HOW TO BUILD YOUR POND

1

Mark out the shape of your desired pond with rope, sand, a hose or pegs and string; it can be any shape. It should be sited in sun and part-shade. Incorporate planting shelves and a slope for wildlife to clamber up and perch on. Use a spirit level or a plank to make sure the area has been dug level.

Things to remember

● Your pond can be any size, but amphibians may prefer a home over the size of 1m in diameter.

● A depth of at least 60cm in some places is necessary to protect certain animals during hibernation or bad weather.

2

Remove any sharp stones before you lay your butyl pond liner. Soften the bottom of your pond with a sand layer to sit the liner on. Sit the liner in the hole and fill in a third of water to weigh it down before finishing the edges, tucking over and securing with large stones.

Things to remember

● Use excess soil or lawn turf cuttings from when you dug your hole to cover over some of the edges of the liner at the top.

● Make a wooden ramp for your pond out of planks of wood, which you can wrap in chicken wire to give good footing grip for birds, hedgehogs and amphibians.

3

Add lots of stones and gravel around the edge, leaving soil planting pockets for spring planting. You can fill up your pond with tap water as it will lose its chemicals over time. You can buy natural pond treatments, too.

Things to remember

● When considering plants, choose a couple of underwater oxygenators, lots of different marginal plants for the sides and a few surface floaters for animal shelter.

● Choose native plants to start off – others will colonise naturally. Animals will arrive naturally at your pond, just be patient!