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Planning a pond
Ponds can bring enormous pleasure, and give children and many adults their first real experience of wildlife.
Decide what wildlife you want to attract before you dig your pond. Its position, size and shape, as well as the surrounding habitat, will affect its appeal to different species.
Basic requirements for wildlife
A pond should have gently sloping sides to provide the all-important shallow areas on which much wildlife depends. Birds will drink and bathe in the shallows, and amphibians will spawn there. Sloping sides are important to allow wildlife such as hedgehogs to escape. In general, the more varied the slopes and the longer the shoreline, the better.
Although the shallow areas are important for insects and spawning frogs, ponds should also have some water over 60 cm deep, so that they do not freeze solid in hard winters.
Some dragonflies will breed in ponds with a surface area as small as 4 square metres, but many species need a pond of over 50 square metres.
Frogs and smooth newts may breed in ponds as small as one square metre. Toads and great crested newts prefer larger ponds, above 15 square metres. Frogs usually spawn in water 7-10 cm deep among submerged plants. Newts lay single eggs on submerged plants usually within 30 cm of the surface.
Different ponds for different needs
Decide what you want from your pond. Will it be a relatively natural pond for wildlife, or a more ornamental pond for fish? The larger the pond the better, provided there is a wide variety of habitats. Remember that goldfish cannot be kept in a wildlife pond because they would eat the spawn of amphibians.
Warm, sunny sites are best for most wildlife, so try to make sure your pond has an open aspect to the south side. Trees can be a problem: if your pond is situated under mature trees, it may fill with autumn leaves, while the roots of young trees may puncture the pond lining. Low bushes near a pond can provide cover for bathing birds.
Avoid automatically place your pond in a wet or damp hollow. These areas may already be important for wildlife. Indeed, having more than one wet area in a garden can be very good.
Finally, don't forget to site your garden pond so that you can see it from a window!
Last modified: 17 October 2007