Pond Makeovers – Adding New Ideas (and a new fish)

Our first (or even second) attempt at building a pond rarely turns out to be as big, wide or volumous as we had intended. Ponds have a habit of looking larger on paper and the size of our finished construction seems to mock the amount of spadework we had to do.

But if we’re limited by space, or we haven’t got the budget or time to put our pond back into dry dock, why not try adding a number of ‘finishing touches’ to give our tired old pond a contemporary feel. If they can transform a house on TV overnight, then why not try the same with your pond?

There are a number of features that with a degree of planning and some simple DIY skills (get ready to roll those sleeves up) could soon add another dimension to any garden pond.

1. Stepping stones

Stepping stones offer an irresistible challenge to us all. When confronted with the opportunity to walk on water and partake in what appears to be a risky passage over a water body, we feel compelled to do so. Stepping stones should be positioned as an alternative route through a garden, offering the visitor a short cut across the pond as opposed to the more natural journey around it. Positioned sufficiently close to each other to allow easy movement from one to the next, they should offer us a safe route or vantage point from which to view the pond.

Despite what I’ve already said about giving a pond a simple makeover, stepping stones cannot be an after thought, but must be built with a pond as they must be structurally sound and safe to walk on, ensuring that they are placed on a firm foundation. But depending on your pond’s initial construction, you may just have to drain your pond to install them.

Most stepping stones will consist of suitably sized flat stones, perched on a brickwork pillar, standing in about 2 feet of water. If your subsoil is suitably hard, (ie, clay – you’ll certainly remember if it is from digging it!), then a foundation is not likely to be needed. But if your garden is sandy, then the level piece of ground that will support the stepping stones will require a concrete foundation – perhaps putting this makeover project on hold. Having established the foundation for the stepping stones, the rest of the pond can be excavated into the shape required, whether formal or informal. The pond liner can then be put in place and filled with water until the level is just below the flat foundation prepared for the stepping stones. Having selected the size and shape of the stones, a number of brickwork piers can be constructed on top of the liner, ready to take each stepping stone. To protect the pond liner, construct the first layer of bricks on an off-cut of liner. Bed the stepping stone on the top of each pier with mortar so that when filled, the water will lap up against the edge of the stone.

Be sure to choose a stone with a rough finish, as this will afford a good grip to those using them. Either natural flat (sedimentary) stone or ‘natural’ concrete cast flags are ideal, choosing a shape of stepping stone to complement the shape of the pond and surrounding rock work.

2. Bridges

Bridges offer an alternative to stepping stones as a means of crossing a pond. They can be built in situ, or bought ready-made to be placed directly across a pre-determined point. A number of different bridge designs are available ranging from flat, simply constructed bridges to more rustic bridges that may offer a hump-back, being made from roughly cut pine, complete with bark. A bridge may be designed as purely ornamental, with no intention of it carrying traffic, or as is usual, built to take people who are keen on viewing a pond from above.

Stepping stones must be planned prior to a pond being installed, whereas a bridge can be installed over an existing pond. A bridge too must have good, level, foundations on which to sit, and if they can be excavated without interfering with the pond, the project should be straight forward.

It is important that a bridge should not look like an afterthought, but an integral part of the pond, having a valid reason for its position. Try to keep hand rails as low as possible, and the width of the bridge in keeping with the scale of the pond. The greatest problem when adding a bridge to a pond is maintaining a sense of proportion and making it blend in with the pond and its surroundings. A useful trick is to construct a bridge that does not end at the pond edge but continues into the border either side of the pond, with hand rails (if present) dropping away. Softening both ends of the bridge with planting that hides the edges will work well to give the impression that the bridge has been there for ever.

When constructing a wooden bridge, or using other wooden structures close to water, be sure to take care when using wood preservatives. Choose ones that are ‘pet safe’, and that will not harm the pond or its inhabitants should some leach in.

3. Lighting

Lighting can be used to convey different moods to your pond and the surrounding garden. If you haven’t tried lighting yet – I can recommend it. Subtle down lighting to create a glow from behind rock work or an evergreen shrub to cast its haunting silhouette can add a placid mood while brighter and more direct lighting of a spouting gargoyle or a busy fountain can bring nocturnal life to your pond. Garden lighting has really caught on in the market place imagination with many different types and varieties even available from DIY stores.

Underwater lighting can extend the life and entertainment from a pond well into the night, creating a focal point of both sight and sound for an evening around the barbeque, while subtle lighting can be used to delineate a path or give a lit backdrop. You will probably have to visit your local pond store for more specialist underwater lighting. They’re just as straight forward to install as garden lights.

Artificial lighting gives you the opportunity to direct light in ways that nature did not intend, shining light upwards out of your pond, bouncing it off the underside of bridges or from beneath stepping stones (If you’ve decided to rise to the challenge). Underwater lighting also gives you the opportunity to see your fish illuminated from below, watching silhouetted fish darting about in the twilight of a summer night.

Recent innovations in pond lighting involve the use of solar panels. Charging throughout the day in sunlight and when dusk arrives the charged battery powers the light well into the night . These are available as lanterns for illuminating garden features or as floating solar lights that are free to move and glow all night.

Controlling lights – Power at your finger tips.
Lights can be controlled in a number of different ways, using a simple switch (which should ideally be located inside the house to save having to go into the garden), through to more elaborate control techniques.

– Light sensors: A simple light sensitive switch (as used by street lamps), can be used to switch the lighting on automatically as dusk approaches.

– Remote control: Some lighting units are now supplied with a remote control unit that can be used to operate and even dim the lights!

More hi-tech still.

State of the art fibre-optic lighting can be installed to great effect. Recently introduced in the USA, this method of lighting is so unobtrusive by the space it requires that you can put lights in places that were previous no-go areas. They also add unrivalled, jaw-dropping, dynamic contemporary lighting effects.

In summary, creative design and finishing touches do not simply belong indoors. By treating the garden as our home’s extra room, you can add interest, intrigue and improve both the function and appearance of your pond, putting it in true context with the rest of the garden. Furthermore, it is within the abilities and budget of most of us.

Fish Focus:

The Sterlet – Acipenser ruthenus

The Sterlet can be described as a prehistoric fish which dates back to the dinosaurs. Its ancient ancestry is also quite clear when looking at its body form, looking completely alien in a pond when compared to other traditional pond fish.

The Sterlet, a close relative of the Sturgeon, derives from rivers that feed into the Black and Caspian seas and although it is a river fish, the Sterlet acclimatises well to a garden pond existence.

Instead of the usual scales as found on koi and goldfish, Sterlets are covered with armoured bony plates called scutes which are arranged the body in five rows.

As a quiet and timid fish in relation to other pondfish, it can be quite common for Sterlets to be rarely seen in a pond. They are darkly coloured and blend in with the pond and their love for the bottom means that they will rarely venture to the top.

The Sterlet also swims like no other fish, flexing the whole length of body into a series of lazy curves, moving in an ungainly, clumsy and ‘waggy’ fashion. There have even been instances where this weak swimmer has become trapped in blanketweed.

The Sterlet can have difficulty feeding in a pond for a number of reasons. Firstly the Sterlets protruding snout and downward facing mouth only really enable this fish to feed off the bottom, meaning that it is usually necessary to offer sinking pellets. This can lead on to a second problem, and that is one of competition. In a typical garden pond of mixed pond fish the frenzy of activity experienced at feeding time may well result in no food getting down to the Sterlets. They are a carnivorous fish, naturally feeding on crustacea and invertebrates in the water column or on the river bed. It uses a set of four fringed barbels protruding from its mouth to feel, sense and locate food items. It also uses these to locate sinking food pellets.

The Sterlet although quite appealing through its weird appearance can be quite a difficult pond fish to keep through its inability to compete with goldfish and koi at feeding time. This can lead to them losing weight and special care should be taken to ensure that they get sufficient food, especially as they prefer to lurk in the depths. If you can crack their awkward feeding habits, then just watch them grow!