Bringing the Tranquility of Water to Your Landscape

Designing diversity into a pond whether it be a large pond or backyard water feature brings great balance.  As with many natural ecosystems, variability provides ideal habitat for a large number of plant species, fish, and other aquatic organisms which reside in the pond as well as many “visitors” to the pond such as birds and small mammals. 

In the early days of water gardening, diversity was defined as a small plant shelf running along the margin of the pond.  While an improvement from steep sided ponds from both a habitat and safety perspective, the shelf adds little diversity.  A variety of steps within the pond provide additional water depths for aquatic plants.  Rather than a shelf or step close to the surface, a gradual slope to the water surface provides shallow water and marginal habitat that is critical to some forms of aquatic life.  Particularly, macroinvertebrate aquatic life (water insects) which can play in important role in breaking down and removing waste material in the pond.  Some species of plants and animals thrive in the narrow marginal areas where wave action causes periodic wetting of the soil, but does not submerge the organism.  The gradual slope at the water surface provides this critical habitat. 

Diversity in pond construction is a small, but important base component of the  balanced pond ecosystem.  Here are a few techniques that you can use to build diversity into your water feature and achieve a more balanced ecosystem.

• Introduce a variety of plants to the pond and margins to provide additional variability to the system.   Incorporate plants that thrive with their roots completely submerged as well as marginal wetland plants that require their root crown to be above the water surface.  This combination of plants will also soften the edges of the pond and provide excellent pondside habitat. 
• Build a stream that flows into your pond.  The stream flow will transport insect life that develops along the stream margins into your pond while it improves water quality.  A properly constructed stream will improve aeration and assist with nutrient reduction.
• Consider adding wetland habitat in a second shallow pond uphill from your main pond.  This wetland area will significantly improve water quality and you will be amazed at the many species of wildlife that call it home.

Elements of Diversity in an Aquatic Habitat

• Shallow Water
• Deep Water
• Pond  Bottom Material
• Saturated Soil at the Pond Margin
• Un-saturated Soil at the Pond Margin
• Shade&Sun
• Wetland
• Streambed – Pools and Riffles
• Waterfall
• Floating Islands

Contact us now to schedule your initial design consultation.