Wildlife Water Gardens Guide

Why is a water garden desirable?

ven the smallest garden can host a wildlife pond. If you leave a tub, bucket, half-barrel or butt of water in the garden for a month, it will turn green with algae and you will find a variety of aquatic larvae in the water.

After about six months, creatures such as birds, frogs, mice and lizards will come to it to feed. Whether a pond is small, medium or huge, it is a diverse ecosystem, and every wildlife garden will benefit from having one.

TYPES OF PONDS

Having said that all ponds are good, some are undoubtedly better than others. Wellplanted, muddy-bottomed, natural-looking ponds – where the garden runs down through uneven-edged shallows and on into the water – are better for wildlife than unplanted, minimalist, tiled, formal fishponds. Deep, medium-clear water is always better than a murky, shallow sludge. Ponds sited in partial sun do better than ones in either full sun or full shade.

Ponds overstocked with fish are not as good, and a large pond will inevitably host a larger range of wildlife than a small one.

MAINTAINING AN ECOSYSTEM

• An ecosystem is the interaction between living things and their environment. For a successful wildlife pond, a balance must be found between your preferences – say, for clear water, lots of fish and tidiness – and the requirements of the ecosystem to keep itself in balance.

• If you introduce too many fish, they will eat too many small creatures – say, all the water fleas – and the algae will grow out of control.

• Do not be in too much of a hurry to add mains water from the tap, because it contains avariety of minerals and salts that encourage the growth of algae.

• Be tolerant. If you want to have birds visiting your garden, then you must have gnats, hoverflies and all the other buzzing and flitting creatures on which they feed.

HOW A WILDLIFE POND ECOSYSTEM WORKS

When the water garden is established, eventually large birds such as herons will come in to feed on the fish and frogs.

WATER CREATURES AND PLANTS

Frogs feed on a broad range of insects. They may also use the pond for breeding, giving you both spawn and tadpoles to observe.

If you have a fairly large area of water, ducks may come in to feed on algae, selected plants and minute creatures. 

The design of this pond, with plenty of lush vegetation around the edges, allows creatures to move from the land to the water without being overly exposed.

Emergent plants allow flying creatures such as dragonflies to settle near the water.

Water-garden design - What are the most important considerations?

f there is water at the heart of your garden – anything from a sump pond or large natural pond to a stream or bog garden – you will be giving a home to creatures that, but for the water, would not be able to live there. The type of water garden you create will depend on your particular situation. Here we show a range of ideas for pond design, together with planting suggestions. Just keep in mind that lots of water equates with lots of wildlife.

A DESIGN FOR A WILDLIFE POND

Natural appearance To attract a broad range of creatures, a good pond needs to be as natural as

possible, with shallow, muddy margins, a good range of trees, bushes and ground-cover plants, piles of decaying wood and leaves – all the messy components that you would expect to find around a natural pond. 

Is it right for you?

By its very nature, a successful wildlife pond area will be shady and muddy underfoot, will look slightly uncared for, and will generally be alive with gnats and wildlife. Is this going to suit you and your family?

Variations to consider 

If you particularly like meadow ponds, fewer trees, taller grasses, shingle rather than bark, or any other variation, then go for it. You could then miss out on, say, woodland creatures, but you will still attract wildlife.

DESIGN GUIDELINES

• Although ideally you need a good-sized site – the bigger the better – it could bemanaged on a small plot of, say, 25 m (80 ft) square.

• The area of water needs to be as large as possible.

• Create a bog garden to the side of the pond.

• You need trees around the site – the more the better.

• Spread and heap woodchips, crushed bark or leaf litter over the ground to make paths.

• Put piles of logs at various places throughout the site.

• Plant the pond with a good range of water plants (see pages 24–25).

BOG GARDENS

A bog garden can be created in the soggy, low-lying areas around the edges of a pond or lake (see pages 22–23). The soil needs to be wet, with the underlying water free-moving rather than stagnant. If you like water-loving wildlife such as frogs, toads, newts and snakes, you will enjoy a bog garden. There are bog plants suitable for every situation: high bog areas that partly dry out in high summer; middle bog areas that are always slightly moist; and low bog areas that are more water than bog. Some plants are so adaptable that they thrive in places that are liable to extremes of both flood and drought.

More Water Garden Designs - Water garden for a small plot

There are three basic elements to this design: a wild pond, a bog garden fed by rainwater run-off from

the pond, and dense planting on the exposed side away from the house.

Beachside edging 

This pond has been built with a flexible liner and a concrete and brick ring foundation. Note how the liner is hidden from view. Use pebbles to create the beach area.

Bog-garden edging 

Here the pond is edged with a mixture of bog area and stone. The overflow from the pond is contained by a butyl-lined trench, and the liner has been pierced for drainage.