Over time fashions come and go. In the world of pond ownership, the invention of biofalls units and the no-fuss skimmer was a game changer. This allowed ponds to come into vogue. Lovely, natural looking, water gardens have added a whole new landscape dimension to more than a few yards. Ponding has become a relaxing lifestyle.
Studies have shown a correlation between soothing sounds of water and more peaceful and civilized behavior among people. Better health from a relaxing environment would be one good reason to consider a pond at your place.
There is beauty in a quality water feature. People travel great distances to visit famous waterfalls around the nation and the world. It is possible to have this beautiful environment, on a smaller scale perhaps, in your home landscape.
Value is added to a property beyond the cost of the installation with a pristine appearing, well designed and properly functioning pond, stream or waterfall.
A small rubber lined 500 gallon pond of recirculating water, an energy efficient pump, a couple waterfalls and a short stream to tie them together and give birds a shallow bathing area, plus some attractive plants and a few fish is all the average pond owner wants. Pondless, that is you have a waterfall and a stream but no pond to care for, is a popular option with busy folk who have no desire for fish.
You may know someone with a green, ugly, mosquito and muck infested little spot in the yard they refer to as their pond. Unfortunately, even current editions of books and magazines on display at “big box” stores and garden centers still enthusiastically show the novice how to build one of these “lovely” ponds!
The technological breakthrough of the mechanical skimmer and the biological filter/waterfall box along with mass marketing made ponds a hot landscape item several years ago, even folks who had never considered a pond before became pond owners. (Caveat: some of the old ways may actually work with bog filtration, so success is not just about fancy gadgets or equipment; rather, success is about creating an ecosystem that pretty much takes care of itself…like in nature.)
Even with a good design, some creativity and the best of pond equipment, a lot of new ponds fail either from the moment they are turned on or fail over time. This is a shame, and is not a fate one has to be resolved to.
My thinking and advice goes like this—you don’t get a mechanic or a lawn mowing guy to build an addition onto your home, instead you seek out an experienced builder with a great reputation—similarly, be wise and find a pondbuilder with lots of happy customers to create the pond of your dreams.
A poorly designed, leaky pond will be an expense for a future homeowner to tear out. But a pretty, properly working and easy-to-care-for pond will be a major asset and a joy to own for a long time.
If you’re still with me on this paragraph, then indeed you have considered the topic of a pond. In closing, I want to mention that ponds are a wildlife habitat. They bring back some of what the builder dozed away to clear a spot to build. And that birdbath won’t have to be filled up every day or two anymore, as birds will prefer the flowing water in your stream for their bathing from now on.