Ponds

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• Ponds
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Ponds

Build a kit-form raised pond

If you'd like a garden pond, but don't want to go to the trouble of digging a hole, you can buy a charming raised pond in kit form, complete with liner and pump. Try Garden Oasis for a range of pond options.

Turn a tub into a pool

For a small space, tubs and half-barrels (available from DIY shops and garden centres) are ideal for a creating a mini pond. Ready-to-use water-tight barrels cost around £20, but you can recycle an old one by lining it with pond liner, which sells for around £3 per sq m. Secure the liner in place with a flexible metal strip from Screwfix - an 81cm length costs £1.99.

How to create a traditional pond

Ensure that the site for your pond is level and then mark out its shape on the ground. So wildlife can hop in and out safely, choose a design that has ledges at the edges of the pond, no more than 15cm deep.
If you are using a flexible liner, dig a hole the size and shape you want or if you have chosen a preformed, rigid liner dig a hole to match its shape. No matter how tough your pond liner appears to be, it will need to be protected from sharp stones underneath, so add a layer of damp builder's sand before positioning the liner.
For a flexible liner, allow an overlap of arounf 15cm all round and hold the edges in place with bricks. For a rigid liner, place in the hole and check it is level, and then weigh it down with 5cm of water. Fill up any holes between the edge of the liner and ground with a builder's sand or crumbly soil.
Fill your pond with water - smooth out wrinkles in a flexible liner as the the water runs in. Trim away any surplus flexible liner from the edges, leaving sufficient to secure underneath your chosen edging material: use paving stones or pebbles, for a natural look.

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