11 ideas from the best garden ponds I’ve seen

March 10th, 2019
Posted In: Garden trends & design

I’ve seen some beautiful garden ponds in both public and private gardens over the past few years.

A garden pond is more than just ornamental – it’s key to sustaining wildlife. Garden birds, pollinating insects and other creatures need water to survive. And in our paved-over cities and towns, that water is often in short supply.

This pond looks as if it was naturally here, but the garden owner dug it herself. She then lined it with pond liner and used the stones around the edges to conceal the black plastic edges. Large rocks and stones can be expensive, but it’s worth checking out online auction and exchange sites to see if people are clearing them out of their gardens.

Garden ponds can also be a place for you to reflect and relax. There’s something very soothing about water.

Some of these ideas are for new ponds, but others are ideas for adding something special to your current garden pond.

So here are my favourite garden pond ideas from garden visiting over the last few years.

If you’d rather watch a video than read a post you can find garden ponds here on YouTube.

‘Natural’ DIY garden ponds

I’m starting with the easiest, low-tech garden pond. These ponds are literally just holes dug in the ground, lined with heavy-duty pond lining plastic (held in place by rocks) and filled with water.

I’ve looked up pond lining plastic. The best-reviewed and best-selling one on Amazon came from PondHero – 2mx2m for £9.99, so not expensive.

Note: links to Amazon are affiliate links, which means I may get a small fee if you buy, but it won’t affect the price you pay.

You can do the digging yourself or pay (or persuade) someone else to do it.

The advantage of this kind of pond is that you can build levels into the pond. Many small creatures can’t get out of a high-sided pond, and pond plants grow at different depths. So having a ‘beach’ or graded levels in your pond is a big plus.

The natural-style pond in summer. It’s approximately 6ft in diameter and is in a half acre garden.

You can also get hard pond liners, with graded levels, to create the same effect. Cover the edges of the pond liner with rocks or planting. These are called ‘pre-formed rigid pond liners’ and the most popular one I could find was the Bermuda Cover pre-formed pond liner.

The disadvantage of this kind of a pond is that it generally takes up a bit more space, and it won’t be suitable for the smallest gardens.

The rigid pre-formed liners are generally smaller, but you have to be careful that a small pond doesn’t dry out in hot weather.

Stone or brick garden ponds

If you want a more designed effect, then stone or brick garden ponds will (probably) need to be professionally built.

But they look smart, and will fit into any size of garden.

This simple rectangular pond in Robin and Margaret Marks’ garden is built of the same granite that the house is built of. The gravel chippings around it are also local granite. You can see more of their beautiful garden in 7 garden design ideas from four private gardens.

Raised garden ponds

One of the main issues you need to think about when planning a pond is whether babies or toddlers could fall in. A child can drown in a few inches of water.

This small raised pond tucks in beside the back door. It belongs to garden designer Posy Gentles. She grows aquatic plants in it. Posy also has a grille on top to stop small creatures falling in.

A raised garden pond isn’t 100% safe, but it is probably safer.

This raised pond from the RHS 2018 Hampton Court Palace show is the central feature of a small garden. You could perch on its edge, or leave your coffee mug there.

Raised garden ponds are also particularly good in smaller gardens, as they introduce different levels to the design, and can fit into small spaces.

Classical garden ponds

I love classical garden ponds, like this one below at Doddington Place Gardens.

The strong clean lines of a classical pond look good in winter when they reflect the yew hedging at Doddington Place Gardens

Contemporary ponds

This pond area is in a show garden designed by Chris Beardshaw for RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018.

Chris Beardshow’s ‘Best in Show Garden’ at RHS Chelsea 2018 for M&G Investments. It’s a beautiful use of sculpture and colour, and might be worth considering for a town garden as the water goes right up to the ‘garden walls.’ Definitely not safe for children.

I am not sure how easy it would be to maintain, as the pond goes right up to the garden wall, without an edge on two sides. But it’s an interesting idea and a lovely use of colour.

Another contemporary pond design – this pond is in the Health & Wellbeing Garden at the RHS Hampton Court Palace show 2018. It’s exceptionally shallow and its cobbled base reflects the path around it. Very pretty.

Exotic garden ponds

With today’s trend towards ‘exotic’ gardens, even in temperate climates, ponds can look jungly.

Use a mix of large-leaf foliage plants and other hardy plants, such as bamboo, to create a tropical effect. Let it get a bit overgrown for that wild, jungly look.

This jungly pond is also at Ard Rudah – it’s beautifully overgrown with ferns, tree ferns and waterlilies.

Maybe it’s cheating to show you one of the ponds at the Oxford Botanic Gardens. It’s in a glasshouse – but why not consider a small pond in your greenhouse or conservatory if you have one? Surround it with colourful plants for a tropical look.

Mini ponds

I have a couple of mini ponds in my garden.

I made one from an oak barrel half.

I’ve written about how to make this mini pond in an oak barrel here.

Mini ponds can fit in any garden, and are wonderful for wildlife, but you do have to consider a few factors. It’s important that wildlife can get in and out, for example, and they can also dry out in hot weather.

This mini pond was made from a feeding trough. Jane Beedle was given the feeding trough by a farming friend, but you can source them on agricultural company websites. See how to create a beautiful container pond.

Add sculpture to your garden pond

Ponds and sculpture are a magical combination.

This sculpture overlooks one of the ponds at Borde Hill Gardens in Sussex.

This sculpture fills with water, then the weight of the water tips the dish over, and the process starts again. At Borde Hill Gardens in Sussex. It’s very peaceful!

This stag sculpture sets off a pond at Ard Rudah, echoing the conifers around the pond.

Make sure you have somewhere to sit near your pond

This is from Viking Cruises’ Nordic Lifestyle garden at RHS Hampton Court Palace show in 2018.

A Lutyens bench beside a pretty pond in Northern France.

And add pots around the edge

Pots around one of the ponds at Borde Hill Gardens in Sussex.

Can you plan in reflections?

I don’t know whether you can plan your garden pond to make sure that it has amazing reflections on a sunny day. But it’s certainly worth thinking about!

A private garden in Kent – it was once a barn and this was the farm pond. It’s stunningly beautiful on a sunny day.

Trees reflecting into a pond in a private garden in Kent.

The Marks’ garden pond reflecting the sky and clouds above.

Does your pond need a pump?

In my experience, you don’t necessarily need a pump for your pond, but you do need to keep it well oxygenated. Buy oxygenating pond plants from Amazon or local garden centres.  I also have aquatic snails, which a friend gave me, which help keep my mini pond clean.

Some gardeners say that aquatic snails munch water plants as well as decaying vegetation. I have a water iris and some equisetum, which have not been nibbled by the snails.

Do you want a wildlife pond or to have fish?

This is quite a complicated question, but the short answer is that if you have goldfish or carp, they will eat much of the other wildlife that settles on or in the pond.

If you specifically want a ‘wildlife’ pond, then Making Wildlife Ponds by Jenny Steel will explain what factors you need to bear in mind. Fish keeping is another matter.

Other design aspects of your garden

Other important design elements in your garden include your garden steps, paths and seating areas.

For example, your garden steps need to have different proportions from the stairs in a house. Find out why along with other things you need to know about garden steps here.

Paths are not just practical. They also shape the design of a garden. Find out which path or paver material would be right for you in Garden paths – the good, the bad and the beautiful.

And seating areas are where you will enjoy your garden. See 10 practical and beautiful outdoor seating ideas here. Or choose from 30 inspiring examples of garden seating here.

Shop my favourite garden tools, books and products

I’m often asked for recommendations, so I’ve put together convenient lists of garden tools, books and products on The Middlesized Garden Amazon store. They’re all products I either use myself or which come highly recommended by others.

For example, one list is the Wildlife Friendly list, with bird feeders, bat boxes, hedgehog homes and more.

Pin to remember garden pond ideas

I hope you’ve enjoyed these garden ponds, and do join us. See here for a free weekly email with tips, ideas and inspiration for your garden from the Middlesized Garden. And the Middlesized Garden YouTube channel also uploads weekly.