How to Find Design Ideas for Ponds

Here are a few ways to find inspiration for pond or lake designs.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Design Magazines
• Sketchbooks
• Cameras
• Cameras

1. Look in books and magazines about gardens, ponds and lakes, nature photography and travel.

2. Get out in nature and study the water bodies of your area. Make sketches and photos of picturesque effects that you find. You can imitate these in your own pond or lake design.

3. Investigate the landscape architectural traditions of England and Japan, which are especially rich in the use of ponds and lakes. Pay special attention to the English landscape park at Stourhead as well as the Japanese Imperial Villa at Katsura, both of which can provide lessons in how to lay out a convincing man-made pond or lake.

4. Create a shape that is naturalistic by ensuring that the entire outline of the water body cannot be seen from any one point of view and that a path around it does not merely skirt the edge.

5. Hire a landscape architect or garden designer who specializes in the creation of water bodies.

[noteasilyfooled]

on 7/28/2009 As usual the comments on ehow offer better advice than the actual articles. I would think a biologist would know a ton more about ponds than a landscape architect or garden designer. Thanks for that idea.

on 6/30/2006 We talked to a lot of garden designers and landscape architects before finding an actual biologist who designs ponds. The difference was remarkable! Our aquatic biologist designed a pond that was much more natural and beautiful than what we saw from any of the dry-land garden designers and architects, even those who specialize in water features.

Science has evolved since the days of the old Japanese or English ponds were designed. We looked forward instead of backward to get the best pond design and pond designer.