Designing a Backyard Pond: Part 3

Welcome to my climactic final article in a 3-part series on installing your own water feature. If you have above average intelligence or an accurate idea of my abilities, you've been waiting to see how my project works out before diving into your own pond ambitions. This was wise of you. Let me explain.

I once had a garage door opener clamped to the handlebars of my bike. When I returned from a bike ride I would hit the button as I hurtled down the driveway. The garage door would retract just in time to let me slip into the garage like the shadow of a cat.

But sometimes the garage door didn't open in time and I would screech to a halt with six Gs of pressure making my eyeballs protrude like Wyle E. Coyote spotting fresh roadkill.

I'm having that same sensation now in my eyeballs as I ruefully report on the pond project I've undertaken with my friend Andrea. It has run aground, as it were. I didn't order the liner and pump with sufficient lead-time. Plus, the farmer who's providing us with a truck full of rocks is behind in the haying, so we can't get the rocks yet because we'll ruin the hay if we take a truck into the field. You see the problem.

Fortunately, a couple of loyal readers saved the day. Merv and Gloria Schmidt e-mailed me last week with some friendly tips gleaned from their own pond installation in 1997. They had done all the work themselves to build a waterfall and pond, and their total cost was under $500.

I paid them a visit on Saturday morning and was impressed. As they led me into their lovely backyard I spotted their water feature enfolded in perennial beds - "That's Gloria's jungle," said Merv, proudly pointing at the burgeoning greenery. The water sparkled and gleamed, an enthusiastic cascade flowing down rock steps to rest in a fish-filled pond at the lower level.

In 1997, Merv and Gloria bought 2 pond kits on sale for $300 from a garden supply place that was going out of business. They did all the digging themselves, and collected rocks from various beaches and byways in their travels. Merv has had to replace one of his pumps 3 times and recommends buying a pump with larger capacity than you need. "You can always throttle back a pump if the flow is too strong, but it's difficult to replace underground piping if a larger diameter pipe is required."

Merv reinforced the lips of his waterfalls with pressure-treated 4" x 4" lumber. "It's important to get the lip dead-level for a nice waterfall." Otherwise, the water finds the low side and instead of a sheet of water, you get a narrow spout.

Merv and Gloria's waterfall creates a soothing soundscape. "We used to have a neighbour, an old guy, and he'd come over and stand by the pond talking to Merv but he could never stay very long!" says Gloria. I nod in agreement, having just Hoovered a coffee.

"We have found that over the years, the soil under the waterfall liner has eroded and settled somewhat," says Merv. "I should have put either cement or pressure-treated wood under there to reinforce it."

Merv cleans out his foam filter every day at the same time as he feeds the goldfish and catfish. "They know me," says Merv, tapping on the rock. They swarm around expectantly. "We used to put our fish in an aquarium over the winter, but now we leave them in the pond and just use a single bubbler. Haven't lost any fish yet, even though the pond is only about 18 inches deep."

Do you feed them over the winter?

"Oh no. You shouldn't feed fish when it gets below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Fish usually die because they get overfed apparently."

"Our grandson Ryan likes to catch the catfish and examine him," says Gloria. The catfish glowers at us; he's not in the mood for a physical today.

Merv and Gloria's stellar DIY effort makes me realize that there is a huge range of cost options in pond construction. My friend Andrea opted for the champagne-of-pond-equipment when she chose OASE components that have been perfected over the last 20 years in Europe's hugely successful pond industry. Andrea's priority is ultra-low-maintenance, ultra-low-energy components that will last indefinitely.

If you're looking for the supremely low-cost option, take note of this letter from a reader who has a pond-loving friend in Big Sur, California.

When my friend Feynner decided he wanted a water garden at his place in Big Sur, he used on-site materials: namely, a poly septic tank that he was decommissioning. After the rectangular tank had been pumped out, he excavated it, washed it out with a garden hose, and used a reciprocating saw to cut it in half. He dug a hole in front of his house large enough to accommodate half, filled it with water, and voila! Instant pond! It's about 4m x 4m, and about 1.5m deep. Never any mosquitoes, because the fish and frogs eat the larvae. It's so deep that it doesn't get algae-infested, and it's great for cattails and rushes in anchored pots.

Normally, of course, he doesn't tell your average admirer what it is.

Sus Danner

I'll get back to you with a final look at Andrea's pond just as soon as the haying is done. In the meantime, dream big, wet, and wild, and consider dedicating this summer to installing your very own watery idyll.