Types Of Decorative Ponds In The Garden

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Artificial reservoir on the site

A decorative pond, as a rule, turns out to be a surprisingly appropriate design element for any garden - small, large, regular or landscape.

I will share my observations and recommendations on the design and operation of such a reservoir in our difficult climatic conditions.

Even small, it qualitatively improves the microclimate on the site. The water heated during the day, the stones that form the reservoir, in the evening and at night, slowly give up their heat to the surrounding space, thereby increasing the temperature inertia, reducing the effect of night temperatures.

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In the area of the reservoir, air humidity increases, especially in dry, sunny areas. It dramatically increases the biodiversity of the garden. Dragonflies, butterflies, birds, frogs attracted by the water add new colors and impressions.

Water lily, nymphea

Our task is to work on a decorative reservoir, to influence not only the visual sensations. Water in the garden will create a certain background noise - the sound of a babbling brook, a quiet waterfall will not be a superfluous element of impact on the viewer. Air flutes and bells suspended in the garden can add impressions.

A decorative pond can decorate any area of the garden, being an aesthetic dominant for it ("highlight" - as they sometimes say). A large body of water in a small or medium area can generally become the main theme of the entire garden. The system of two or three reservoirs, arranged at different heights and repeating the outlines of each other, "works" even better and more interesting.

The shape of the water mirror, its size is determined by a number of circumstances. First, it should be linked to the architecture of the house. Secondly, the gardener by modeling should try to determine the optimal size of the reservoir mirror. Proportionality is a very important aspect in garden construction. Most often, ponds of simple geometric shapes are arranged near the house - a square, a rectangle, a circle, an oval. In the far corner of the garden, most often the mirror of the reservoir has an arbitrary shape. However, these recommendations are very conditional, be guided by your taste. Modeling can be done with a white cord, rope.

Construction of an artificial reservoir

Another aspect of the structure of the reservoir is psychological. A zone of quiet rest, intimate conversation, reading is formed. Therefore, it is better to place it in some kind of confined space created by green hedges, curbs or group plantings of medium-high shrubs - from one and a half to two meters.

In gardening, this technique is called the "green room". A cozy corner is formed, there is a feeling of security. The influence of the wind on the reservoir and the visitor to this zone is sharply reduced. Water evaporation decreases (less often it is necessary to top up), vegetation develops more luxuriantly near water, and the efficiency of using strongly smelling plants increases.

The presence of even a small slope allows you to create a system of two or even three reservoirs located on terraces. A drop of 10-15 cm is enough to create a cascade of ponds. When determining their size, it is appropriate to recall the so-called "golden ratio". A simple mathematical calculation will allow you to harmonize the geometry of water bodies.

On a flat area, the reservoir can be located at zero level. If the water mirror is slightly raised - by 15-20 cm - the aesthetic effect increases dramatically.

The body of water is a self-sufficient element of the garden. However, some kind of paving should be provided around it, the installation of one or two benches, flowerpots, any small garden sculptures - frogs, gnomes next to it. In other words, when planning, you should take these circumstances into account - do not clamp the reservoir in a narrow, cramped space.

Pond location in the garden

When determining a place for it on the site, one should be guided by several circumstances:

- The decorative reservoir should be in the sun for at least 8-10 hours a day; more is better. The sun is the basis of his life.

- A good location is a windfall. If there is no natural protection from the wind - a house, a building, a forest, we create it with green hedges, borders.

- Efforts should be made to design a decorative reservoir. It is not a shame to read books, magazines, remember the historical parks of the world. Of course, much here is determined by financial, physical capabilities, and the gardener's taste. It's good if the reservoir is visible from a high veranda, kitchen, gazebo. Top view is the main position of the viewer.

Plants of a decorative reservoir do not like different fluctuations in water level and temperature. Therefore, you should not take water from it for irrigation and swim in it. For these purposes, you need to use other means and opportunities.

A decorative reservoir is a closed ecological system. The task of a person - by creating an ecosystem - is to constantly maintain it in working order. The active elements of the system are microorganisms, protozoa, bacteria, snails, insects, frogs, higher plants, birds. A person must monitor their development and intervene in cases of failure.

Pond maintenance

It is very similar to maintaining an aquarium. Algae has grown sharply - remove excess, little sun - thin out the vegetation around the reservoir, etc. An indicator of the qualitative development of an ornamental reservoir is clear water, good appearance of plants.

Water transparency can also be ensured with the help of chemicals, but this path is expensive, requires additional equipment - pumps, filters, and is not always successful.

Plants in a pond are not only a decorative element. They absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen into the water, ensuring the life of the rest of the community. Some plants perform this task better than others (for example, elodea). They absorb mineral substances from the water that enter the water with melted spring waters or in another way. While developing, higher plants inhibit the development of blue-green algae, and the water remains transparent for many years. Bacteria and protozoa - crustaceans - are also involved in this process. But they all need light and warmth.

Plants in an artificial reservoir

Little by little, silt accumulates at the bottom of the reservoir. Silting of large natural reservoirs takes 6-8 years. Artificial reservoirs made of film with a small mirror accumulate 2-5 cm of silt in 4-5 years. A small layer of silt is a stabilizing factor, therefore, its excess should be removed approximately once every 3-4 years.

If there are small, overly active children in the family, you can arrange instead of a reservoir with water - a so-called dry reservoir with stones, plants and without water.

A very shallow - by 10-20 cm - reservoir is also possible. This depth drastically limits the number of ornamental plants, but makes it absolutely safe.

Finally, you can make the so-called "swamp". A shallow notch is made in the ground, about 30-40 cm, polyethylene is spread, and the whole structure is covered with soil. Polyethylene (the most common) will hold water, so that the most moisture-loving plants can be planted in this place. On sandy, dry areas, this garden element makes an unexpected impression.

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Types of reservoirs

Now we will consider various ways of arranging decorative reservoirs. Let's mark the positive and negative sides of each method, choose the best option.

1. Reservoirs from improvised means. Usually, gardeners begin their first experiments on the construction of a decorative reservoir with the use of improvised means - barrels, baths, building containers. Such a reservoir has only one positive point - almost zero cost. A barrel, or better half a barrel, can be buried in the ground, poured into the bottom of the ground, cover the metal with stones, plants.

You can plant marsh plants or even a shallow water nymph in the barrel. You can take three or five half rolls, bury them at different depths - you get a system of small reservoirs. The simpler the tools at hand in the garden, from which you make something, the more necessary any idea, thought when working with these things. The disadvantage of barrels is that the water in them heats up poorly, the volume is small.

Building structures are often used, such as a concrete mixing trough. The structure is large but small. The water in it, on the contrary, heats up quickly, and also quickly cools down at night. The evaporation of moisture is large - the level decreases rapidly, but plants grow well and quickly in warm water.

Artificial reservoirs

2. Concrete reservoirs. Our gardeners are haunted by American films, where you can sometimes see private homes in California with luxurious pools. Alas! Our climate is different. The construction of concrete reservoirs requires huge financial and labor costs, sand, high-quality cement, crushed stone, reinforcement. It is necessary to build a formwork. A structure of this kind does not forgive construction mistakes. A rupture of the structure in the winter is very possible, because usually the soil freezes in our soil by 120-150 cm in medium and severe winters.

The thickness of ice in reservoirs reaches 20-30 cm when it is covered with snow. To reduce the risk of bursting, logs and logs are thrown into the water. They build roofs, sometimes cut openings. In other words, the result obtained does not correspond to the expended efforts and funds. True, if you make a concrete reservoir in the form of a bowl, saucer, then the winter period will be easier for such structures. But such a reservoir cannot be made large. In general, concrete reservoirs are for the young, healthy and rich.

3. Quite a rare phenomenon - a natural reservoir. Sandy and peaty soils do not hold water. Soils with a high clay content may work. Most often, such a body of water is belonging to a fairly large area, it is good if it is part of a stream, swamp, or some kind of quarry, i.e. has existed on the site for a long time - at least 8-10 years. During this period, a layer of silt has already accumulated at the bottom, which holds water, ecology has already developed in the old reservoir, the water is transparent.

In it, plants can be planted directly into the ground, they feel good. Nevertheless, even in the old reservoir, the water level changes very quickly and significantly. In spring or in heavy rain, it overflows, in summer, due to drainage of water, its level quickly decreases. Here you need a source of water - a trickle, a spring. But the spring has cold water, and the plants don't like it.

The banks require strengthening, an excellent option is a wooden sheet pile (logs with a diameter of 10-12 cm). Initially, all the banks were strengthened in this way in St. Petersburg. You can use concrete slabs, boulders.

Summing up all the pros and cons of this type of reservoir, it is possible to recommend not to do a new natural reservoir on the site, but if you have an old one, take care of its health: occasionally clean it, give more light, take care of the water flow, make sand or gravel filters that purify the incoming pond water, especially spring water.

4. A reservoir of ordinary plastic film. The use of this material for a reservoir requires careful preparation of its bed, the use of a sandy or fabric substrate. Recently, the domestic industry has begun to produce special polyethylene for reservoirs. It is less sensitive to mechanical effects of ice in winter, but the geometric size of the film does not allow making a large reservoir, and it is suitable for small structures.

5. Plastic structures. Personally, I don't really like these designs. Their volume is insufficient for large plants, and their depth is small, but the cost is quite high. But my own experience has shown that they are stable in winter. I don't pour the water out of the container, but I throw a few logs for the winter.

Naturally, with a shallow depth, the plants must be removed to deeper water bodies for the winter. To install such a reservoir, you need to dig a pit. A sand cushion is poured onto the bottom with a layer of 10-12 cm. It is necessary to place this container horizontally at a level. Another plus - you can change the place of the reservoir quite easily and without consequences.

6. A reservoir of special films. The optimal balance between labor, financial costs and obtaining the maximum decorative effect is provided by the use of special bottom films for reservoirs. In this case, a black film is preferable.

The water in it warms up better, and bottom sediments are not visible against a black background, which are rather quickly formed in the reservoir. Small and medium-sized reservoirs with a diameter of 2.5-4 meters can be made from a film with a thickness of 0.5 mm. For large reservoirs on soils with sharp stones, a film with a thickness of 0.8-1.0 mm is required. Under it, at the bottom of the quarry, you can pour a small layer of sand, put old linoleum or an old cloth to isolate sharp stones.

Read the next part. How to build a decorative pond in the garden →