A pond is a great feature to add to your home and landscaping. It’s a water feature that can not only add a fun design touch, but it can boast aesthetic appeal and give you a focal point for the garden, not to mention a place to regroup and relax as you watch the fish in your pond.
However, not all ponds are the same, and these days, there are some pretty amazing features you can get for your pond, whether you install a new one or retrofit an existing pond. Let’s take a look.
Lighting Options
You can add underwater or perimeter lighting to your pond to give it an added aesthetic element. You can buy submersible LED spotlights that can be angled to highlight specific plants or ornaments in the pond or the fish in the pond. Cooler white lights under the water show water movement clearly, while warmer ones are better for planting areas.
Installing above-water lighting along pathways or around decking can help you to use the space for loungers on dark nights.
Pond Viewing Windows
Pond viewing windows are the ideal way to open up your pond so you can see exactly what’s going on under the surface. You can see fish behaviour, plant growth and water clarity through the windows.
If you have a koi pond, for example, a pond viewing window allows you to watch them properly rather than catching glimpses.
However, windows need to be added at the planning stage, not retrofitted, as they form part of the exterior edge of the pool and need to be incorporated into the larger landscaping design. So the window can be reinforced to take the weight of the water pressing against it.
Water Features
Water features for your pond include fountains, waterfalls and spillways, all of which move water, but they are not interchangeable features. They have specific requirements and change how the pond looks and its activity throughout the day.
If you want a waterfall or cascade, then you need to be aware of it aerating the water, and if you keep fish, this matters as moving water at the surface increases oxygen levels and reduces the load on your filtration. A fountain, however, is primarily decorative and adds sound and could be better if you’re keeping fish in your pond.
Image by Gaby Escovar on Pexels
Planting Shelves
You can add shelves to your pond if you wish. Choose them at around a 20-30cm depth, this way, they are ideal for adding iris, rushes and marsh marigolds to your pond. Shelving is beneficial if you’re adding plants, as without them, marginal plants sit at the wrong depth and can struggle, or they can take over. But it’s important to get the right size for your shelf so it doesn’t impact the pond too much by being too big for the space, or too narrow to put anything on.
Seating and Viewing Areas
A great addition to any pond is a seating area so you can sit around and face the water. Built-in seating is ideal for this, and if you add some shelter, or if your garden is particularly windy, it can be a lovely place to sit and relax.
Alternatively, decking built over a section of the pond edge works well too and gives you a seating or viewing area to use as you wish.
Feature image by Yelena HeyTam on Pexels.
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