Pond ideas for small yards are really no different than those for larger locations. The basic thought behind the pond remains the same: providing a unique, living, water-based ecosystem within your garden. This can provide not only a beautiful visual element to your landscape, but also give everyone in the family hours of enjoyment as they take in the gurgling of a waterfall, the behavior of fish and other pond inhabitants, and the growth of lovely plant life.
If you’re considering adding an outdoor pond to your landscape, you’ll want to take many different things into consideration, from your budget and the physical area you have to work with to weather conditions to your overall outdoor landscape design. All of these will play a part in dictating the final design and implementation of your pond. And the more thought you put into them at the beginning, the less likely you are to run into problems further down the line, when the pond is already in place.
Ponds are beautiful but they are an investment. Not only do you have to figure in the cost of digging and installing the pond itself, there’s also the expense of a proper pump and filtration system as well as the addition of plants and fish and any other design elements needed to blend the pond in with the surrounding landscape.
Of course, pond ideas for small yards can be less expensive overall than larger ones, but they still don’t come without some cost. Before you begin, make sure that you have enough money in your budget to cover all of your needs.
Even for a small outdoor pond, you won’t want to skimp where a pump and filter are concerned as this is quite literally the heart of any pond. You need a pump that can adequately circulate the entire volume of your pond at least every hour and a series of filters that can properly remove all debris, algae, bacteria and other potential hazards from the pond regularly. This will ensure a healthy living environment for fish and plants and increase your enjoyment of your pond in turn.
When it comes to pond ideas for small yards, obviously space considerations play a big part. You need to know exactly how much room you have to work with so that you can choose the best pond design for your yard. Having a garden pond doesn’t require a lot of space but it does require a carefully thought out space: Are there trees overhead that may drop leaves? Will your pond be able to receive sunlight for at least half the day? Is the soil level free of excess roots, sticks and other hazards?
These are all important considerations as they can have a serious impact on the health of your pond. Level, clear ground will translate into both better water circulation and less chance of damage to the liner while avoiding trees will help to keep the pond clear of debris. And sunlight is very important for an outdoor pond as plants and wildlife need it to grow and thrive.
The thought of sunlight brings up one of the more important factors in pond design – weather conditions. When considering pond ideas for small yards, you need to be aware of what weather extremes can mean for your pond. This is particularly true here in the Albany/Saratoga/Rensselaer county area. Winter can hit here heavily and should be considered in your design, particularly those that are home to fish. Ponds in the Capital Region should be designed at a minimum depth of 2’ for goldfish and minimum depth of 3’ for koi.
Like the plumbing in your home, pumps, filters and water pipes for to prepare ponds for winter months will ensure your finned friends to be safe. Pumps should be removed from the pond and water lines should be blown out and capped to prevent water to enter during a thaw.
While the pond will freeze in the winter months the most crucial part is to keep a hole in the ice. A winterization pump can be used to keep a hole open and provide a way for harmful gases to be released from the pond. As the winter months become harsh a floating deicer with a built in thermostat that turns on and off as needed can be used to further keep the hole open. A deicer is great to use as a backup to your winterization pump should the pump fail. This can be a major time and money saver. A deicer is not recommended as the only option for winter months as it does not provide the much needed oxygen you fish will need to survive.
Of course, when you’re thinking of pond ideas for small yards, one of the chief considerations is overall landscape design. No matter what the size of your pond, you want it to fit into your design seamlessly so that it all has one clean, uniform look. This may mean adopting a distinct shape to fit your pond into a particular part of your garden or incorporating specific plants so that they fit in with the rest of the green space in your yard.
There is more to an outdoor pond than just plant life, however, and every You’ll want to choose stones to use in the pond surround that look like they are native to your area and something that might have naturally occurred in your yard. You can place them in any configuration you’d like, but the more abstract and flowing the design, the more natural it will look.
Be sure to consider incorporating water plants in your outdoor pond. Aquatic plants area crucial part of the ecosystem. This can be a beautiful addition to any outdoor landscape design. Plants used for water environments can either grow on the surface of the water, at the bottom of the pond. In any case, there are many varieties of plants available that can bring stunning visual interest to your yard. And having a smaller pond doesn’t mean that you can’t incorporate these plants…you’ll just need to do so in moderation to suit the environment.
Fish can easily be incorporated into your small pond as well. In fact, many pond ideas for small yards involve the inclusion of fish for added enjoyment. Of course, the smaller the pond, the smaller the fish you’ll be able to house there. If you want to keep larger fish like koi, you’ll have to have a pond large enough to house them comfortably. But there are plenty of smaller sized species that will fit comfortably and happily into your small pond.
Before you make any decisions about placement or design of your outdoor pond, you’ll want to do your homework and discover all of your options. You may also want to consult with a landscape expert, like those at Decker’s, who can offer you all sorts of advice to help you get the most out of your small space. The important thing to remember is to keep an open mind and not to let a limited amount of space stifle your creativity. You can still make the most out of a small garden, provided you think outside the box.
When considering pond ideas for small yards, you want to bear in mind all of the potential advantages. While space may limit the amount of fish or plant life you can have, it can also be a major plus. Smaller ponds can provide the perfect introduction to the wonderful world of pond ownership. They are less expensive to build and maintain and their small size can make them much easier to manage, making them much less intimidating for first time pond owners.
If you’ve ever considered the idea of creating your own outdoor pond but thought it would be too much of an undertaking, then starting with a small pond may be just the solution for you. Once you’ve gotten your feet wet, so to speak, you might then be interested into moving up to something larger, if your garden can accommodate it. Even if expanding isn’t a possibility, having your own small pond can be a source of tremendous enjoyment for the whole family.
Don’t let a lack of space put you off of designing and creating a garden pond. You can find lots of pond ideas for small yards and turn your outdoor space into the place you’ve always dreamed of, complete with your own pond. Big or small, ponds are the perfect addition to any garden and yours is no exception.
