The pond in the garden is a wonderful place to relax on a hot summer day. Those lucky ones whose dachas are located on the banks of a river or lake are incredibly lucky. If there is no natural reservoir nearby, you will have to build an artificial pond yourself.
We outline an action plan
To begin with, let's try to figure out where to place a man-made reservoir in the country. It is advisable to take a place for him at the stage of designing a summer cottage.
Photo: marking the territory under decorative pond ik on the plot
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The pond must meet the following criteria:
- be on open space- foliage and branches from trees will clog the water, and the roots will damage the artificial bottom of the pond;
- do not fall under prolonged exposure to direct sunlight - constantly heated water provokes the rapid development of microorganisms and algae. The pond will quickly become cloudy and begin to exude an unpleasant musty smell.
Photo: a small pond on a site with a wooden bridge
It would be useful to provide for the option of expanding the surface of the man-made lake over time. Perhaps you want to transform a mini-pond into a full-fledged water complex - with a bridge and a small fountain.
Experienced builders recommend making the pond shallow - after all, it is used mainly as a beautiful detail of the surrounding landscape. In addition, immediately think about how you are going to care for the pond. Make a convenient approach to the pond - of course, not through the garden or alpine slides.
You will have to change the water yourself, because it is not purified naturally, as in natural lakes and rivers. Therefore, make sure that the tap in the country is in close proximity to the artificial reservoir.
Choosing a base material
Before you grab a shovel, decide what will serve as the basis for artificial pond. Standard Solutions several. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of popular options.
Reinforced concrete structure
With this material, you can create a durable pond. The bottom and banks, filled with concrete and reinforced with reinforcement, will withstand various additional loads - the installation of a fountain, for example, or sculptural compositions on the banks.
The complexity of the process makes it inappropriate to use this technology for the construction of small reservoirs or decorative ponds in the country. The negative aspects of such a solution include the high cost of building man-made lakes from reinforced concrete. You will have to use a lot of building materials, rent special equipment. The dismantling of the structure will also cause difficulties, so it is immediately necessary to carefully consider the location of the pond.
PVC film
This is a budget solution for creating a simple country pond. The shape and depth of such a structure is easy to change, you can also expand or reduce the size. A pond with a PVC base is often made seasonal - for example, they fall asleep for the winter and re-equip in the spring.
The disadvantages of such a solution include the fragility and fragility of the film coating - this material can be easily damaged, and if the tightness is broken, the water from the pond will quickly go into the ground. Therefore, swimming or indulging in such home lakes is not recommended, they are intended to decorate a summer cottage.
Photo: decorative pond with a bridge in the landscape design of a summer cottage
Artificial shop reservoirs
This option is the golden mean for those who dream of their own pond and at the same time do not want to bother with the materials to create it. Shop forms for artificial reservoirs made from durable and durable materials- polyvinyl chloride or fiberglass.
The latter option is much more expensive. But the cost of such a product is fully offset by the high performance of the material. It is easy to install such a form on your own, without involving friends or acquaintances in the process. The disadvantage of the option is that the pit will have to be dug under the form, and not vice versa.
In this case, the opportunity to use the unevenness of the relief to create natural coastal outlines is lost. In addition, the method will cost much more than using a film or improvised materials. The photo below shows a finished form for arranging a pond in the country.
We make a reservoir from improvised materials
Another interesting option- the use of various containers that have become unusable. old cast iron bathtubs, troughs, vagans - all unnecessary containers are useful for construction.
The advantages of this method are that you do not have to buy standard forms or build bulky reinforced concrete structures. The disadvantages include the low decorativeness of old containers - you will have to show imagination and skills in order to make, for example, a small Japanese-style pond out of a dilapidated trough.
Mini pond of tires
For those who have a catastrophic lack of space in the country, craftsmen recommend using a simple and convenient tire pond. The old car tires are dug in, a film is laid inside, and the banks of the mini-reservoir are drawn up at their own request.
The result obtained sometimes surprises even experienced landscape designers - a finished pond in the country becomes an exclusive detail personal plot. For example, who will say that this pond in the photo is made from an old car tire?
foundation pit
Once the material is selected, it is time to start earthworks. The best time to do this is in the summer when ground water will leave as much as possible. The depth of the pit is calculated based on the material chosen as the basis. If this is a finished form or an old bath, they dig a pit 20-30 cm deeper than the tank parameters.
If the construction of a PVC film pond is planned, it will be necessary to dig to a depth of about 80 cm, since a shallow reservoir will completely freeze in winter and dry quickly in the summer heat. For reinforced concrete ponds, they dig a pit with a depth of more than one and a half meters - here you can’t do without special equipment.
Film reservoir construction technology
When the pit is ready, it remains to clean the bottom and make small terraces about a third of a meter deep and up to 20 cm wide on the sides of the future mini-lake. The bottom of the reservoir is compacted, stones, rubble, pebbles, and foreign objects are removed. The cleaned surface of the pit is sprinkled with washed sand and lined with a geotextile. Such preparation of the bottom will significantly increase the strength and service life of the coating.
The next step is the laying of the film. The size of the canvas is calculated as follows: you need a length coastline fold with twice the depth of the reservoir. The material is fixed on the terraces with a margin of about 50 cm. The laid film is laid with bricks or stones - this is done to preserve the shape.
Then they fill the pond with water, check the tightness of the film and begin work on the design of the coastline. Do not cut off the remaining film under the bricks too quickly. It will serve as a hydro-sealant during the construction of the blind area.
We build a pond from an old tank
To equip a country mini-lake from an unnecessary bath or other container, you will need:
- a piece of chain-link mesh;
- some rubble;
- decorative stones;
- coil of aluminum or steel wire;
- cement, sand or ready mix concrete.
After the foundation pit is dug and a bath is installed in it (30 centimeters below ground level), they begin to equip the coastline. To do this, around the entire perimeter of the future pond, upper layer soil at least 40 cm wide and dig a trench, the depth of which reaches the upper edge of the installed container.
To give naturalness to the man-made lake, tile glue is applied to the bottom and walls of the bath. After processing, the container is allowed to dry well - usually this takes at least two days.
Then, a chain-link mesh is laid around the entire perimeter of the bath, which is necessary to reinforce the sides and bottom of the pond. They put on it concrete mortar or sand-cement mixture and allowed to dry. Next comes the turn decorative design banks: planting plants, decorating with stones, paving paths, installing figures and other design techniques.
Thematic material:
Pond from the finished mold
The pit prepared for the reservoir is cleaned from branches, piles of earth and other debris. The bottom and walls of the pit are rammed. If the countryside has too loose soils, they are strengthened. For the finished form, a perfectly flat surface of the pit is important. The plane is leveled with a building level.
The bottom of the future pond is covered with clean washed sand, which is also compacted. This layer ensures the integrity of the finished form.
After that, the container is placed in a pit and filled with water. empty seats between the sides of the mold and the walls of the pit are filled with sand, and this is done gradually. First, a layer of 25-30 cm thick is poured and watered. After a uniform distribution of sand, the actions are repeated until the space between the installed bowl and the walls of the pit is completely filled.
Carrying out this procedure is mandatory, since the form for an artificial reservoir is quite fragile and easily deformed. Even pressure from all sides will prevent warping.
After 24 hours, the gap between the sides of the tank and the walls of the pit is checked: if there are voids, sand is added to them. Then the water is pumped out of the pond, the mold is finally washed and filled with clean water.
The final stage is the decoration of the finished mini-lake at your discretion. There are no strict rules and trends here. Just make sure that the country pond brings pleasure and joy. After all, that's what it's set up for.
The reservoir should start with a choice suitable place and determining the size of the future pond. The best place is at the lowest point, but at the same time make sure that it is well lit by the sun throughout the day. It is important that there are no widely developed crowns nearby. Otherwise, they will constantly fall into the water, and large roots can seriously disrupt the waterproofing of the reservoir.
The size of the pond depends on the scale of the entire site and the intentions of its owner. A pond with a diameter of about 3.5 m and a depth of about 100-120 cm is considered a classic. But if the site is small, you can make a pond about a meter in size and no more than 50 cm deep. It is important to remember that if you plan to breed some aquatic plants, the depth should be a little more - about 100 cm.
The next step in the construction of the pond will be the preparation of the pit. In fact, it is just a pit of a certain depth with a relatively flat bottom and walls. Almost any shape of the pit can be made. If it is subsequently intended to use a ready-made form for waterproofing, then the foundation pit should follow its lines. If there is no rigid form, you can give the future pond the contours of a circle, oval, figure eight, etc. The walls of the finished pit are cleaned of protruding roots and sharp stones, and the bottom is covered with a thick layer of sand, which is well compacted.
Creating a good waterproofing is a very important stage in the arrangement of the pond. If the choice is on a purchased rigid form, it is important to ensure that it is made from quality material. Cheap plastic will quickly crack and crumble under impact. sunlight and temperature fluctuations. Homemade waterproofing is usually made either from concrete, filling the bottom and walls of the pit with it, or from a film laid in several layers. For flexible waterproofing, you should choose PVC film or, if the budget allows, butyl rubber. Such material can last from 15 to 30 years. The bottom and walls of the pit are lined with a film, leaving small allowances for fixing at the edges.
The finished pond is decorated along the edges with natural materials: large cobblestones, plants, lined with turf. To replenish with fresh water, it is good to draw an artificial stream to the pond, the edges of which can also be overlaid natural stone. The bottom can be decorated with a variety of stones (necessarily with blunt edges) and aquatic plants planted in baskets or small permeable containers. The most suitable colors are water lilies (nymphs), which beautifully cover the surface of the water.
Not difficult at all. It can be made in any size, depending on the space on the site that you would like to allocate for this. Rules for arranging such an element landscape design will be about the same regardless of size. On a summer day, it is infinitely pleasant to relax near a pond created by one's own hands and proudly show it to guests. Any owner of a summer cottage can create a beautiful garden pond, equip the banks, populate it with bright fish. Everything will depend solely on your imagination.
How to determine the location for the pond
In order for the pond on your own site to turn out to be functional and attractive in appearance, first try to determine a convenient location for it.
It would be ideal to start the construction of the pond in a free area, which is not under the scorching sun, but also not shaded by trees. If it seems to you that a suitable site has been found, pay attention to how it is lit. Poor lighting does not allow the planted plants to develop calmly, and this negatively affects the appearance of the reservoir.
It is not very good to build a pond in a completely open area, where on hot days there will be real sunshine. Single-celled algae love the light, they will grow stronger and cause water blooms. If you have a shallow body of water, living creatures and plants in hot weather will not feel comfortable and may die. And the owners are unlikely to be pleased to relax in the sun. It is better to choose a site for creating a pond that is not surrounded by trees, next to which there is a building or a fence. Then at midday the pond will be in the shadow cast by them, and the sun's rays in the evening and in the morning are far from being so hot and will not damage the structure.
Do not try to place the pond near trees. Their roots grow imperceptibly and after a while they can damage the bottom - tear the film or move the form.
If you intend to decorate the pond in the country with your own hands, arrange lighting, filters, using a pump, also consider the proximity of the source of electricity.
Pond in the country from a special plastic mold
If you want to create in the country beautiful landscape with the addition of a reservoir, but there is no desire to mess with proper arrangement bottom, you can purchase a ready-made form for it. They are cast under production conditions from fiberglass or plastic. Such a container can last at least 10-12 years, it has good resistance to temperature and sunlight. But when installing a plastic mold, you should perform all the steps carefully, otherwise there is a risk of damaging it. Cracks that appear on the surface cannot be effectively closed.
Fiberglass is a more expensive material that is also used to make garden pond molds. It is extremely durable and can last for many years. When using this option, the service life of the reservoir will be twice or three times longer than in the previous case.
The first step in order to arrange your own mini-pond is choosing and acquiring a form for it. It will need to be arranged in the ground. To get a pit, the shape of which exactly matches the required one, transfer the contours of the future pond to the surface of the earth. It should be done in this way. Put the purchased plastic bowl on the ground, then start sticking sticks around it, retreating from the outlines by about 15-20 cm. Stretch the rope between the sticks. Then put the plastic base aside and dig a hole, trying to keep the intended shape. The edges of the pit should be 30 cm higher than the height of the bowl. It must be ensured that the location of the pit is horizontal. To do this, use a flat board or building level.
Pour a layer of sand at the bottom of the pit - this will be the base of the pond. Place a mold in the prepared hole, fill the free space left between the plastic and the edges of the pit with sand. Then pour the sand layer with water from a hose to facilitate shrinkage.
Fill the mold with water. The shores can be decorated with stones. Taking on the creation of a country pond with your own hands, photos on the topic can be viewed in advance to decide on its appearance. You can equip beautiful stone shores that are close to natural in appearance, plant plants.
How to create a pond from a film
Do-it-yourself pond in the country can be built from waterproof PVC film or butyl rubber. The option is convenient in that the owners of the site choose the shape and size on their own. Polyvinyl chloride film is resistant to ultraviolet radiation, perfectly tolerates temperature fluctuations, and does not lose color for a long time. It can last 10-15 years. Butyl rubber is somewhat stronger and more durable, but also more expensive. It is worth using it for reservoirs that are planned to be deep enough. It is worth buying material with a small margin in order to thoroughly fix it around the edges.
The step-by-step device of the reservoir will look like this:
- Creation of a pit. If you are going to plant plants in water, you can equip shelves for them along the edges of the pit - ledges with a depth of 15 cm.
- When digging, try to work so that the walls of the pit do not crumble. If the soil on the site is clayey or black soil prevails, you can safely make them vertical. When working with sandy soils, the walls of the pit should be made inclined.
- After digging, remove roots, stones, any large formations that may interfere with work. The film should be protected from possible mechanical damage and tearing. To do this, arrange a sand layer at the bottom or cover it with geotextile.
- Lay the film on top of the sandy layer and lay stones along its edge to secure it. If when digging ledges, steps were created, do the same for them.
- Around the reservoir, in addition, you can dig a shallow groove with a width of 20-30 cm. This will allow the stones that fix the film to be on the same level with the ground. To enhance fixation, you can fill them with cement.
- When the container is completely ready, it's time to fill it with water and plant the plants.
Decorative pond equipment from an old bath
Your pond at their summer cottage can be made from anything. For example, if you have a bathtub that has fallen into disrepair, it can be used as the basis for a pond.
In this case, the pit is dug out depending on the size of the bath - about 20 cm are added to them. When you lower the bath into the prepared pit, its edges should be lower than the ground surface. Dig a groove along the perimeter of the resulting hole - its height and width should be 30 cm. Place the bath in the pit and give it a strictly horizontal position, using a level to determine it. Fill the voids formed on the sides with soil or sand. At this stage, the base of the pond should look like this: a bath dug into the pit with a small groove encircling the perimeter.
The next step is to mix the mass of tile adhesive with water, to which the pigment of the desired shade is added. Glue should be applied to the inner surface of the pond blank. Do not try to level it well - the sides of the bath should acquire a dark shade close to the natural color of the soil and a similar structure. Then cover the structure with a film and leave it alone for one day - you have to wait until the glue has completely hardened.
On the edges of the bath for fixing, lay a special metal mesh. Cut out fragments desired shape and lay around the perimeter of the bath, it is necessary to cover the edges and internal surfaces about half their depth. The bottom should remain open, and the walls of the container and its edges should be covered with a grid.
Now you should prepare a bonding solution from cement, water and sand. It is applied over the mesh, without trying to particularly level the surface. Additionally, stones are inserted into the thickness of the solution from time to time - this will help to further strengthen the grid, and the appearance of the pond will give more naturalness. It is necessary to carefully cement the drain.
Where the mesh covers the edges of the bathtub, it is appropriate to place large stones. They will be able to emphasize the shape of the pond and give the banks a natural look. It is not necessary to observe geometrically strict rectangular shape- on the contrary, you can lay out the fragments along the edges in waves, in the form of steps, visually expand the coast. Irregularities and elevations imitating natural relief look interesting. In some places, instead of large stones, add handfuls of crushed stone. Give the pond a beautiful outline, focusing on your own taste.
Pour clay into the bottom of the tub, add water and mix the solution. Spread it on the sides, closing the cement, fill in the voids formed between the stones. Such a solution will dry quite quickly - after a few hours you will already be able to pour water inside. Plant aquatic plants in the grooves around the pond. The water will become a little cloudy in a few days, the appearance will become natural, it will be difficult to guess the true origin of the pond. More details can be read.
How to revive an artificial pond
When creating their own pond, many site owners dream of having fish in it or at least decorating it with vegetation. Then your home pond will turn into a real work of art. To choose a beautiful appearance for your building, you can watch a video on the topic.
When choosing plants for planting, remember that some of them are able to grow favorably only at a certain depth. If the water column is not more than 30 cm, you can land yellow iris, swamp marigold, heart-shaped pontederia. With a pond depth of 30-50 cm, you can choose an ordinary arrowhead, reed, broad-leaved cattail. In a pond more than half a meter deep, plant water lilies and lotuses, water hyacinths.
In a home pond, you can settle carp, veiltails, some varieties. These fish are the most unpretentious and able to live in such a reservoir. But you should know that when you start the fish into the pond, it should. Water without it will deteriorate, and this will quickly affect decorative features, and the health of the fish will suffer if they swim in a dirty, muddy water with an unpleasant odor.
To do it yourself on the site, you need to put a lot of effort, but the result is worth it. You can create yourself a beautiful, decorated in full accordance with your tastes. The contemplation of the water surface, which is bordered by tastefully selected plants, has a calming effect. Resting in the heat near a pond made by oneself is surprisingly pleasant.
In order for the pond to last longer, it should be freed from water for the winter. The exception is reservoirs made of plastic molds: when emptying them for a period of cold weather in the spring, you can get a twisted, squeezed shape.
Almost every garden has a pond. And he definitely gets into the frame: the owners love their pond (or even the smallest pond), are proud of it and consider it perhaps their main garden achievement. And this is understandable. But the strict eye of a professional often notes the unfortunate blunders in the creation of reservoirs, which are repeated in many gardens with offensive constancy.
We asked landscape designer Valeria Ilyina to analyze some typical mistakes lovers and talk about what you need to know in order to make a decorative pond, stream or waterfall in the garden with your own hands.
Are you building a reservoir? Make no mistake!
Perhaps it makes no sense to convince someone that a pond in the garden is good. Water like a magnet attracts everyone's attention and even in photographs it always looks mysterious and alluring. Is it any wonder that today the reservoir has become an indispensable attribute of the "gentleman's set" of any design project for the development of a new land plot or renovation of an old one.
Unfortunately, as a result of a formal approach to business, one garden becomes similar to another. Professional designers gardens are churned out like pies are baked, and they actually turn out to be cloned. To be honest, the gardens of amateurs are closer to me, which, although they sin with some dilettantism, still attract more with their ingenuous sincerity. All actions of an amateur come from the heart, and therefore the path is often tortuous, but in the end the truth is found, and not least thanks to intuition.
To make the path to beauty shorter, let's try together to analyze the characteristic mistakes that miraculously repeat in many reservoirs, and analyze their nature. And after that, we will gradually analyze all the subtleties and secrets of a quick, easy and economical creation of a reservoir that is ideal for your garden. So, the most typical misses.
Wrong size
This is the most common mistake: the pond does not match the size of the garden and its surrounding plants. A small puddle located somewhere at the fence or at the entrance to the garden and squeezed on all sides by lush and beautiful garden plants, no matter how hard you try, will always look miserable.
Wrong place
In no case do not place a reservoir against the backdrop of unsightly buildings, a sloppy garden, a pile of garbage, a rickety fence, and who knows what else.
old fence
- not the best background for a pond
Water always attracts the eye, so placing your pond in an unsightly place, you thereby focus on the shortcomings of the garden.
Mistakes in the selection of material
Purchasing garden supplies follow the law of similarity. If the house is made of brick or stone, then their color, texture, shape and size must be repeated in the material of the fence, paving, finishing of other buildings. The same applies to wooden house or a house sheathed with siding.
You can often see a picture when certain corners of the garden are very good: beautiful plants logically grouped, the pond is carefully and imaginatively decorated - and the overall impression of the garden is negative. You start to analyze, and it turns out: the brutal appearance of the house is made of red brick with white architraves plastic windows, a powerful fence is assembled from ready-made concrete blocks painted with bright pink paint with white scallops on top, a carved arbor is gilded with turned beams, an asphalt tape of the path leads to it, over which the yokes of openwork white arches for roses are thrown, the presence here and there of colored plastic , various-sized borders, flowerpots, and to top it off - like a gold medal for bad taste - a plastic water lily on a living leaf of a nymph. As they say, comments are superfluous.
Conclusion: while arranging the garden, introducing new elements into it, try to predict the final result, predict how the garden as a whole will look like. The body of water should always match the garden, buildings and surrounding plants in size and style, and be positioned in the most advantageous position depending on the image you choose.
Defeat in the fight against the plastic mold
Common misconception: the finished plastic mold is best choice if you decide to create a reservoir, as they say, with small means. Yes, indeed, manufacturers offer a wide range of such "baths", and it seems that you can choose a shape for every taste. But everything is not so simple. Even the largest of them (and they are very expensive) will not be big enough in the garden, and the small ones just look like a misunderstanding. At the same time, all of them, although obviously small in size, have an overly intricate shape that will never turn out to be natural in place.The edges of such forms have a rounded profile, on which it is impossible to fix neither soil for coastal plants, nor stone, much less gravel. Some of the more expensive forms have quartz sprinkling glued with a wide tape along the upper edge, but most often it is so strikingly different from our local materials that it still cannot be decorated.
Plastic molds are made by stamping, and cheap products often have an annoying defect - the edges are skewed along the periphery, due to which, no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to dig such a shape neatly and evenly in principle. Needless to say, a piece of black plastic sticking out above the water will nullify all your efforts. For clarity, such a reservoir can be compared with a luxurious suit, in which a carelessly sewn lining is bristling in the most visible place. The sight of such a suit is at least regrettable.
Protruding black plastic of the finished form sticking out above the water- poor decoration of the reservoir
It is not superfluous to add that it is not easy and expensive to transport a finished form, especially a large one, and as a result, the final cost of the structure increases significantly. I once had a chance to work with a plastic mold small size and at the same time intricate design. She was hopelessly skewed. I spent a lot of time, effort and nerves to somehow neutralize this innate defect, but, unfortunately, there are things that cannot be corrected.
However, rigid forms have a future. In Europe, plastic molds of regular geometric shapes have been produced for several years now: round, rectangular, trapezoidal. They have a wide, flat, horizontal edge, making them easy to mount under all sorts of flooring. It is advisable to use them for raised formal reservoirs, which are effectively decorated with stone, wood, plastic, metal; they can be located on different levels and combined with fountains and waterfalls.
Unfortunately, our trade so far only offers round shapes, but we must not forget: there will be a demand - there will be an offer. The breadth of the horizons of consumers shapes the market.
Conclusion: before choosing one or another method of waterproofing, you need to fully familiarize yourself with the positive and negative aspects each and conduct a comparative analysis. The lack of information about the qualities of waterproofing materials in the presence of a large supply on the market leads to the wrong decision.
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Luminaire JPL 1-3
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Trying to repurpose an old bath
Speaking of ready-made forms, it should be mentioned that amateurs often try to recycle enameled cast-iron bathtubs. Once upon a time, in times of chronic scarcity and absence available materials, this simple way to create a garden pond was welcomed by many. However, few people managed to decorate white bath so that the enameled pond looked more or less attractive.
More often, such a structure looks miserable: greenish white walls, mounds of garbage at the bottom (after all, you can see everything against a light background!), round cobblestones are artlessly laid out along the edge, and a collectible beauty hosta is planted nearby. An unattractive spectacle…
But there are ways to embellish such a reservoir, you just need to move your imagination. The easiest way is to paint the bath with any dark or black paint. Visually, the container will look deeper, the reflectivity of the water will increase, and the edges will almost merge with the ground. In the presence of all kinds of plasticizers and modern mixtures (for example, Eunice-plus cement glue), the inside of the bath can be coated with a layer of 1–3 cm, give it texture, tint by adding mineral powder or liquid colored pigments or finely crushed brown peat to the solution. If desired, if such an image fits into the overall picture, you can lay out a mosaic of colored stones or glass, pieces of a mirror, or simply glue pieces of crushed stone on top of the cement different size.
If you have a whole arsenal of used household baths, they can be dug close to each other in a chain or square-nested way, depending on the quantity, finish the inner surfaces as mentioned above, and mount decorative flanging from tiles, clinker, wood, etc. over the joined edges. You will get a channel or a pool with separate cells, each of which can be decorated in a special way: somewhere there are plants, somewhere a spring or a small fountain, somewhere there are fish or lights - an unplowed field for fantasy.
Such a structure can be made partially raised over the entire area, or you can place the cells at different levels, and even arrange the flow of water from one block to another. So an old primitive idea can be applied in a completely new way and achieve a wonderful result.
Conclusion: old, used containers can be successfully used to create reservoirs, you just need to be creative and never leave the inside out in sight.
stone beads
The most common mistake in decorating a garden pond is a rounded cobblestone laid out around the edge like beads. More often such beads lie in one row, but some manage to lay two rows on top of each other.
Such a way of laying a stone will never look natural, not to mention the fact that it is absolutely impossible to decorate a film or a board of a rigid structure. So the multi-colored "monists" lie on the monstrous black shores, and no matter what beauty you arrange around, such an aqua garden will serve as a mute reproach to the owner.
When relaxing on the banks of rivers and lakes, try to pay attention to how nature "lays out" the stones, and what you like and remember the most. Usually, small fractions serve as a background, while larger ones are textured by contrasting groups.
The stone for decorating the reservoir must be carefully selected. Photo by Valeria Ilyina
Conclusion: stone for decorating a reservoir must be carefully selected. It is desirable to use a stone of a homogeneous breed and color scheme but varied in size. This does not mean that the pellets are completely unsuitable, just that they “play”, you need to work with them even more carefully.
Toys around the pond
Another typical drawback that can spoil the most beautiful, carefully thought-out design: the simultaneous presence of a large number of decorative figures and various garden accessories in a small area.
An abundance of accessories and decor elements– the right way spoil any body of water
Nobody argues, some bright gnomes and funny lafs can really decorate some corners of the garden, bring a smile. But if plastic frogs, papier-mâché ducks and clay mermaids are already enough, and you were also presented with an “overturned” jug with Maya painting for a fountain, white bent furniture in the rococo style and black lanterns a la Montmartre, it is inevitable there will be overkill. Any of these items can be quite attractive on their own, but put together within line of sight, they will most likely do you a disservice by turning the garden into a haberdashery.
Do not abuse accessories and decor. Photo by Valeria Ilyina
Conclusion: The thoughtless use of decorations will break the garden harmony. Try to look at the garden as if from the outside, and if you tend to get carried away with "decoration", at least spread the decorative "gadgets" in space and time.
Next time we will finish the analysis of the most common mistakes, which gardeners allow when creating ponds and think about what kind of body of water - a pond, stream or fountain - will suit your garden. Read the article. ,
I really want to relax after summer heat and physical labor near a picturesque place. Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is water. Unfortunately, not all land owners are lucky to have a pond in their country house. Therefore, many summer residents equip a mini pond in the country with their own hands. We will talk about this in this article.
Perhaps at first you will have questions: how to do it? what material? where to place? But believe me, you can build a pond with your own hands. Especially we are talking about a small pond in the country - mini copies of reservoirs from 0.5 to 1.5 m3.
Design of the future pond
Thanks to today's technologies, the owner can build a pond of any complexity. For example, there are three possible options for small pond: wrap a recess in the ground with a film and fill it with water; use a ready-made container that may be right at hand; fill the walls of the recess in the ground with concrete and fill with water.
Option 1
To get started, create a project for the future pond on paper. Consider the width, depth, and sills for planting. Start drawing contours on the ground. This can be done with paint or sand.
If several tiers are planned in the pond, then mark them out and dig them out one by one Purchase a film for your pond with a calculation of +0.5 m on the sides on the sides of the pit bowl. More purchases will be needed: geofabric is a material that is laid on the bottom and walls of the bowl to protect the film from damage. Although you can use something from the bins: an unnecessary carpet, old linoleum.
Geofabric for reservoirs You can fix the film with rubble, laying it in trenches dug along the edges of the thresholds. Fill the pond with water gradually, taking breaks. Lay out the shore line with stones and cover the bottom of the pond with small pebbles.
Option 2
First, decide on the shape of the container in which the water will be. Then dig a pit under it, retreating 30 cm from the sides. Tamp the bottom so that it is even. If you have chosen a multi-tiered plastic mold, then pour water gradually, and fill the space between the form and the bowl of the pit with sand.
There are many more options for a small pond in the country. Can be used:
- Unnecessary bath. Mark the area with the dimensions of the bathroom, adding 10 cm on the sides. Dig the pit 20 cm deeper. Under the drain hole of the bathtub, make a drain with stones for draining. Pour crushed stone with sand at the bottom of the pit and tamp it down.
- Taz. We follow the path of least resistance and use the most a budget option, because even a leaky basin can be used by covering the hole with a film. Leave the edges of the basin above the ground. Under the bottom and between the walls of the basin and the pit, lay a layer of a solution of clay and sand. Fill the bottom of the basin with soil to plant the duckweed and bury it, or whatever you choose. Such a pond will be miniature and beautiful.
Bathroom pond And more tires, a barrel, a boat, or even old wardrobe! It is convenient that some of these containers can be brought into the house for the winter. Indeed, making a pond with your own hands is not difficult!
How to make a pond from the bathroom (video tutorial)
Option 3
I think many will agree that to build a pond according to the third option, some, at least basic builder skills are needed. But at the same time, do not let this scare you, because any summer resident or owner of a plot in the private sector is already a bit of a builder. And as a reward for your work, you will have an almost eternal piece of paradise in your yard.
Stages of construction of a reservoir in the country (video)
Seriously approach the choice of the location of the pond, because it will be impossible to move it. Now you can start.
If you decide to make a reservoir without thresholds, then this will greatly simplify the task. Dig a pit with slopes at 45 degrees. Tamp the hole and fill it with sand.
Lay a PET or PVC film on the bottom, without pulling it hard. Start pouring concrete from the walls, and then go to the bottom.
Try to do this part of the work in one day to avoid cracks at the joints.
Press in reinforced mesh. Pour the second layer of concrete as soon as the first one dries. Constantly check the level of the horizon. Pour in water when the concrete is completely cured.
concrete pond Before deciding on the option of building a pond, decide which design idea will look especially organic on your site. If the house, paths and flower beds are designed in a strict style, feel free to break a clear-cut pond. If you like everything natural, then any free form will do.
Decide on a place
How to make all the inhabitants of the pond feel comfortable? If you have large plot land, then carefully study the area so as not to make a mistake with the choice. There are several secrets that we will share with you.
- The roots of old trees can interfere with the work, and over time, even the walls of the reservoir. Also, falling leaves and fruits will make you clean your pond often.
- Choose a place with the expectation that the pond will be in the shade for some time so that algae and microorganisms do not develop too actively in it.
- At the same time, the sun is needed for plants along the bank. So you have to look for the best option, given these nuances.
- If your pond is small but deep, then make sure that it is always in sight when children play nearby. And why hide such beauty from the eyes?
- Best of all, the reservoir will look in the hollow. They almost always go down to the lake, river, sea.
Mini pond for a summer residence Consider a possible ecosystem
If you want fish to live in your pond and flowers to bloom, then a few rules from this section will help you.
Plant selection
Decorative flowers in the pond do not suffer from temperature changes and can even tolerate frost (of course, except for the southern varieties of plants that will need to be hidden for the winter). But still, make sure that the water in the pond will be heated by the sun for at least five hours during the day.
The less light, the faster the mini pond in the country will turn into a small swamp. Then it will look completely unattractive, a characteristic smell and flowering will appear.
In nature, an amazing process of self-purification has been launched, and at home, the owner should take care of the cleanliness of the reservoir.
As in a natural pond, plants in a home pond are divided into the following types:
- those that grow on the shore;
- those that grow in a humid zone on the border with water;
- floating on the surface;
- shallow water and those that grow at depth.
Although the air humidity will be higher on the shore along the pond than in other places, simple garden plants they can live there. But still, consider that they do not look ridiculous or casual next to other inhabitants of the pond. Begonias, aquilegia, balsam and many other perennial plants that are used to decorate landscapes will harmoniously combine.
A zone with constant humidity, but without stagnant water is the best place for moisture-loving perennials. Among such stars are meadowsweet (meadowsweet), lysichiton, darmer, iris and many others.
Irises also successfully get along in shallow water. They compete with susak, pontederia, tail A water lily can rightfully be called a deep-sea queen. She copes well with harsh winters. Water lilies are not only beautiful, but also useful. It is they who can create the shadow necessary for the pond. Among other deep-sea beauties, the lotus (however, it needs to be dug up for the winter, because in most of the territory former USSR for almost 8 months the water does not warm up, as it is necessary for the flowering of such varieties), water paint, oronium, water chestnut and many other bizarre inhabitants of the depths.
Rivals of deep-sea plants are algae, which saturate pond water with oxygen and support the vital activity of other organisms. Among them are the swamp, hornwort, etc.
Animal inhabitants
Insects, microorganisms and protozoa will start up in your pond on their own. You will have to take care of the fish yourself.
Fish in the pond in the country But don't think that you can't get them. In fact, there is nothing supernatural here. Check the depth of your pond - it should be at least 90 cm deep. This is necessary for the fish, because this way they can overwinter. And in summer the water does not warm up too much. Smaller ponds are suitable only for growing ornamental plants.
By the way, in ponds with fish, a third of the surface of the water should be covered with greenery.
