Backyard Water Garden: Tips for Position and Size

When you decide to create a water garden in your backyard, one of the most important things to consider is the position and size of the water garden. Read on to discover how to choose the correct position and size for your water garden without sacrificing beauty and style.

Backyard Water Garden: Tips for Position and Size - Keep It Close to Home

The best possible place for a backyard water garden is close to the house, so it can be enjoyed and seen from the windows of your home. How close to your house you place the water garden will depend on the size of the garden.

If you plan on having lights, waterfalls, etc. in your backyard water garden you'll need to run electricity to the features. Placing the garden closer to home makes practical sense in these cases.

Make sure you place the pond of your backyard water garden near a path. This will make construction easier and encourage more visits. Make sure to position the water garden so that it can be viewed all year at all times of the day.

Backyard Water Garden: Tips for Position and Size - Keep it Open

You'll need to keep your pond in a nice open area. Plants and fish you place in your backyard water garden won't flourish if they are deeply shaded. Make sure sunlight can reach the pond for most of the day. Fish and plants will both benefit from the warmth the sun provides.

Also, fish won't be able to live in your pond if leaves and other vegetation fall into the water on a regular basis. Make sure to keep the pond away from deciduous trees and shrubs that shed leaves, berries and/or blossoms.

Decaying leaves are a lethal prescription for your backyard water garden. They can give off gases that are harmful to your fish and plant life. Foreign material in the pond will upset the natural balance of your backyard water garden.

Backyard Water Garden: Tips for Position and Size - Shelter from the Storm

The spot you choose for your backyard water garden should provide shelter from winds. One way to protect the water's surface, and thus the plants living here, is to build a rock garden beside the pond. You could also plant hedge conifers which do not shed their foliage.

Backyard Water Garden: Tips for Position and Size - Size Really Does Matter

The size of your backyard water garden, and in particularly your pond, needs to be as large as possible when it comes to water surface area. This will ensure your pond's success by giving you the ability to maintain a balance of fish, insect and plant life.

A good size to make your pond in your backyard water garden would be about 8 ft x 5 ft. This will guarantee conditions for clear water and the necessary balance of life within. Remember, a large pond is actually much easier to maintain than a smaller one.

Backyard Water Garden: Tips for Position and Size - The Deep End

A backyard water garden pond doesn't need to be all that deep. Most aquatic plants will thrive in about eighteen inches of water.

Plants which have their roots under water and leaves and flowers in the open are called Marginal plants. These types of plants will need a shelf on which to stand their pots. This shelf should be about nine inches below the surface of the water and nine inches wide. If you have plants that need even shallower water, you can raise the container by placing it atop bricks or stones.

For fish, the depth requirements vary. Goldfish, for example, can thrive in water as shallow as eighteen inches but no more than twenty four inches deep. But Koi need the water to be at least three feet deep. Research the type of fish you want in your backyard water garden pond for their specific requirements and keep this in mind when designing your water garden.

The deeper you make your backyard water garden pond, the safer your fish will be during the winter months. Also, the greater the volume of water you have in your water garden, the more consistent the temperature will remain. Fish and plant life cannot abide sudden or drastic changes in temperature.

All in all, the most important thing to keep in mind when considering the position and size of your backyard water garden is proportion. Plan for the correct depth and width for the type of plant life and fish you wish to inhabit your pond and you should be successful.