Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Original poster

Fencing ideas for a wildlife pond

13 replies

carefullycourageous · 21/05/2022 23:14

I am hoping someone can help me - I want to put in a wildlife pond, but also want to fence it so that visiting kids can't just run into it (for obvious reasons).

I don't want the fence to block out wildlife from getting to the pond and I don't want it too formal - any ideas?

I am putting off digging the pond because I can't decide how to fence it!

Will post and rail be OK?

OP posts:
justasking111 · 21/05/2022 23:30

Not if it's climbable. We went for picket fence style with a gate that was padlocked

Original poster
carefullycourageous · 22/05/2022 05:47

Thanks @justasking111

My thing is I'm not sure if it'll make it inaccessible for wildlife - presumably everything that might visit the pond can fit between the slats?

OP posts:
hattie43 · 22/05/2022 06:19

justasking111 · 21/05/2022 23:30

Not if it's climbable. We went for picket fence style with a gate that was padlocked

This was my first thought , picket fencing .

Sunseed · 22/05/2022 06:35

Chestnut palings are gappy but a bit more rustic than picket fence. How formal is your pond/setting?

Ferngreen · 22/05/2022 06:36

What about chicken wire. You can see through that to what is happening in the pond. Not so much a picket fence.

Original poster
carefullycourageous · 22/05/2022 06:44

The setting is informal as it is in an orchard/hedge/wildflower area.

My issue with chicken wire is that is designed to keep foxes out but I want them to get in!

OP posts:
Cocoaone · 22/05/2022 06:57

Can you do a picket fence but with a cutout at the bottom - like a hedgehog highway, but slightly bigger, for a fox. They can either squeeze through or jump the fence - ours jumps over the 6ft fences between the gardens in my road.

AppleButter · 22/05/2022 07:00

Foxes, badgers and squirrels get thirsty too, and are grateful for a water source, so it is kind of you to want the pond accessible.
could you fence the pond off 80%, leaving an opening in one side for animals to reach. The opening would be on the side least likely to be accidentally walked into or run into, so in the furthermost corner.

Sunseed · 22/05/2022 07:03

I had two gaps for access in my pond fence, for me rather than a fox or badger, but would do the job. They were not in obvious places, so we'd have a few moments to notice a child was near the pond before they found them.

Original poster
carefullycourageous · 22/05/2022 14:28

Thanks all. I think I'm going to go with a pocket fence, make sure it is accessible to hedgehogs with cutouts and not worry about the foxes - because as @Cocoaone reminds me they can climb/leap very well!
Now I need to get planning as I'm hoping to make the fence myself!

OP posts:
Original poster
carefullycourageous · 22/05/2022 14:28

Picket, not pocket!

OP posts:
StillWeRise · 22/05/2022 18:49

or you could design in a grid to sit just below the water level, meaning a child couldn't fall in- I've seen this done with a school pond

justasking111 · 22/05/2022 23:25

StillWeRise · 22/05/2022 18:49

or you could design in a grid to sit just below the water level, meaning a child couldn't fall in- I've seen this done with a school pond

We had a grid. We also built a rill and circulated the water with a pump system. With bags of pebbles it sounded like a babbling brook.. lots of birds etc would drink from it safe from drowning

New posts on this thread. Refresh page