There is nothing like a backyard pond and building a pond really is fun! It makes a nice small private oasis in your backyard. Backyard ponds provide you with many things, for instance, with a waterfall or fountain in your pond you can help cut out street noise; provide a safe haven for wild animals and give you a lovely focal point to any backyard location. What else can do all that and help the environment and plus increase the value of your property? Really I can’t think of to many things except a backyard pond! Okay let’s build a pond!!

Hold those shovels for a sec though because before you start to dig your lawn up there are a few of things that you need decide on before you stick that spades in and start building a pond. You really should begin with a note pad first. A backyard pond design is needed if you want to get the pond you desire and not a swamp! The more detail you can put in your pond layout the better; it will help you decide such things as whether your pond will have water features like fountains or waterfalls, how big you want your pond (do you want to swim in it?) and what sort of greenery or fish you want in your backyard pond.

Yes! There are tons of things to address when building a garden pond to your backyard, you might just say “forget it!" But don’t! First map out your backyard and find the ideal site. The spot should be neither in complete shade or full sun, though if you have no shade you will have to provide some shady nooks for any fish you add with plants and rock ledges. Second draw a rough plan of the pond you want to build, don’t worry if you’re not an artist just the basics will do. The pond may be fancy or more free flowing, big, small etc, the choice is yours. Third is you budget, will you buy a preformed pond kit for your new pond for quicker results or use liners and stones to build your pond by hand? Remember most ponds evolve over the years as you add new things and it matures. However if you would like a waterfall it’s best to add any large design feature from the get go when building the pond. Fountains, islands and other things can easily be added later. It will never really be completely finished because it’s a living thing really. Need help? Time to hit the books! There are many of ideas to be found! Checkout your local library or the web.

From the addition of fish, type of plants, water features, sculptures and lighting, there are a lot of fun elements you can add when you build a backyard pond to give it your own personal feel. Remember this is your backyard pond oasis! All of these pond building decisions may blow your mind at first but that is why you must have a plan and ask for help if needed.

There are several things that you will want to be prepared to make decisions on when the time is right when it comes to building your pond. Here are some of things you should think about as you begin to design before you actually build your pond:

Do you want or need lighting when you build a pond?

Lights can add an elegant touch to your pond at night. When installed properly, the light fixtures can be easily tucked amongst the pond rocks or in the greenery surrounding the pond. Running wires will be necessary or you can look into solar light too.

What kind of plants do you want to add when you build a pond?

Aquatic plants are a big part of your ponds ecosystem and are kind of the bones of the pond, though you can keep it simple with just the basics like a few lily pads to start until you’re more comfortable, good choices are: a mix of Marginal Pond Plants, Hardy Water Lotus (Nelumbo), Hardy Water Lilies (Nymphaea), floating pond plants like water lettuce and water hyacinth. Look at them as a biological filter. How many to add well like I said it’s up to you really but the rule of thumb is have 30-50% of the surface covered

Do you want to add Koi or other types of fish to your pond building plan?

While it’s not really needed you probably will want to add them at some point. Not only do they add a little sparkle to the pond, they also help the ponds ecosystem be better balanced. To boot they are fun to watch and feed especially Koi.

Hopefully this will give you some things to start thinking about as you move forward with your pond building dreams.