Pond Layout
A well designed
pond can and should become a dominant feature in
your landscape. With this in mind, there are a few
factors to be taken into consideration in the initial
layout of a pond:
A formal (i.e.
geometric shaped) pond will look best in a formal
setting such as within a hardscaped patio, against
a house wall, in the center of a straight walkway,
or at the center of a geometric garden or large lawn
area. (NOTE: the term formal pond is
also used here to describe single or multi-tiered
fountains.)
An informal pond
can be easily integrated into almost any setting,
and can be surrounded by a planting within a garden
bed.
If aquatic
plants are desired, the
pond must be subject to at least 4 hours of direct
sunlight per day during the growing season. Overhanging
trees, while aesthetically enhancing (especially
over reflecting pools), may interfere with the light
requirements of flowering plants such as water lilies.
Deciduous trees may also increase the maintenance
level required by dropping leaves and other debris
into the pond at various times of the year.
Formal ponds and
fountains are intended to look like man-made fixtures,
and therefore the elevation of the water surface
in the lowest basin does not have to bear any specific
relationship to the surrounding ground level, and
can be set any height desired.
Informal ponds
are intended to look like a naturally occurring pool,
spring, or stream, and as such, the water level in
the lowest basin should never be higher than the
surrounding land. If a waterfall is desired, the
surrounding landscape behind the pond must be raised
to accommodate. Nothing looks more unnatural than
a 'natural' pond protruding as a random mound out
of level ground. For this reason, constructing a
pond against the backdrop of a fence, wall or clump
of evergreen shrubs or trees often provides the most
options.
Space permitting,
a multi-staged informal pond (2 or more basins connected
by streams or waterfalls) is preferable and will
be far more striking than a single basin pond. The
lowest basin, however, should always be larger than
the others.
An informal pond,
once finished, will appear up to 1/3 larger than
the initial dugout, depending on the coping material
used. This is not necessarily true of a formal pond.
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