Backyard Pond Landscaping

Those who wish to embark on the exciting world of backyard pond landscaping, shouldn't do so without a great deal of careful planning. Garden Ponds are a truly enjoyable feature to add to your backyard landscaping design, however you will need to take into consideration whether or not you are receptive to the amount of work and maintenance that is involved with this landscape feature.

Don’t get me wrong, garden ponds are a beautiful addition to the home landscape design, they bring a lot of visual interest to the landscape, and when coupled with a waterfall feature, the sounds are very soothing. However, I look at the idea of backyard pond landscaping similarly to the way I view the decision to get a swimming pool. Just because you like swimming pools, doesn’t mean you want to have one in your backyard that’s crying out for regular maintenance and seasonal cleanups. Maybe you’d rather just make friends with someone who has a pool in their backyard. (That’s what MY friends did!)

So in this sense, perhaps you’d rather just make friends with someone, like a neighbor, who has a water garden that you can enjoy without all the hassle. Of course, if you’re certain that this is what you want, than you’re ready for the maintenance that will be involved.

Begin by educating yourself about what's involved in the backyard pond landscaping process. This is a "do it yourself" type of project if you're ambitious enough.

Photo courtesy of krossbow

I was able to find this wonderful article on the web, that gives step by step instructions on this process: Water Garden Installation (opens new window). This site also contains links that discuss the types of plants that should be used in the pond, and what type of fish or koi, should be added.

Another terrific website I found for Natural Water Gardens (opens new window), not only gives step by step instructions on how to install a water garden, but also has pond kits available for purchase in small, medium and large sizes. The small kit will work for a pond as big as 11’ x 16’ and the large kit will work for a pond as big as 34’ x 34’. Certainly much larger than most backyards will accommodate!

I have not purchased any products from this site yet, however I have had contact with the owner who was very responsive to my questions and really quite pleasant to work with. When I start my own backyard pond landscaping design (which I'll probably install in the front yard), I will order through him. Not only is the owner of this site pleasant, but he really seems to know his business!

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