Creating A Small Wildlife Pond

The importance of ponds to our native wildlife can’t be underestimated.

Ponds provide a unique wildlife habitat for frogs, toads, newts and many insects.  Caddis flies, damselflies, dragonflies, mayflies, pond skaters, snails and water beetles all breed in water and it’s thought frogs are now more common in garden ponds than in the countryside.

Although there are over 450,000 natural ponds in the UK’s countryside but they’re becoming more and more threatened by climate change, pollution and re-development.  We can all do our bit by creating our own wildlife pond to increase the habitat available for our wildlife.  It doesn’t have to be a huge pond – every little one helps!  According to Alan Titchmarsh

a garden pond is a joy and you can make one in a weekend. 

If Alan says so…..!

Gardens of all sizes can accommodate a water feature – whether you actually dig a pond or get creative and use something like an old bathtub.

So, when is the best time to build your pond?  Basically, you can start at any time of the year, but it does take some planning and it will establish much quicker if you start in autumn or late winter.

Make sure you include lots of natural edges with shallow shelves as this is where amphibians, dragonflies and water beetles we will be at their happiest.  Plant grasses at the edge and allow them to trail over the edge of the pond.

Unless you intend to keep fish, a shallow pond is ideal.  It doesn’t need to be more than a foot deep which means you’ll be able to see the bottom and the water will remain oxygenated.

By putting your pond in a warm, sunny area you’ll encourage tadpoles and dragonflies and they’ll thrive in these conditions.

Step 1 – Dig it!

• Mark out the pond shape you’re looking for. You can use either a rope or hosepipe – anything you have to hand that will form the approximate shape.  Don’t be too fussy about perfect circles – wiggly edges make a wildlife pond more attractive and authentic.
• Start to dig out the grass / turf making sure you keep some back to secure the liner around the edges of your new pond. Be careful not to put the grass / turf directly into the water as the nutrients they contain will pollute the water.
• Don’t dig too deep – remember shallow is best for a wildlife pond. The ideal pond should have lots of shallow water with gently sloping edges.  Anything deeper than a foot will give you very steep sides which is what you want to avoid.
• When you’ve finished digging, check that it’s level. You can do this by placing a long piece of wood across the entire pond and place a spirit level across the middle of it.  Remove any extra grass / turf from the highest side as necessary to make it level.
• Remove any large stones or rocks from the bottom so that your liner won’t get punctured.
• Add a layer of builder’s sand to the base of your pond. Sand is preferable because it’s sterile and won’t harbour any undesirable seeds or microbes.
• Dig a trench around the edge of your pond so that you can overhang the liner into it and weigh it down with large ornamental rocks. If you have any excess liner showing, simply cut it away.