Forum home› Garden design
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

smallish pond?

B3B3 Posts: 27,505
edited September 2019 in Garden design
I have a south facing patch which gets some sun, particularly midday. There is a large tree behind it  but not directly. There is a lot of ovehang and the soil gets very dry. Weeds grow fine but I've not had much success with anything I've planted there.
I was thinking of a small pond -one of those plastic jobs. Might it work there?
Ps. What are the plastic pond things called? I can't find them on Google
In London. Keen but lazy.
«13

Posts

  • Singing GardenerSinging Gardener Posts: 1,237
    I don't have enough knowledge to advise, I'm afraid, but my recollection is that they're called preformed ponds?
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Thanks @Singing Gardener😊
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think the biggest problem with the preformed ones is the digging out. Coupled with a nearby tree, and therefore it's roots, it might be a bridge too far. 
    A liner is easier to work with in those circumstances  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I've found the preformed efforts online now and I think you're right. @Fairygirl. The bed is raised and there's a garage between the tree and the bed  so I think the roots will be quite deep.
    Do you think it might be a suitable place for a pond?. The available space is probably about 12x6 and away from the garage but I wouldn't expect to use all of it.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    edited September 2019
    We nearly came to divorce trying to put in a  preformed one😀
    a liner is much cheaper, I bought mine from Bradshaws, use their underlay and you get a lifetimes guarantee.
    Whatever shape you dig, the liner will follow.  They will tell you how much you need to buy, you just type in the  finished measurement  of the pond you want and they’ll calculate the liner size. 

    beware..... whatever size you think you want, make it bigger, happens with everyone, I wish ours was bigger, had enough job getting him to dig that one so daren’t ask😀
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I've used the same one @Lyn :)
    It's not perfect if you have a nearby tree, but if it's small, it's easy enough to net it when leaves start falling. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Just cleared ours out a bit today, yuk! It was bubbling gas up, it was very smelly. Amazing how it’s taken off in just a few years, dug in 14 planted up in 15, gone mad by 19 😀
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    14 years😯?
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    2014 @B3
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Fishy65Fishy65 Posts: 2,276
    Try to aim for at least 6 hours of direct sunlight for your pond. You could get away with a bit less but too shady and the pond's ecosystem won't thrive. Definitely agree with everyone's opinion of a liner, they are generally trouble free and much better than a rigid preformed 'pond'.

    If you're going for a wildlife pond, dig the shape with shallow edges gently falling away to a deeper centre, about 2ft in the middle but some ponds are as shallow as 1ft. Most pond life is in the shallower edges where the water is warmer and sunlit. Try to incorporate a beach effect if you can with pea gravel or such like that wildlife can access in or out. Lastly don't introduce yellow flag iris like I did, it will take over and within a couple of years you won't be able to see any water. 
Sign In or Register to comment.