A tranquil sunlit setting, a placid pond covered with colorful water lilies, fragrant blossoms surrounded by marginal grasses and flowers. Bullfrogs croak their harmonious song while colorful fish gently ripple your reflecting pond. Ah, that`s the life.
An astounding variety of some of the world`s most beautiful plants and grasses, natural sounds and sights can all be incorporated into a pond of your own design in virtually any space available around your yard. And it certainly isn`t too late to create such an environment for next season`s enjoyment.
”Fall is an excellent time to build a garden pond,” says Bob Steinbach, an aquatic biologist, ichthyologist, and teacher at Elgin Community College.
”It`s a quiet time with little activity. It`s dry and the soil can be dug with little effort, and temperatures are usually good for the work involved.
”All the beauty and serenity of a natural aquatic pond can be captured for any home for an extremely low cost. It`s not difficult at all, and the benefits are that the homeowner need not worry about constant upkeep and maintenance,” he says.
Steinbach also owns the Aquatic Nursery in Elgin, which has 30 such ponds and carries a large variety of plants, materials and wildlife.
”October is a great season for digging and establishing a pool, but don`t add plants until spring, around mid-May,” he advises.
”A water garden can be as simple as a used pickle bucket and a cattail you dig up from the side of the road,” says Joel Schrock, owner of Heinz Brother`s Greenhouse in St. Charles. ”Or it can be an elaborate landscaped pond with waterfall, lights, fountains and all the gimmicks.
”It might seem overwhelming at first, but once you understand the basics it`s quite simple to put in your own pond. We can help you get started and answer any questions. We even have a video that will help you learn about how to do it.”
We asked Steinbach to guide us through a basic plan for an aquatic garden.
(Before tackling this project, it`s best to check with local authorities for the applicable building codes. Most Illinois city codes covering ponds less than two feet in depth require no permit.)
”It`s important to remember that your garden may be of virtually any size, but the membranes that will line the pond are sold in 25-foot widths,” Steinbach advises. ”For the sake of instructional ease, we will talk in terms of designing a pond 10 feet by 10 feet. Of course, they may be made smaller or larger depending on your personal needs.”
Site selection
There are few restrictions, but avoid a low, wet place that is susceptible to standing water after rain, Steinbach advises. Such ill-chosen sites cause pond membrane liners to balloon outward, spilling the contents.
Remember that most aquatic plants flower most prolifically and brightly in full sun. Ponds in shaded areas are possible and specific plants are needed. Virtually any shape of pool may be planned.
An enormous variety of aquatic plants can be provided for with depths no greater than 2 feet. Terraces, which allow for various marginal plants, add to the natural look.
Excavation
To start building your own pond, first remove all sod from the site. Rototilling at this stage can save labor, making the soil easier to manipulate. Dig out the deepest area and move the soil to the pool`s planned boundary. Create a ridge surrounding the perimeter of the pool with the earth from the pond`s deepest part. Excavate terraces at one- and two-foot depths. The most common error at this point is to scoop out a bowl-shaped excavation-a configuration that inhibits plant growth and flowering. Aquatic gardens are best maintained with a flat bottom, where trays of plants can be easily manipulated.
Terraced walls should be angled at approximately 45 degrees, to prevent erosion and cave-ins.
The pond`s deepest part should include a foot-wide trench, about 3 inches deep, along its length. Decayed and organic matter will accumulate in this area, making it easy to clean once a year. (The collected matter, which is mayonnaise-like in texture, makes a wonderful organic fertilizer for plants, Steinbach notes.)
Terrace ledges should be about one foot wide to allow for plant pots and containers.
Tamp soil down tightly and eliminate all bumps. A smooth surface greatly reduces the possibility of liner punctures. Next comes the placement of the membrane.
Liner
Liners are available at gardening centers. Membranes are available in four types:
1. Low density (6 mil) polyethylene, similar to a thick garbage bag. Widths of 24 feet are standard, and cost about $1 per linear foot. This material is punctured easily by rocks or dogs, but it can last 20 years under the right circumstances. You cannot put rocks underwater on this plastic.
2. High-density polyethylene liner. It comes in 24 foot widths, costing about $5 per linear foot. When surfaces are kept from light, they can last indefinitely.
3. PVC liner. This is expensive. These liners, while readily available, come in boxes and are not sold by the foot. There may be a lot of waste.
4. EDPM, often called butyl rubber, is extremely puncture resistant, patches easily, and has a long life even when exposed to light. This ultimate pool liner costs 50 cents to $1 per square foot, depending on thickness. While expensive, it can be cut to exact sizes.
When installing the liner, smooth out as many wrinkles as possible.
Borders
The plastic liner`s border must be either submerged in water or covered with rocks or soil in order to protect it from the sun, which causes rapid deterioration. Soil borders can be planted with a variety of bog plants
(grasses and cattails), creating a natural look.
Forget-me-nots, money wort with small yellow flowers, endless varieties of sedums, hosta lilies, or creeping junipers can enhance border areas.
After filling the pool with water, note any high and low spots. Drain, then make necessary leveling adjustments.
Most plants should be kept in pots or other plastic containers. This permits easy maintenance and facilitates pond management.
”Roots of unpotted plants take over a pool area in less than two year`s time,” Steinbach says. ”Pots control growth, are easy to move, can be stored when necessary in winter, and make pool cleaning easy.”
Fish
Fish can keep an ecological balance in your pond and help keep it clean. Favorites of pond owners are goldfish and Japanese Koi, but they spit mud from the bottom, suspending algae-causing minerals in the water. The African tropical fish tilapia is a good alternative. This fish also benefits your pond by eating filamentous algae. Two to four $5 fish can easily keep a 10-by-10 pool clean. Snails and tadpoles will control blue-green algae.
What about mosquitoes? ”Just run down to your favorite bait or pet shop and buy some fathead minnows-technically called Rosey Red minnows,” Steinbach muses. ”They eat mosquito larvae but don`t spit mud. The offspring become frog food. Frogs and toads are desirable for their naturally entertaining sounds, and their ability to eat insects. They also produce tadpoles that eat algae.”
A well-balanced pool generally doesn`t need filtering, but some may be required. Steinbach suggests what he calls ”phyto-filtration.”
This system involves a second trench on one side of the pool, two feet wide, one foot deep, and three feet long. The trench should be several inches higher than the pool, and be connected by a spillway where water enters the pool. It can be filled with water hyacinths, water lettuce, iris, cattail, rushes and sedges.
A small pump, available for $50 to $100, pumps water from the pond into the trench. It passes through roots of plants, removing particles naturally. This filter, which never has to be cleaned, can be a beautiful background and would be a good choice for the base of a waterfall.
Plants
Among plant choices, lilies are very popular. They come in red, pink, orange, yellow and white. There are two varieties: day bloomers, which bloom roughly from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and night bloomers, which open at about 10 p.m. Depending on your schedule of pond enjoyment, you may plan accordingly. Red night-blooming lilies can be used in shaded areas. Another choice is the water hawthorn, not a lily but similar in shape. Its white, very aromatic flowers tolerate shade and flower earlier in the season than lilies.
Submerged plants to consider are Vallisneria, which is a deep green, wavy grass that can cover the entire bottom of your pool. Myrophyllum is a fine leaf floating plant that`s an excellent spawn medium for fish and helps purify the water.
The lotus is arguably the most beautiful of all flowers, very aromatic, with variations in red, white, pink, and yellow. It should be confined in good-sized pots (one- to three-foot containers) because it can travel up to 80 feet by a slender rhizome (underground stem). Lotuses are characterized by huge flowers and large delicate leaves suspended from narrow stems.
Bog plants, for margin and border areas, grow best in shallow water about one foot deep-the first ledge of your terrace. They stand upright above the water to a height of up to five feet and provide graceful vertical backgrounds to a natural setting.
While cattail, bullrush and iris are popular, Cindy Thomas of The Greenhouse on Church in Bensenville prefers the dwarf papyrus, which can be traced back to ancient Egypt, where it was first used to make paper.
But whether you want historic foliage, the exotic or the mundane, autumn`s an ideal time to start work on a tranquil pond setting for next summer.
”An aquatic garden becomes the centerpiece for any garden,” says landscape architect Keith Allen, owner of Garden Structures in St. Charles, who installs garden ponds and will give free advice to the do-it-yourselfer.
