Landscaping A Wildlife or Natural Conservationist Pond

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The pond is created using the basic techniques, but a hump is left on the inside edge of the marginal shelf. Underlay is laid on top of and below the liner in order to protect it. Soil (a rough sandy sub-soil is best) is laid on top of this smoothing out the levels cut by the excavation, to a dish with gently sloping sides. This creates a natural look and easy access for wildlife.

Bear in mind:- even the most balanced pond or pond eventually needs to be cleaned out. This means that all that mud will have to come out and plants will have grown into massive clumps.

White lily or yellow Nuphar lutea

Soil

Underlay

Liner

Underlay

If possible keep liner turned up above water level to help prevent leaching or siphoning by capillary action.

Hump on marginal shelf to retail soil in pond margin.

ALTERNATIVE: German method

Slab or kerb edging

Footing or block

If the soil is not particularly argillaceous then this hump can be created out of a filler of cement or concrete.

Dispensing with soil in the bottom lilies etc. can still be planted in containers or hessian bags.

Some native marginals: Acorus calamus (sweet flag), Caltha palustris (flowering rush), Iris pseudocorus (yellow flag), Lysimachia nummularia (creeping Jenny), Lythrum salicaria (loosestrife), Sagittaria sagittifolia Arrow head), Veronica baccabunga.