How to Make an Outside Water Feature

A Backyard Pond

Water features have been an important part of grand landscape design for centuries. The fountains at Versailles and the peaceful pools at Dumbarton Oaks are prime examples of water's importance as an element of design. Scaled down water features, appropriate for your backyard, range from simple devices like rain chains and birdbaths to cascading waterfalls and fountains. Including a water feature in your landscape design can create a focal point, add a small meditation garden or make a splashy statement. This project can be done in a weekend and doesn't require any special skills.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Pond liner
• Fountain
• Rocks, stones, ceramic pieces
• Aquatic plants
• Pond pump

Instructions

1. Choose a space in your yard for the water feature. A flat space will be easier to work with, but if you prefer a sloped site or a depression, it simply means you'll have to do a little more work when you're digging the hole for the pond liner.

2. Turn the pond liner upside down and trace the outline on the ground with spray paint. Dig inside the outline to the depth of the liner. Flatten the bottom of the excavation.

3. Turn the liner over and set it in the excavation. If it doesn't fit snugly, remove it from the hole and add or remove dirt underneath. The pond liner should sit snugly in the ground with the edge at ground level and without any open space beneath it.

4. Fill the pond liner with water and wait at least two weeks for toxins such as chlorine to settle out. Once the water is conditioned, add aquatic plants such as water lilies and bladderworts.

5. Naturalize the area around the pond by concealing the edge with rocks or plants. Make the bottom of the liner look more like a pond by covering the plastic with smooth rocks.

Tips & Warnings

• Add water to the pond as needed. Set large plants in their pots on the bottom of the pond. Install a pond pump with a filter that can be removed and cleaned if you're adding fish. You can set the liner on the ground, rather than excavating, but make sure it's in a flat spot and build a decorative surround for it.

• Fish may not survive if you put them in the pond before the water is conditioned properly. Buy a test kit at a pet store and check the water over the course of a week.

References

• Water Feature Design, Ideas and Tips
• The Center for Aquatic Plants

Resources

• How to Build a Pond
• Instructions for Making a Simple Fountain
• Rain Chain Information