TIP# 4: When Everything In The Yard Finally Looks Good......It's Time to Build a POND!!!!

It is the heart of the Summer now. The temperature here in the East, as most of you already know, has been in the 90's to 100 degrees with very high humidity. All of those projects that you had planned for the Spring are hopefully complete, and if not, most likely they will be pushed back until the Fall or next Spring.

The Spring flowers are in bloom, trees are full, and the grass has finally come in and looks good unless you haven't been watering regularly. In that case, the grass is orange/brown, and there is nothing to do but wait until the Fall to re-seed.

So with everything complete, why not make life complicated and build a pond? A few years ago, someone told me that they put a pond in their backyard. I thought, "That's nice, but that seems like a lot of work, and I don't want the trouble." However, the thought stayed in my mind, and sure enough, one day I decided to build a pond.

I visited Fairfield Garden Center in Fairfield, New Jersey (http://www.fairfieldgardencenter.com/) and learned everything you ever would want and need to know about building a pond. I will attempt to summarize what I learned in the next few tips.

Step 1: The Basics

1) Pick out a spot in your backyard where you would like to have a pond. The ideal spot should be away from a tree. I, of course, didn't take this advice. I picked a spot under a tree. The positives: less bacteria and algae; the negatives: more leaves and twigs.

2) Select an area that you can manage and is proportionate to your backyard. My yard is relatively small, and I did not want the pond to dominate the entire yard. A pond is somewhat like having a train set. Some people have a small manageable train set around the Christmas tree, while other people need entire rooms to contain the train set and accessories. My pond is 2 1/2 feet deep by 3 feet wide. In fact, my pond would be considered just more of a water feature than a pond. To me, it's a pond. 

3) Decide whether you want a prefitted plastic pond or a rubber liner pond. Prefitted plastic ponds look like black kiddie pools that you place into your hole in the ground.  The positives are that they look really sharp. After all, they are plastic and have built up areas that you can place underwater plants. Some have different levels to allow the water to flow downwards. This gives the pond a flowing waterfall feature. Plus, the plastic ponds come in all shapes and sizes (ovals, pear shapes, circles, etc.). Of course, the biggest negative with a plastic pond is that it has to fit snugly into the hole without air pockets. Otherwise, the rain will get into the air pockets and during the winter, the water will freeze and pop the plastic pond out of the hole, thereby giving you the black outdoor kiddie pool look in your backyard in February. The other option is the black rubber liner. The positives with the rubber liner are as follows: 1) the rubber liner molds directly in the hole and expands and contracts with the ground, thereby eliminating the pop-up effect of the plastic pond. 2) the rubber liner fits into any size and shape you dig. 3) rubber liner are less expensive. Needless to say, I chose the rubber liner.

I will allow you to digest the Basics and will continue Pond Construction Tips in my next blog. In the meantime, digest the basics and start thinking about where you can put a pond in your backyard.