Consider Adding A Pond When You Want A Soothing Natural Feature In Your Backyard
by Tiffany Gonzales
A backyard pond is the perfect place to relax and watch birds or koi fish while you listen to a soothing waterfall or bubbling water. A pond is a great addition to your family yard, but the process of installing it can be daunting.
Hire a pond installation professional to not only install your pond but to design it so it is attractive and easy to maintain. Here are some things to know about pond installation.
Choose A Good Spot
You might need to start with your city codes office when you're planning your pond to find out exactly where you can place it and to learn about other codes and regulations that pertain to backyard ponds. You'll also want a place for your pond that gets plenty of sunlight during the early part of the day but that spends most of the late afternoon in shade.
However, putting a pond under a tree might not be a good idea since leaves will clutter the pond and increase the amount of work you need to do. Your pond installation professional can help you choose the perfect spot for your pond and figure out how to blend it in with your other landscaping and the slope of the land.
Decide What You Want
You may just want a small pond that has a solar fountain in it for a relaxing view. However, you might want a large pond that has natural rock ledges and borders, water-loving plants, a habitat for koi, lighting, and a built-in waterfall.
Your pond designer should know what you want since the design needs to be different if you want koi fish and if you want to attract wildlife such as birds, small animals, and interesting insects.
Dig The Pond
If your pond will be fairly large, the contractor may bring in heavy equipment to dig the hole. The hole for your pond probably won't be a uniform hole. There needs to be a deeper area where fish can go in the winter where the water won't freeze. Plus, you'll want shallow ledges and shelves for plants and big rocks.
Add A Liner
The pond installation contractor will probably put a liner in the bottom of the pond to keep the water from leaking out. Clay can sometimes be used, but it's common to just cover the bottom with a liner before water is added.
The contractor will probably put rocks on the liner to hold it down while the pond is filled with water. When the water is in place, the rocks, edging, and plants can be added. However, you'll probably want to let the pond settle before you bring home koi fish.
Hook Up The Pump
If you're adding a fountain or other water-moving device, you'll need electricity. You might want an electrical outlet mounted near the pond along with an outdoor spigot.
However, if you want your pond close to the house so you can hear the water moving, you may want to run the electrical cord and hose to outlets already mounted on the exterior of your home if they're close. Just be sure to use GFCI outlets so there is no risk of shock.
Contact a company like Sculptured Earth for more information.
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About Me
I have always been someone who absolutely adores being outside, which is probably one of the reasons I decided to buy a home with a large lot. However, as soon as I moved in, I realized that yard work was a lot more challenging than I had anticipated, which is why I called in a team of professional landscapers. They were amazing to work with and got right to it, and within a few days, the yard was looking amazing. I wanted to create a blog all about creating beautiful outdoors spaces so that other people can help to beautify the world.