POND IN A POT
This low-maintenance option is ideal for patios, balconies and small gardens
If you don’t have room for a full-sized water feature but still fancy all the benefits one brings, here’s our easy step-by-step guide to creating a pond in a pot (or any other suitable container).
YOU’LL NEED
• A pot, half-barrel, old sink, metal washtub – basically anything that’s strong enough to withstand the elements.
• A selection of water-loving plants. Try dwarf water lilies and water hyacinths for surface cover; flowering rushes or Boston irises for marginals (taller plants that grow up and out of the water); and hornwort or pondweed for oxygenation.
• Aquatic planting baskets, which let water flow freely in and out, and aquatic compost to hold the plants in place.
• Pebbles or gravel to stop the compost floating away.
METHOD
1 If your chosen container isn’t fully waterproof, fill any holes with silicon sealer or line with a sheet of butyl rubber.
2 Fill the pond (or to be really ecofriendly, leave it until it’s full of rainwater); if you use tap water, you’ll need to let it stand for a few days to allow the chlorine to evaporate.
3 Using the aquatic baskets and aquatic compost, pot up your marginal plants and top with pebbles. Gently lower them into place (you may need to sit them on stones or half bricks until they grow bigger). Drop in the oxygenators and float the surface plants on top. Don’t worry if the water goes cloudy at first, it will soon clear.
MAINTENANCE
Micro ponds shouldn’t need much cleaning; just scoop out any algae that may form and clear any surface leaves that fall in throughout autumn.