don’t have to give up having a pond. Big or small yard aside, planning your backyard pond design is going to be most important here.
Placement of your pond is going to be essential, especially if you have a small yard that is simply a square or another “normal” shape. Cater your small pond design to the shape and style of your yard. Put the pond in a place that will give life to the shape of your yard. Placing ponds in the corner of the yard or next to a deck rather than the center can give great depth and variety to your backyard pond design.
Broaden your scope for your Large Pond Design
If you have a large backyard or a lot of land you probably want a large pond. Keeping your large pond design looking informal may be the best route for you. An informal look refers to a natural, organic feel. You will want to use mainly, you guessed it, natural and organic materials to achieve this.
Go Modern with a Raised Pond Design
Choosing a modern pond design gives the age old idea of a pond a new and fresh twist. If you want to go modern with your pond, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Keep the landscape architecture surrounding your pond the same modern type feel. You wouldn’t want the classical style paths, plants, and fountains and then suddenly have a modern pond sticking out like a sore thumb. Modern can be very classy, so try to achieve this by keeping your whole garden and pond design within the same category.
Another great way to kick up your modern pond design a notch is by incorporating a raised pond design. Having an above ground, or raised, pond is a great way to keep the contemporary feel to your garden or backyard. While raised pond design can be catered to a classical style as well, it is going to be easier to make look modern than a pond that is dug into the ground would.
With raised ponds the outsides are going to be supported by stone or brick which means you have a lot of options to help make the pond take on the exact look that you are wanting.
Specialize your Garden Pond Design
Having a pond that is especially unique to your garden is another great option. If you truly want a “secret garden” feel then try to incorporate a few key things to make sure your garden pond design feels exclusive.
Incorporate paths into your landscape architecture. Brick, stone, or even dirt paths give so much character to your garden and can lead you and visitors to certain pond views and focal points that otherwise could not be achieved.
Consider adding a small wall fountain or even a small water fall flowing into your pond. These things can be simple to install and add so much personality to your garden.
Keeping your pond the focus or making it the climax of the journey through your garden is a great way to achieve a specialized, unique feel to your garden pond design whether you have a big or small pond.
Plan, Plan, Plan, is there more to say? The more you plan out your pond design the greater chance you will remember all the details, the greater chance you will be able to achieve exactly what fits your land and your personality, and the less chance you will end up making a mistake that will cost you time, money, and enjoyment of your pond.
Hopefully these tips and ideas gave you enough information to get the wheels turning in your head to consider the landscape architecture surrounding your pond and to finish up that pond design you’ve been dreaming of.