Tell me about your successful mini wildlife ponds

[TrionicLettuce]

I'm in the process of re-doing my entire garden at the moment. So far I've been concentrating on making it very bee and butterfly friendly but now I've started wondering if I should make a mini wildlife pond as well.

I don't have a huge amount of space, the best I can do is a spot in the corner of a raised bed where I can fit something about 60cm in diameter.

Has anyone made a wildlife pond this small and had success with it?

I've just had another though; is being on a raised bed (part of my decking so the sides are made of decking boards) going to prevent anything like frogs and toads actually getting to it?

I'm now wondering if I should see if I can squeeze one into my ground level bed instead.

I made a small wildlife pond this year and it's been very successful. It didn't cost very much to buy a premoulded pond on eBay. I dug the hole in the border and then had great fun using large pebbles and small boulders to hide the edges and make it look natural. Make sure there are pebbles inside the pond so that little creatures can climb out if they need to. I only needed 3 plants, one being an oxygenater which works really well to keep it clear. The point I learnt was to maybe have sited it in a slightly sunnier position. I under estimated how much the border perennials would grow up around it but they are easily cut back and thinned out. My MIL acquired tadpoles for us and we watched with anticipation as they grew little legs and then promptly hopped out of the pond and into the undergrowth surrounding the pond. I'd recommend creating one and you can't really get it too wrong. I'm moving soon and will have a new garden and will make another one. This time bigger though. There have been so many butterflies and bees in the garden this year and I think it has been because the pond is there and it is a very protected water source. Go for it. It's worth it.

My pond is about that size and is pre moulded. It has oxygenating plants in (can't remember which ones) and a dwarf lily. Every year the frogs, water boatmen and newts come.

Beware putting in plants which are designed for larger ponds. They'll become invasive and take over. Google 'container ponds' which will give you info on small ponds.

This is a good website because not only are the plants good (I've bought from him as well as the local garden centre), he gives advice as to the best kinds of ponds to put them in. www.devonpondplants.co.uk/choosing.html

This is quite a useful web page www.aizoon.co.uk/Pond/pond1.htm#

I think frogs and toads are ok with a bit of climbing, but you probably should make a ramp for them. How high up is the raised bed?

it is important that creatures (eg hedgehogs and small invertebrates) can get out of your pond, so you need stones or pots at the edges for them to scramble out.

Thanks for the responses

I've decided I'm going to just make space for one in my ground level bed. It had been all earmarked for plants but with some minor shifting about I think I could actually fit a small pond liner in there rather than having to use something like a washing up bowl or whatever.

We've got hedgehogs (had two in the garden just last night ) so I'll make sure it's all hog-safe.

Thanks for those links hands, they're really useful!!

We put in a small pond in mid May this year, it's a little bigger than you are describing but not much (probably 1m x 0.5m at its longest/widest, but not a regular shape). Been very pleased with it so far, a frog moved in after a fortnight, three tadpoles interloped in with some weed we put in it at the start and at least two transitioned to froglets). The weed has grown and it's already looking quite well established (less than 3 months in). Go for it!