Forum home› Wildlife gardening

Mini Pond Positioning

februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 708
in Wildlife gardening
I'm considering getting this mini pond but am unsure where to position it. My garden is south facing and I've narrowed it down to three potential spots.



The one closest to the back gets a fair amount of sun and gets the most shade, the one in the middle is all sun, all day and the one closest to the front gets mostly full sun with a little shade from late afternoon. Which of these seems to be the best option?

Posts

  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,234
    I'd go for the back one, as the water will evaporate quite quickly from such a small 'pond'. Seems very overpriced for what it is, personally I'd buy a nicer container (not plastic) and sort my own plants.
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 4,904
    For that price you could get a wooden half barrel line it with plastic or put a smaller plastic pot ( try Wilkinson) inside and make a nicer pond that won’t heat up so quickly. 
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 708
    Loxley said:
    I'd go for the back one, as the water will evaporate quite quickly from such a small 'pond'. Seems very overpriced for what it is, personally I'd buy a nicer container (not plastic) and sort my own plants.
    I was leaning in that direction as I know how hot it can get towards the house. The only reason I was considering the other two positions was because a lot of what I've read recommended full sun. I assume though that that advice is for larger ponds. I'd really love a Belfast sink mini pond but trying to get hold of one is difficult as all of the old ones I've seen on eBay are collection only. I don't drive which makes life difficult and I hate asking OH to drive me around for stuff. Would a planter like this work? I already have a square one in the garden, it'd be nice to have something that matched. Only thing is, I'm not sure how suitable the material is.

    debs64 said:
    For that price you could get a wooden half barrel line it with plastic or put a smaller plastic pot ( try Wilkinson) inside and make a nicer pond that won’t heat up so quickly. 

    I did look at wooden half barrels but a lot of them were too big to work. I've changed the planting and am going to be adding pots around the edges of the raised beds so I can't have anything that comes too far out otherwise it makes access to the shed and back bed difficult. I've put a link in the paragraph above to a planter I'm now considering 👆
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 708
    Just discovered that there's fibrestone version of the above planter which would potentially be more suitable for a pond?
  • GreenbirdGreenbird Posts: 237
    I don't think the material really matters. Metal and limestone will obviously leech if not sealed or lined. A lot of the stuff you'd have to either line the interior or paint it using something like A1 Pond paint. The container just forms the structure.

    I'm in the middle of making a mini pond using broken up pallets lined with pond liner.
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 708
    Hadn't heard of A1 Pond Paint before, just took a look and I think the main problem would be the prep needed as fibreglass needs mechanical sanding and I don't think the sander I have would be up to the job. I'm definitely not buying a new one just for making a pond! Pond liner would be great although I have no idea what you'd need to adhere it to fibreglass. I've had a Google but can't find anything where someone has given it a go 😞

    A pond made from pallets sounds great. People are making all sorts of things with them these days. My brother in law made a garden table and chairs from pallets last year and one of my neighbours is currently making a bike shed from them. I've got three myself but they're in lousy condition, definitely not fit for making things from! 
  • TheVanguardTheVanguard Posts: 130
    If it were me, I would be tempted to dig a hole put it into the raised bed. 

    That way you could do it with a few pieces of wood and a pond liner or even just any cheap big bowl.. 

    If you do it yourself you can get really creative, just a few stones and a drill and a piece of pipe (and in may case a cheap solar pump)





  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 708
    TheVanguard said:
    If it were me, I would be tempted to dig a hole put it into the raised bed. 

    That way you could do it with a few pieces of wood and a pond liner or even just any cheap big bowl.. 

    If you do it yourself you can get really creative, just a few stones and a drill and a piece of pipe (and in may case a cheap solar pump)





    I've just lifted all of my plants (except the trees) out of the raised beds and replaced them with new shrubs so digging them out to put a pond in is an absolute no! I'm not looking to put a solar pump in as I'm not sure how good that would be for wildlife in what's going to be a small pond. Besides, I already have a water feature and I think another one would be overkill in a small garden. The overall style I'm aiming for is Victorian woodland courtyard (the original picture looks nothing like it, hence the new planting), with some quirky items that look as though they've been abandoned. A pond made from a Belfast sink would have been my ideal, something that looks as though it's been left there and over the years the wildlife has made a home out of it. 
  • TheVanguardTheVanguard Posts: 130
    Ah! Miles of then, what about something like this? 

  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 708
    @TheVanguard I do like the galvanised look but it's too industrial for what I'm after. I've taken a risk and ordered a water feature reservoir which I'm going to paint up and distress so it looks old and unplasticky (not really a word but I can't think of anything more appropriate!). Never done it before so it could be a disaster 😬
Sign In or Register to comment.