What Style and Shape of
Pond Can I Build?
Styles
There are many styles of pond, natural ponds edged with rocks,
formal ponds in a patio and raised ponds are just three examples.
They can include streams,
waterfalls,
fountains and
statues. Why not take a look at other
people’s ponds, books, even stately homes and public parks
for ideas that you can bring back and use in your own garden? The
golden rule is that the pond needs to be in a style that suits the
garden or the part of the garden where it will be
placed.
Laying Out
When you have decided where you’ll put your pond, lay out
your garden hose in the shape of the pond and live with it for a
while. Look at it from different angles and from upstairs windows.
Make sure that you can get round it to the rest of your garden. If
you are still happy with the design then start measuring
up.
Pond Depth
Think about how deep your pond will be and whether you want shelves
for plants. Deep ponds allow fish to overwinter in slightly warmer
temperatures so we recommend at least 3’ deep for goldfish
and 4’ deep for koi. The whole pond doesn’t need to be
this deep, just a small section. It can be nice to have a shallow
end to your pond where you can feed your fish and watch them as
they eat or bask in the sun.
Plants
If you would like to have
marginal
plants in your
pond (i.e. those that grow at the edge of the pond) you should
consider a planting shelf. This is usually a ledge about a foot
under the surface of the pond. Think about where you’ll stand
or sit to look at your pond when it is complete as often plants
look better at the back edge of the pond rather than the front
edge. If you do put
plants at the front you might want to make
them low-growing.
Now you've decided what style of
pond you want, why not take a look at one of our other
guides:
Measure your
pond
When should I build my
pond?
How do I work out what size of
pond liner I need?
Marking out the
site
Digging the hole for your
pond
Fitting your pond
liner
Finishing off the pond
edge
Or click here to see the full
list of guides
