Garden Pond Planning: From Site to Scope

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Rich Binsacca

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The ultimate goal of a well-designed landscape is to achieve harmony throughout the space. But when designed and installed properly, a water garden offers more than just harmony to a yard – it brings beauty, sound and tranquility like no ordinary planting bed can.

Structural water features, like this impressive fountain, must be designed to fit the garden site and its conditions.

Fitting a water feature into an existing landscape begins by matching its scale – the size within the context of the site – with the rest of the garden.

Small-space gardens are appropriate settings for simple water features. In such landscapes, they dominate their surroundings while providing focal points of great interest.

Your water feature will become a permanent and eye-catching element in your landscape. Try to envision the finished feature before you begin construction. Use stakes and string or other markers to outline the feature on your property. Make any adjustments before you start digging.

The trick to a successful water garden is to design the feature to fit your site and purpose, while keeping the project in proper scale and scope. Doing this depends on two primary factors: your site and you.

At first glance, it may be obvious where a water garden might fit into your landscape. Even so, it’s always a good idea to confirm that “great location,” because the existing conditions on your property in large part determine the type, size and placement of your water garden. You can determine a proper site by using the following criteria and the process of elimination:

Region and climate

Consider what hardiness zone you live in, and what kind of aquatic plants thrive in your specific area. Water gardens should be in a spot that receives 5-6 hours of sun a day so aquatic plants can thrive. (Plant choices will be limited in shady locations.) Your feature should also be sheltered from prevailing winds: Track both the intensity and direction of wind currents that could affect water flow, surface patterns and plant needs. Your water garden should also be located away from deciduous trees to help lessen the amount of leaves, flowers and other debris that could go for a dip.

Grade and slope

The right grade for your feature depends on the type of water garden you’re planning. Ponds, fountains or pools should be placed on level ground near the highest point in the yard – a place high above the water table and safe from any runoff. Streams or watercourses, by contrast, are best on gentle slopes, either natural or excavated. You can adjust the grade of your landscape with terraces and retaining walls; if a low spot is otherwise ideal, plan to build up the site and divert natural drainage away from the feature.

Soil

Your site’s soil affects shoreline plants and the stability of the liner. Aquatic plants positioned within the water feature are isolated from the existing soil. Shoreline plants, however, require well-drained to constantly moist garden soil. Test the soil at your proposed site and determine its type. Clay soil is dense and slow-draining; it provides a stable base for pond and pool liners. Sandy soil is loose and drains quickly; plan to solidify it before liner installation.

Utilities

Locate all underground utility lines (power and water sources) by contacting your local municipality. It’s easier to move a pond’s possible location or adjust the dimensions of a water feature rather than moving existing utilities.

Access

Mark the outline of your proposed feature with a hose or rope. View it from different angles and distances, and walk around it to make sure there’s plenty of room for pond cleaning and care. Consider your property line and setback, as well, to help maintain safety for neighboring residents. Plan on setting up a fence and gates around your feature – you need to be sure children and pets who might wander into your yard are safe from harm. (And remember to keep those garden gates closed and maintain adult supervision whenever a child is in the yard! Fostering a passion for gardening in young children is a rewarding experience – take steps to ensure it’s a safe one!)

Scale and Scope

A tiny garden pond may seem easier to build than a large one, but in fact it requires most of the same steps and nearly as much effort to construct. Given that fact, ultimately, a successful water garden is one that fits its site – or matches its scale. It’s important to choose the right feature for your particular landscape and site.

Scale is the physical size of the garden in relation to the site. Scope is the project’s complexity in terms of the number of features, difficulty of installation and quantity of resources it requires. The two issues are closely related: Typically, the grander the scale of the feature, the more involved the scope for constructing and installing it. Your planning, skills and budget make a difference in deciding the scale and scope of your project, as well as the decision to hire professional help during installation.

Choosing the scale, in fact, determines the size and scope of your water garden in a way that either makes it the primary focus of your yard or relegates it to a supporting role. Match a large garden pond to a large yard, and a modest, self-contained water feature or fountain to one with a smaller scale. Choosing the opposite – even if you have the skills and resources available – will bring less than desirable results.

Of course, you’ll want to consider aesthetics, too, keeping in mind the existing elements of your current landscape, including trees, shade structures, paths, patios or decks, etc. It’s a good idea to match your concepts with these elements, to create that sense of landscape unity you’re going for. Understanding how you’ll use your landscape once your water garden is installed will make a big difference in where it should be located as well. (Is its purpose to help you explore new plant varieties, to invite wildlife to your yard or to bring movement and sound into your garden?)

A water garden that’s placed in an appropriate spot, with the right scale and scope, and designed to fulfill your anticipated purpose will deliver more than just harmony to your landscape – it’ll bring lasting enjoyment.

Warnings

Even if your garden pond or pool has a fence and gate around it, always watch children and pets around water! Although garden ponds and other water features aren’t meant for swimming, curious minds can’t help themselves (especially if fountains, streams and waterfalls are involved)!

Facts

If you find that your project’s scope is too complex, it’s better to reconsider some elements and finishes than to reduce the size of the water feature itself. Think in terms of completing elements in discrete phases spread over a period of time. As long as you plan ahead, the installation of various elements can often occur in phases over a period of months (or even years).

Tips

Before you start designing your garden pond, check with your town or village for electrical wiring codes, property line information and depth-of-pond safety requirements so you can build your pond within the letter of the law.
Before embarking on any-sized project, consider the skills, materials and money needed for layout, construction, planting, finishing and maintenance. If your goal is to create a large-scale water feature, but your skills and time are limited, consider hiring a professional designer to plan your pond and a contractor to install it.

Faqs

Q: Generally speaking, where’s a good place to put a garden pond?
A: Consider placing a pond in the center of a landscape design, at the end of a planting bed or where visual axis lines come together at a corner. Both raised pools and those flush with the ground interrupt an otherwise flat plain, reflect sunlight and shadows, add cooling relief and create a garden centerpiece.

Come to The Garden Party and share your water garden with the rest of our Learn2Grow community! Join the Water Gardening Group, post some pictures of your aquatic feature, create a blog, or learn from our experts or other home gardeners on more ways to enhance your water garden experience.

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You’ve been dreaming of having a water garden long enough. You’ve planned, budgeted, designed and picked your liner. Now the real work begins: digging! Learn the steps to pond layout and excavation.
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