Decorating and beautifying your pond – Tips and ideas
If you’ve just installed a backyard pond or have an existing pond that could do with a makeover, this article has some great features that you can add to your pond.
Here are 10 easy and inexpensive ways to decorate and enhance the appearance of your pond.
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10 WAYS TO DECORATE YOUR POND
1. Plants
Plants are one of the first things to consider when decorating your pond.
There are many different types of plants that will thrive in a pond environment including:
Bog plants like canna lily and irises that grow well in muddy and swampy areas. These plants are helpful for stabilizing the bank around the pond and providing shelter for frogs and other wildlife that visit your pond.
Marginal plants like bacopa or water lilies, which can be planted in shallow areas of the pond or in pots that are submerged in the pond.
Floating plants like water hyacinth or water lettuce, that grow on top of the water with their roots dangling in the water.
Submerged plants like willow moss or water violet that grow under the water are great for oxygenating the water.
2. Fountain
Fountains not only beautify your pond, the water spray provides valuable aeration for the pond water.
There are a wide range of pond fountains including floating fountains
3. Waterfall
Waterfalls are also helpful for providing aeration to your garden pond while creating the soothing sound of running water.
If your pond doesn’t have a waterfall, you can easily create one with a waterfall kit
4. Pond Spitter
Water spitters are great for decorating your pond while also helping to aerate the pond.
There are some interesting spitters that you can place inside the pond or at the edge of the pond to spit the water back in.
I really like this frog water spitter
5. Lighting
Adding lighting to your pond means that you can enjoy your pond during the evenings and it makes a stunning display when entertaining guests outdoors.
You can add submersible LED lights
6. Stones
Small stones or pebbles are ideal for decorating the area around your pond.
You can also place a few large stones in shallow areas of the pond for birds and small insects to land and take a drink.
7. Fish
Koi and goldfish are some of the most popular fish for garden ponds.
They’re great for bringing color and life to the pond and watching fish is very relaxing.
If you’d like to create a wildlife pond with frogs, it’s not a good idea to add fish to the pond because fish will eat the tadpoles.
8. Motion Activated Animal Repellent
If you’re worried about
pond predators like birds, cats, foxes or opossums stealing your fish, a motion activated animal repellent
They work by producing a sound and a burst of water to startle any predators that come near your pond.
9. Driftwood
A piece of faux driftwood
Birds can land on small logs and driftwood to have a drink from the pond and lizards like to sun themselves on logs.
10. Bridge
Installing a bridge over a large garden pond or stream can beautify your backyard pond and make the area more accessible.
If you have fish in your pond, a bridge gives you an elevated platform to view them from.
Amazon has a large range
of wooden
So there are 10 easy ways to decorate and enhance the appearance of your garden pond.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Winter Pond Maintenance
- 10 Best Bog Plants For Ponds
- Creating A Pond Waterfall
- Garden Pond Aeration
- 7 Pond Edging Ideas
Which of these pond decorations do you like best? Let me know in the comments below.
Are you on Pinterest? I have boards dedicated to Garden Ponds and Pond Ideas that you may enjoy.
I have been going back and forth about installing a pond in my yard by my tiki bar for years now. I think after seeing some of these ideas I need to just do it. I would definitely have some sort of water feature or fountain in it as well as lights so it shows up at night. Our neighbor has some pretty big koi but I’m afraid my beagle would eat them and that is an expensive dinner.
Hi Scott,
You should go for it. We have had a three tier koi pond for ten years now. Our beagle has never tried to eat our. Koi. A big blue heron on the other hand is a different story. You will not regret having a koi pond, just make sure you build it big enough the first time. We kept going back and making our pond bigger and bigger.
Cheers!
Angie
Very nice ideas – we were just talking about making a pond in our garden today, so will be saving this post!
My parents had a big fish pond when I was growing up. It was beautiful. It had a fountain that was so soothing to listen to. These are some great ways to decorate a fish pond. I think by adding lights with cool colors is also a nice touch. 🙂
I have a serious weakness for the beauty of a waterfall in a pond – it’s just so relaxing to sit there watching it and listening to the sound of the water flowing. Sadly, I have a water-loving dog that completely prevents me from having a pond lol She’ll just get into the water herself and destroy any plants that I place in there lol
When we bought my home, the previous owner had a huge pond with fishes and all kinds of stuff. However, my wife was going to run a daycare and so we asked the previous owners to take the fish and everything else. But I have gone to friends place who has a pond and the noise of the waterfall is relaxing and calming to the mind. I like all your points, i learned about driftwood as i did not know about it. I loved all the pics.
I just love your articles so much because reading them pleases my green thumb! I would love to install a small pond in my back yard. We had several ponds on our family farm growing up and my mom used many of the same decorating techniques that you’ve mentioned here. You’ve given me some great ideas!
Never thought about having a small pond in the yard. This is amazing! Little fountain or waterfall would look so good along with some lights. Thanks for sharing!
How do you keep your pond clean and not the perfect zone for mosquitos? Fish are a good idea, right?
Hi Krystel, yes some types of fish will eat the mosquito larvae. You can also install a fountain in the pond to keep the water moving and that will stop mosquitoes breeding in the pond.
So many options! I really love the colourful lotus flowers, they look so peaceful floating on the pond.
These are great ideas and very helpful tips. if I have one, I’ll be more inclined to the lighting pond option. Nevertheless, thank you for sharing.
These are all such wonderful ways to make your backyard pond a wonderful oasis. I absolutely love the waterfalls and what a great idea to add lights so you enjoy your pond in the evening too!
I know I will never have a pond (I hardly see myself with a dog and it just don’t work out together) but looking through this post makes want to have one
These are great ideas. I have always wondered how people make their pond look so beautiful and how do they keep it clean. Can I ask though, how do they keep the pond water clean? And where does the water come from??
Hi Sonia, you can use tap water to fill up a pond but it needs to be dechlorinated first if it contains chlorine. You can use dechlorinating granules or liquid for that.
To keep the pond clean you need to regularly scoop out any leaves or debris that falls into the pond and use a pond filter.
A pond is beautiful, relaxing, but can be expensive. Keeping a great ecosystem is the hard part. The hot weather can make algae grow out of control so shade is needed. Plants are important, enzymes, to eat muck, & debris. A pond is a hole in the ground that you throw money & time into.
Be real…ponds are pricey & time consuming. A great hobby.
Hi Lynda, yes I agree. Backyard ponds can be expensive and a lot of work but they’re also very calming and helpful for wildlife.