Show me your garden ponds large and small please!

[susandelgado]

I'm trying to decide what to do, I bought a fibreglass pond but now I think it's too big, help me make my mind up 😊

Hi, I have a very small pond designed for wildlife. It is actually the plastic bottom of a guinea pig cage so tiny. Bit I have at least one huge frog in there all year round and lots of tadpoles and frogs every year. I built it as I don't use slug pellets so I thought the frogs would help control the slugs. Either they don't like the flavour or the slugs have it in for me as I am still inundated with slugs and snails

I have 4 ponds, 2m x 1m, 3m x1.5m, 3.5m x 2.5m and 5m x 2.5m. The larger ones give you more options - you don't have to confine yourself to the smallest water plants.

@Goldenhedgehogs
I don't use slug pellets either. I've found both frogs and toads in my garden before, so I'm really hoping they'll congregate there!
@MereDintofPandiculation
I'll try and take a pic of my liner. I want to get it started soon!
I have to be careful about depth because I have three miniature dachshunds.

I have a pond, no fish, frogs, newts and slow worms. A real joy!

I'm cheating as this is my PILs but it's lovely!

My photo doesn't do it justice because it has three layers (this is the middle layer)...the top layer is a terracotta vase on its side that the water comes out of and trickles down a mini waterfall...the bottom layer is about the same size as the one you can see in the photo but with different plants.

but now I think it's too big

it won't be once it's in and planted up.

I bought a small one. And then another to go beside it.
Am now contempating a third. Because my need for More Pond is still not satisfied.

Shouldn't have been so timid size wise in the first place.

wheresmymojo that is really lovely.

I have a crazy big pond that came with the house

It’s neglected, mostly, as with ponds you either have to be totally on top of it, or not at all

We have fish, seen slow worm, frogs, newts and ducks come and live there for a few weeks every spring

No idea how the fish survive, but they are still there 10 years on

I have a small pond, it’s probably only about 2 foot deep, roughly kidney bean shaped.
I’d guesstimate maybe 4 foot at the widest point.

DH put it in full blazing sunshine but in hindsight, I would have put it in partial shade as it collects blanketweed/surface algae like you wouldn’t believe!
It’s heaving with newts 😊

DH put it in full blazing sunshine but in hindsight, I would have put it in partial shade Partial shade = fallen leaves and either an unsightly net over the back end of the year or trouble with accumulating silt.

I put a pond in and worried about it being too big -but it's too small really. I just went with safety first thing and I shouldn't of because no children can get to it properly.

If you reduce the surface area by plants with floating leaves you'll get less blanket weed, but not too much else the pond won't warm up in summer. Blanket weed. If you keep removing the blanket weed (and hence the nutrients in the weed) it tends to reduce slowly over the years and nutrient levels in the pond go down.

fallen leaves and either an unsightly net over the back end of the year or trouble with accumulating silt

We have a massive ornamental Cherry nearby and it’s next to a hedge so it accumulates that too!
🤦🏻‍♀️

Anyone know of an effective and pretty covering for ponds?

Ours is very unsightly and a heron still managed to steal four fish through it.

Put one in a few weeks ago so still trying to soften the edges of it. It's not pretty but I love the wildlife in it.

A pond can never be too big :) we used to have preformed ponds at my mums, it's amazing how much room plants take up as they mature.

Mine was built about 18 years ago. Had to replace the liner about 5 years ago so had to take off the top bricks, fit new thicker underlay and proper liner (hopefully will last at least 20 years plus) and relay them. Not my best job but I know sod all about brick laying!

Mine is full of tadpoles, frogs, 2 fat fish (currently having sexy time), sticklebacks and all sorts of other things. next task it to do the waterfall because I tried to build one and...well.. it's crap LOL Saving up to get a naice preformed one.

Last pic is a visitor I had last weekend (and was back yesterday). You can spend hours just looking at a pond. Tis lovely.

oh another good thing... this year I've not seen any slug damage to my plants.. frogs and hedgehog must be nomming there way through them all. At the back of the pond is the crappy waterfall (huge sandstone rocks) which every critter uses as a walkway up and down the pond to get a drink (yes I'm looking at you Mr Fox and hedgehog)

@wheresmymojo I love that!
My brother has one similar and there's so much going on!

@Sockbogies I like that one, it's similar to my liner

This is my liner. It's been waiting to go in for ages. I need help as the soul is quite stoney.

Soil 🙄

@wheresmymojo that is stunning, beautifully planted too.

@GetawayfromthatWelshtart yours is lovely, I'd love to do something like that !

I can't take any credit

It's my father in law's - he's an amazing gardener and they have about 2 acres of beautiful garden.

The plants with the beautiful yellow and purple flowers are some kind of water iris.