Using a polymer, butyl rubber or PVC film, you can create a pond of any shape with your own hands. It should be borne in mind that PVC film will last up to 10 years, and butyl rubber - up to 50. Butyl rubber is suitable for a rocky area, it also withstands frost well.

The first step is to create a pit of the required shape.

After creating the excavation and covering it with a film, it is necessary to decide whether a layer of pebbles or stone will be laid out on the film. Such a coating will make the pond suitable for planting plants and protect the bottom from mechanical damage.

On the other hand, such a pond will require regular cleaning, as decay processes of organic particles will occur between the film and stones. Therefore, many prefer to leave the film uncovered.

The size of the required piece of film is calculated as follows: 2 depths and 1 meter of margin should be added to the length, and then to the width of the pond. The edges of the film must extend 20 cm beyond the edge of the pond so that they can be fixed without stretching the film.

To fix the film around the perimeter of the pond, a groove 10 cm deep is dug. The edge of the film is inserted into it and pressed down with stones.

After that, the film is closed completely with the help of stones, decorative figurines and plants.

4 Pond from improvised materials

For those who are not ready to dig large pits and purchase construction and small ponds, which can be created from an old bathtub, basin, tire and other items, are suitable.

Bath pond

A hole is dug under the bath, repeating its shape, with a small recess in the place where the drain will be located. Pebbles are laid out in this recess so that, if desired, the plug can be removed and the water has gone into the ground.

The bath itself is varnished or coated with paint, immersed in a prepared hole and filled with water. If desired, you can decorate the edges of such a pond with stones and plants.

The beautiful atmosphere of a garden in a country house, painted with exquisite colors of nature, will be ideally complemented by an artificial reservoir sparkling under the rays of the sun, which today is an integral element of landscape design. A quiet water harbor, fish, waterfalls, ornamental plants are emphasized like nothing better good taste owner and his aesthetic nature. How to build a pond in the country with your own hands, so that it brings a minimum of trouble during operation? In this article, we bring to your attention a variety of solutions for creating an artificial reservoir, near which you, your family and friends will relax and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Varieties of reservoirs

Today there is a large number of various ponds, qualifying according to the principles of construction and various features.

According to the shape and style, the following types of ponds are distinguished:

• formal or with regular geometry;
• landscape or with irregular geometry.

The first type of decorative reservoir is characterized by a strict outline, its sides intersect at right angles, forming diamond-shaped, rectangular or other similar combinations. Brick or tile is most often used as facing materials, giving a certain severity to the structure. A formal pond is appropriate in the country, where there are already other buildings, rectangular paths.

Landscape ponds are often also called decorative. According to the device, such reservoirs are similar to formal ones, but their outline most often has a smooth shape in the form of a coastline. Of course, the appearance of such a reservoir can be the most diverse, it all depends on the imagination, the main thing is that the pond should have the most natural look.

According to the water level, decorative ponds are divided into:

• raised;
• buried.

Raised ponds mainly perform a decorative function in landscape design. suburban area, and they are created with the geometry of the correct form. The depth of such a reservoir is quite small - within the borders. The advantages of such a decorative element in the country are minimal physical and financial costs.

However, the disadvantages are immediately visible - in winter time such a pond freezes through, and only annual plants can be bred in it, and there is no place for fish at all.

To create a buried pond, you will need to perform some earthen robots using waterproofing materials. In such a pond, you can grow without problems perennials and start fish.

Choosing a place for a decorative pond in the country

The key to a well-groomed pond is its correct location. A decorative pond is best created near the house or a place to relax, for example, gazebos. So you can watch the playing water surface while drinking coffee or reading a book. However, the main criterion for the location of the pond are the surrounding landscapes.

It should be built in open areas, as large deciduous trees will not only create problems in the fall, but their rapidly growing roots can damage the pond system. It is also important that the reservoir is protected from strong winds, as they will negatively affect the development of coastal plants.

You also need to consider natural lighting. For a favorable reservoir of development in the rays of sunlight, it should be no more than 10 hours, otherwise small bacteria may begin to multiply in the pond, as a result of which it will become overgrown with mud and algae. With very little illumination, the development of already existing deep plants will be difficult.

Construction of artificial reservoirs based on the bowl

When building a reservoir, mistakes should not be made, as it can turn into an ordinary swamp, the inhabitants of which will be frogs and midges.

Unlike pools, water in a reservoir should not only be ozonated and breathe, but also have a certain acid balance. And only by observing these conditions, the pond will be in a natural state, and growing plants and living fish in it will flourish and multiply.

Choosing a pond tank

Most in a simple way to make a mini-lake in the country is to build a pond based on a bowl.

Depending on the capacity and material of manufacture for the structure, you can choose the following bowls:

• polyethylene container with a capacity of 150-900 liters

This option is the most optimal for a small suburban area. Depending on your wishes, you can choose a variety of colors, shapes and configurations of the bowl, its service life is about 3 years.

• plastic vessel with a capacity of 1200-1600 liters

Such a base is more durable and strong, the service life is about 10 years.

• propylene or glass plastic mold with a capacity of 5000-6000 liters.

With the help of such a bowl, it is possible to equip an artificial reservoir with an area of ​​​​more than 10 m² and a depth of about 1.5 meters in the country house. Service life is approximately 30 years, in addition, if necessary, various types repair.

Having determined your financial capabilities, and having opted for some kind of bowl, you can start building a pond in the country.

Stages of building a pond in a country house based on a bowl

By choosing appropriate place for a mini-lake, we proceed to the arrangement of the pit:

• The first thing to do is markup. To do this, we lay the container upside down on the intended place of the reservoir and make notes along its contour.
• Then we drive in the pegs with an indent of 15 cm from the marking contours, while its outlines should be completely repeated.
• The next stage is digging a pit, and it should be borne in mind that the pit must fully comply with the parameters and shape of the bowl. The depth must be done with a margin of about 25 cm for a sand cushion.

• Thoroughly clean the bottom various stones and roots.
• It is necessary to carefully level the bottom of the pit, for this you can try to fit a bowl into it and see if you need to carry out land work, or the pit already corresponds to the dimensions of the container.
• If the parameters of the pit correspond, then it is necessary to carefully compact its bottom.
• Then the ditch is completely covered with waterproofing material.
• A sand cushion should be laid at the bottom with a layer of 20-25 cm.
• Now you can start laying the bowl on the sand cushion. Checking her horizontal position, after which the free space is covered with sand. Along with backfilling sand, you need to gradually fill the container with water.
• Then you can already show your imagination and start arranging a mini-lake in the country.

Do-it-yourself pond in the country house based on a flexible insulating polymer

Types of insulating film

If you plan to build a large pond, then a flexible insulating material is ideal for this purpose, thanks to which you will not limit yourself in choosing the shape and size of the pond.

We are talking about polyethylene, PVC film and butyl rubber.

It is possible to build a pond using a plastic film only if it is planned to be made temporary. The thing is that this material is quite fragile and easily damaged. The term of operation of a polyethylene film, as a rule, becomes no more than three years.

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) film is quite in demand in the construction of an artificial reservoir, it is very durable and reliable, its service life is 10-15 years.

Today, the best solution for equipping a pond in a country house with your own hands is butyl rubber rubber. This material is as strong as possible, reliable, not afraid of the sun and frost. It will serve you from 30 to 50 years.

For the price, of course, the most economical option, but at the same time not the most durable, is a polyethylene film. The most expensive and reliable is butyl rubber. If it is too expensive for you, then stop at the insulating material made of polyvinyl chloride, it is almost half the price, but at the same time strong enough.

Construction stages

It is best to carry out work on the construction of a pond based on an insulating film in summer time when the air temperature is about 20 degrees. In order for the film to become more elastic, it must be kept in the sun for several hours.

• At the first stage, marking is made and a pit is dug.

This is done according to the same principle as when building a pond using a bowl, but here more attention should be paid to the depth and shape of the pit - it is necessary correct division into zones that are performed stepwise. The width of the steps must be at least 40 cm.

The optimal depth of an artificial reservoir:

From 20 to 40 cm in shallow water, or rather the first stepped zone;

From 50 to 100 cm in deep water, on the last step of the pond.

If you plan to grow fish in a pond, then for them it is necessary to provide for a “wintering hole”, which is made about 150 cm deep.

• The next step is a thorough leveling of the bottom
• After removing all large and small stones, roots, etc. the surface is backfilled with a layer of 5 cm with a clean layer of sand and covered with geotextile, due to which it is possible to extend the life of the film coating.
• Now you can proceed to the actual laying of the polymer

Settle the material freely, while securing it around the edges with bricks. It is not worth rushing to cut off the film, since initially you need to fill the resulting container with water in order for the material to take the desired shape.

The dimensions of the insulating film are calculated as follows: the length of the film is equal to the length of the reservoir, 2 depths plus a margin of about 40-50 cm. In the same way, the required width of the polymer can be calculated.

• Underwater design

Immediately after laying the insulating film, you can start pouring water, but it will look very impressive and beautiful if you decorate the underwater part in a special way, overlaying it, for example, with tiles, bricks or stone.

If the angle of inclination of the underwater shore is not more than 30°, then the stones can be laid without fastening them to each other, but with dressing of the seams. To do this, the space between them should be covered with clay. If the angle of inclination of the bank is steeper, then the stones must be fixed with cement mortar.

Decorative design of the reservoir in the country

When all construction works behind, we proceed to the design of the reservoir - the last stage of arrangement artificial pond in the country. The coastline can be laid out with pebbles, tiles, stone or a wide variety of other flooring.

The decoration of the banks with small stones is carried out by backfilling, while the blind area has the form of a gutter, the remaining insulating film is held by poured pebbles.

If you plan to decorate the shore with large stones, then you must first organize concrete base, as otherwise loose stones may slip and ruin the resin.

Ponds look very impressive in combination with fountains, alpine slides, small streams. An excellent option for a small artificial pond would be a floating fountain, it is already sold with everything necessary equipment, just plug it into electricity.

If free space there is enough in the pond, then be sure to make an artificial waterfall with 2-3 cascades, through which water will flow into the bowl.

Its organization will require such main components as a powerful pump and a drain pipe, which will supply water from the pump to the top of the cascade. To create cascades, molded pallets or a thick waterproofing film can be used. The outlet pipe is best done underground, but if this is not possible, then just carefully disguise it. The following figure shows a diagram of the organization of a waterfall with 3 cascades.

Plants such as reeds, ferns, feces, iris, lake reeds, etc. will perfectly decorate the pond. Plastic or metal vessels are used for their planting. Coat the walls of the container with clay so that the water does not wash out nutrients earth.

flowers and leaves aquatic plants must be above the surface of the water. For example, for water lilies, the required depth is up to 100-130 cm, and for an arrowhead, 10-20 cm will be enough.

In the pond, be sure to plant aquatic plants - oxygen generators that produce oxygen and prevent the reproduction of various algae.

It is best to plant ground plants in containers dug near the pond in order to prevent the roots from growing under the pond. Put the fish in the water. You can decorate the ground part of the reservoir with a bridge or other decorative elements, give free rein to your imagination.

A pond in the country - a photo of beautifully decorated artificial mini-lakes:

Filters, weir and lighting

To ensure that the water in your pond is always clear and clean, you need to take care of its filtration. To organize this purification system, you will need plastic pipes and reinforcement hoses. The pump and filter system should be selected based on the volume of your mini-lake and the desired degree of filtration.

When arranging a reservoir in the country, you need to think about such an element as a spillway. Thanks to it, it will be possible to regulate the water level, for example, in the spring during rains or when snow melts, our pond will never overflow its banks. A spillway is a small depression at the bottom of a pond filled with pebbles. To this depression are brought drainage pipes, with the help of which excess water will be removed from the mini-lake.

Any artificial reservoir will look more spectacular if equipped with various types highlights.

If you choose the right spot lighting, then at night the artificial pond will come to life, fill with new highlights and take on unusual delightful forms.

Lighting can be placed permanently at the bottom of the pond, or it can be equipped with lamps that, using weights of various weights, will float at several levels of water. But the light bulbs located on the fountain nozzle will illuminate each jet of beating streams of water.

At the same time, it is worth remembering that all products that live by electricity must be appropriately labeled, which allows them to be used in water or outside.

A pond in the country - a photo of finished reservoirs with beautiful illumination:

• The ideal depth of the reservoir is about 5 m with an area of ​​\u200b\u200babout 15 square meters. m, if you plan to increase the area of ​​​​the pond, then accordingly you should increase its depth, for example, at 20 sq. it is desirable that the depth be more than 1 m.
• In order not to upset the balance of the ecosystem, it is better not to change the water in the artificial lake.
• Plant all plants closer to the shore.
• The ratio of water and vegetation should be 1:4, in which case the ecosystem will not be disturbed.
• It is desirable that the stones in the reservoir are not made of limestone, as it makes the water alkaline, which will negatively affect the fish living there.
• Do not be alarmed if after the first pouring of water into the reservoir it becomes cloudy. This is due to the fact that the stage of colonization by microorganisms is taking place, after some time, after the equilibrium of the ecosystem is reached, the water will be purified.

We maintain order in the pond

Like other structures, the pond needs some care. There is no need to expend special physical strength here, with the right selection of water plants in your mini-lake, a biological balance will gradually be established, and the system will control itself, but you just have to help it a little.

Caring for a pond is very simple and logical:

• In summer and spring, regularly remove filamentous algae from the reservoir with the help of sack, and around weeds. If your pond does not have a filtration system, then you can buy special chemicals that will saturate the water with oxygen without harming all its inhabitants. In the summer, when water evaporates quickly, top up as needed.
• In autumn, remove fallen leaves to the surface in time, as they will eventually sink to the bottom. Some plants that do not tolerate frost, transplant into separate containers for wintering. Thin out overgrown plants. To protect the reservoir from various debris for the winter, stretch a special mesh over its surface.
• In the spring, somewhere in April, it is already possible to start the pond - cut off the dried stems, clean the walls and bottom of the silt, if available, turn on the lighting of the fountain.

As you can see, care is quite insignificant considering how many emotions and joy this living wonderful corner brings you.

However, if you are the owner of a small plot, you can think about a mini pond. A mini pond is usually placed on a terrace or in a front garden. But due to its modest size, it is quite possible to make it on the balcony or even inside the house.
In general, a mini pond is a body of water within 0.5 - 1 m3. (but not less than 20 liters of water), which is a small ecosystem with plants and even animals (fish). It can be complemented by a fountain and other decorative elements.
In order to make such a pond with your own hands, you will need wooden box, a waterproof container made of plastic or anything else, the main thing is stainless material, waterproofing film, gravel, stones, sand, soil, and plants.
Here is a diagram of a mini pond device:

It should be remembered that in sunny summer weather a lot of water evaporates from the surface of the pond, so it must be topped up regularly.

Mini pond plants need sunlight 6-8 hours a day. Therefore, northern and poorly lit areas are best avoided.
Almost all planted plants need a substrate for rooting (the exception is plants that float in water with roots. You can use gravel from the bottom of the stream, or you can buy special “building gravel”, which includes sand and pebbles 16-32 mm in size Some plants can be placed in a pond in separate bowls.For example, water lilies grow well in a substrate with a predominance of clay.

ornamental plants in summer small pond they tolerate diurnal temperature fluctuations well; in the cold period, with proper preparation, they tolerate frosts, with the exception of foreign heat-loving plants, which are best transferred indoors for wintering.
On the terrace, a pond looks very impressive when the tub is deepened in the ground. And decorate the perimeter of the reservoir with stones and various plants.

We build a pond with our own hands for the garden

Create a do-it-yourself pond for goldfish and aquatic plants within your capacity. Make sure your garden pond is at least 60 to 90cm deep. Nothing beats a garden pond if you want to make your garden even more inviting. It is surprisingly easy to make and care for. Dig a hole, fill it with a layer of sand, line everything with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film, and you will have a pond of any shape you want.

Before you begin, make sure that: your pond is located on flat surface with enough sunlight for at least five hours a day, it can be reached garden hose, and it can be seen from your house, veranda, or patio. Surprisingly, the bigger your pond, the better.

Anything less than 60cm deep and 2.5m in diameter collects heat and becomes clogged with algae. In cold climates, it is necessary to dig a hole at least 90 cm deep so that the fish can survive the winter.

Check before you dig. Mark the desired shape of the pond with a hose. Sprinkle the hose with sand or flour to outline your pond.

You will need:

PVC coating

fine gravel

bricks

stone slabs

Round stones for the bottom of the pond

Step 1

Dig a hole at least 60cm deep, tilting the sides slightly. Completely remove large roots or sharp stones.

Step 2

Make sure the edges of the pond are even with a level. Lay a 5-7cm layer of wet sand on the bottom and sides of the pit. This helps to smooth the sides and protect the finish from punctures.

Step 3

Lay a PVC cover in the hole, leaving an extra 30cm of cover around the entire pond. Line the pond with bricks so that the PVC covering is not visible.

Step 4

Lay the slab so that it is 2.5-5cm from the brickwork. Let the water sit for two days to remove any chemicals.

Step 5

Lower the pots of aquatic plants to the desired depth. For example, water lily should be placed in such a way that the edge of the pot is 15-30 cm from the surface of the water.

Carefully place round stones on the bottom of the pond. When choosing aquatic creatures such as fish, snails and tadpoles, contact your supplier to determine the amount of space they need.

It is worth taking a small plastic sealed box or suitable capacity, and having a little fantasy, decorate it so that it turns into a small reservoir with its own ecosystem.
To do this, you need to take some soil, pebbles and green vegetation and the water container will turn into a pretty pond.
On the terrace you can place a large wooden tub hidden in the ground. Water, of course, will need to be changed periodically, and if the pond is located in the sun, then add it during the day. But nevertheless, such a piece of the water element, combined with the general style of the entire garden, will become a real decoration and highlight of the garden.

Photo: fancy2110 (home-and-garden.webshots.com)
This pond is arranged in a concrete flower pot

The front garden is a great place for a mini-pond. In the shade of plants, a small pool with water lilies will look good. As a container, you can use a galvanized basin or a trough covered with natural material.

In a seedling box or in a basin.
On balconies and verandas, a mini pond can be arranged in a seedling box, in a basin or in a tub. If you decide to make a pond on the balcony, then it is better to install it on a low table or even hang it. The outer sides can be decorated by sticking stones, pebbles or mosaics on them. We cover the bottom of the container with a layer of humus, then a layer of sand and a layer of pebbles. You can also make a small hole to drain the water, although this is not necessary for such a small reservoir.

Mini pond. A corner of quiet retreat in your garden

Marina Savinykh

Water is the source of life, a symbol of eternity and inviolability. It is known that nothing can soothe and relax like admiring the water. So in landscape design, mini-reservoirs have gained their popularity.

The tradition of decorating gardens with artificial ponds originates in Japan. Truly the pearl of the Japanese garden is water. Reservoirs are represented by the most diverse forms and are always decorated with finely selected aquatic plants, and often their inhabitants are goldfish. It is no secret that the Japanese landscape is more than aesthetic beauty, it is also a tribute to ancient traditions, legends and wisdom. Each landscape object contains a certain symbol that can influence the viewer.

In order for the mini pond to please throughout the summer, it is worth thinking about its project now. Many plants that will serve as the design of a mini-pond must be planted in early spring, by this time the type of small reservoir, its shape and location should already be determined.

Today, modern technologies make it possible to create miniature ponds on a site of any size, with various levels of complexity. Even on a minimal area, you can place such a reservoir that will significantly enliven the landscape.

There are the following types of ready-made containers for artificial mini-ponds:

• constructions using polymeric materials;
• prefabricated structures;
• monolithic structures.

Structures using polymeric materials are arranged according to the following principle: a recess of at least one and a half meters is dug and completely covered with a polymer film, the edges of the film are decorated on the outside with tiles, natural stones, wooden frames, etc. The device of the reservoir will cost inexpensively, if necessary, it can be easily disassembled, so that it is possible to clean the room for the winter. But there are also disadvantages - the polymer film loses strength over time and can leak.

Finished structures are made of polymeric materials, metal, wood or ceramics, and can be mounted at different levels. Unlike polymer films, finished structures will last longer.

For monolithic ones, a recess of at least one and a half meters is initially dug, then walls are formed from reinforcement, which are subsequently poured with concrete. The advantages of such a tank are durability, increased strength, as well as the ability to embody any conceived form.

The principle of caring for a mini-pond depends on the presence of plants and animals in it. If the design of the pond is limited exclusively to external decor, then it is enough to change the water once a month. Care becomes much more complicated if aquatic plants, as well as fish and other aquatic inhabitants, are placed in a mini-pond.

It must be remembered that the mini-pond sets general style landscape design. A mini-type pond can be played as a corner of the wild, decorating it with boulders and planting climbing and moss plants. You can create a small piece of a fairy tale by placing goldfish and water lilies in a mini-pond, and plant marshy plants (reeds, cyperus, etc.) around the pond. More spectacular small pond will look if you set the backlight of a gentle tone. Then the mini-pond will become a favorite place of quiet solitude in the evenings.

Corner mini-pond made of bricks

landscape design this is not only the green part of the plot with plants, but also the territory adjacent to the house. Suppose your site has a boring corner where, for some reason, plants cannot be placed. You can revive it with this mini pond from brick. Height and width reservoir is selected according to the size of your free space.

Brick for reservoir we take the usual not rounded one, we derive a semicircle due to the wide seams between the bricks. Interior reservoir: either a finished form or we concrete the structure inside, a film for ponds is also suitable. Plants planted in containers will add to your water mini pond naturalness and beauty.

Do-it-yourself pond from an old bath

Let's talk about how our hands in the garden do old bath pond. After repairs in the house often remains an old cast-iron bath. You can use it further - make it garden pond. The most important thing is to determine the location of the future pond. Then dig a pit under bath. At the bottom of the pit, it is necessary to pour gravel, crushed stone 10-20 cm, then sand 20 cm. In the place where the drain hole is in the bathroom, make the drainage layer deeper. This is so that later, if desired, you can leave a drain hole and drain water from it for the winter. If there is good drainage under the drain, the water in bathroom not so much and it will absorb into the ground without any problems. The second drain hole must be cemented. Lay bricks in the corners, it is installed on it bath. Pour the earth, gradually tamping and adding water. Leave the top of the tub slightly above ground level. Decorate bath under pond paving stone. For this we have set bath a little above ground level, so that around baths Pour crushed stone 20-30 cm. On the crushed stone we lay the flagstone stone on the cement mortar. Flagstone stones, as it were, “we start” inside baths, thereby closing its ugly edge. So that the shape of the pond does not really resemble a bath, we lay out the stones along the edges of the bath and go beyond baths. Layers of stone must be laid at least 3-4.

Surface baths white, for pond it is not beautiful and unnatural. You can cover the inside of the bathtub with black film, then this must be done before stone work. Bring the edges of the film under the stone.

Can you paint bath, but the surface of the bath is smooth, the paint from it peels off over time. Therefore, enamel baths for pond must be cleaned to give it porosity for better application paints.

For surface cleaning baths a “grinder” is needed, a special nozzle on it with a sticky surface, to which the “Petal” emery wheel or the “Foreman” wire nozzle is attached. What kind of paint to cover the surface will be advised by a consultant in any building market. And the color is better to choose dark gray. To the bottom pond you can sprinkle some pebbles.

We pour water and old bath pond garden ready. Done do it yourself.

Now you need to choose plants for pond, drop them in small groups near the pud to your liking. Near pond irises, hostas, bergenia look beautiful. It will be beautiful inside pond from the bathroom plant aquatic plants in containers, maybe even run fish.

You can not drain the water for the winter, if in your garden pond there will already be a biological environment, it will try to survive. Still, a bath in the depths of the earth is the warmth of the earth, snow will lie on top of the ice - it will also retain heat. For reliability for the winter, you can throw a couple of plastic bottles into the water.

The idea of ​​​​decorating a pond with large stones

Idea pond design big stones. In this version, the form pond semicircle. Myself pond can be made from finished form or cover with foil. Overlap the edges with large stones. Because the stones are very large, they can easily close all the costs of the edges pond. To make such pond with your own hands is very simple, no special skill is required, but it looks like a work of professionals. The only problem is that the stones are very heavy, they must be carried by two people, wide ropes or a tight bag should be stretched under them and taken by the edges. Do not forget, under the stones, where they lie directly on the ground, pour a little gravel, sand on top and cover with black lutrasil, so as not to tear the weeds between them later.

In this embodiment, an ordinary indoor cyperius is planted directly into the water in a container, it loves moisture very much and looks harmonious for pond.

The second option is very similar, only it is a fountain on a motor, decorated with gravel.

Stylistics of garden ponds

Arrangement of a reservoir - aerobatics in the art of landscape design. On the territory of Russia today there is an increased interest in ponds, streams and waterfalls in the garden. Having played enough alpine slides, hedges and mixborders, the owners of suburban areas gradually come to understand a simple truth: without water, the garden still remains not quite harmonious, as if unfinished. But before proceeding with the renewal of the site, in which it is imperative to find a place for a reservoir or watercourse, it is necessary to evaluate all the forms in which water can appear in the garden.

With all the variety of gardens, and there are more than a dozen different garden styles, they are all divided into two large groups: regular and landscape. The former are characterized by a symmetrical layout, emphasizing the correct geometric shapes of flower beds. These gardens include Muslim, French and Italian classical gardens. Reservoirs in them also have strict geometric outlines; very often there are classically shaped fountains, regular-shaped canals, cascades, aqueducts and ponds.
Landscape style is well known to Russians. Most of our compatriots prefer ponds and streams of natural forms, inherent in English classical gardens(landscape); stylistics of the Far East (Japanese and Chinese); gardens of natural style (from the German Naturegarten). The free outlines of ponds and the lively running of streams and waterfalls in landscape gardens give them an unusual charm, make the garden as similar as possible to a corner of natural nature.

The gardens of the avant-garde style stand somewhat apart, hallmark which is originality and conceptuality. It is almost impossible to predict the shape of a reservoir in such a garden: it can be both symmetrical and natural or so unusual that you do not immediately decide to call the structure invented by the designer a reservoir or watercourse ...

regular reservoirs

A conversation about regular-style reservoirs should begin with Islamic gardens. Not because they are the most ancient - it is possible that this is not so. But the fact is that there is no greater reverence for water in any other garden style. Water, which in the Arab lands was an extremely limited resource, the greatest value, eventually quite naturally became a symbol of luxury. The Garden of Eden in the view of Muslims is a place in which fountains are sure to beat and roses are fragrant. The composition of all Islamic gardens is a strictly geometric square or rectangle, divided into 4 parts by shallow channels (such a garden structure was characteristic of ancient Persian gardens and has taken root for centuries). Apart from these channels, water is present in the form of rectangular ponds and fountains. The latter were present in a multitude and were arranged technically very perfectly: their activity was carried out due to the force of gravity. Under the fountains (or under a rectangular pond with fountains installed in it) lay a labyrinth of pipes traversed by valves and gates designed to control the distribution of water to countless fountain outlets throughout the garden.

Fountains are one of the most beloved forms that humanity has sought to give to water. The difference between Islamic ones is in their brevity: since the Koran forbids depicting living beings, then, as a rule, these were simple drinking fountains with a small trickle of water barely rising above the bowl or the surface of the pond.
If we talk about the demand for the Islamic style in the gardens of modern Europe, including Russia, then this is rather a lighter and more elegant Spanish-Moorish style, which can easily be found in the patio or in the space in front of the house, even if it is small, as in the case of townhouses.

The French regular style, which entered the life of the nobility under the Sun King Louis XIV, is widely known throughout the world. In the magnificent garden of Versailles, created by the brilliant gardener Henri Le Nôtre, sumptuous feasts were held, accompanied by splashes of water jets and the brilliance of water in canals and ponds. The triumph of man over Nature is the main idea of ​​this style, told through strict symmetry, sheared topiary forms and water squeezed into a rigid framework. The water of a regular garden is a strict form of pools, sculptural fountains, small wall fountains and cascades. Peterhof Park became an example of this style in Russia.

Very close to the French style is Italian, which in classic version was performed as a small garden near the villa, surrounded by trimmed hedges. Diagonal and straight paths invariably led to the center of the garden, where there was certainly a pond or fountain. Ponds, as a rule, were given the shape of a circle, oval or square. Old Italian estates were often surrounded by artistically designed water channels, a bit reminiscent of ditches around fortress walls.

Today, both French and Italian regular style are quite in demand. In any case, not a single worthy exhibition on landscape design not without projects of this kind. The most common application of this style in private estates is the front (entrance) section of the estate in the classical style or the classic symmetrically-correct design of the patio, where the water looks like channels, fountains or a mini-pond.

Particularly noteworthy are the formal decorative pools of the new generation, which are extremely numerous in the projects of the best European designers, in particular those who take part in the Chelsea Flower Show in London, and which are almost non-existent in Russia. These are reservoirs of ideal geometric shape, usually of very shallow depth, the main role of which is to create a feeling of freshness in the garden and play the role of a natural mirror that reflects the sky, clouds and graceful vegetation surrounding such reservoirs.

I would like to separately note that the ponds in each of the listed regular styles can be arranged both flush with the ground level, and have a bowl raised above the ground with walls up to 0.5-0.7 m high, which is almost never found in landscape gardens.

landscape style

The landscape style embodies freedom and naturalness: the trees in it are never cut, they try to make the paths inconspicuous and asymmetric, and they strive to give the water the appearance of a natural reservoir, as close as possible in its appearance to the natural one. The most ancient examples of this style belong to Far East- China and Japan, and the most common today follow the principles of creating gardens in the British Isles.
Chinese gardens tend to take up quite large territories. Their owners for centuries have treated the reservoirs with great trepidation. Typically, a garden has a central pond and several additional streams and waterfalls surrounded by rocks and lush vegetation. The ponds and lakes in the garden, as a rule, were large, in which it was possible to ride on boats made in the form of a dragon, thus moving through the entire garden. Today, ponds may not be large, but one or more bridges over the watercourse must have a characteristic shape, most often made of stone or wood.

Ponds in the Chinese garden often became a haven not only for magnificent aquatic and coastal aquatic vegetation, but also for animals. : Koi, goldfish, and mandarin ducks are frequent visitors to these gardens. Very beautiful streams Chinese garden- not in vain they liked to put graceful arbors on their banks ...

Island Japan has always suffered from a lack of space for gardens, and therefore their landscape art is, in fact, the art of miniatures. This statement has nothing to do with monastery gardens and large parks. "Secular" Japanese gardens are mostly small, from a few square meters, areas intended for viewing and short walks. In any case, the garden for the Japanese is a small model of the universe. Water in the garden is not always present, but if it is, then its forms are very diverse and specific.

Japan has a tendency to appreciate not so much the surface of the water as the dynamics of the flow and the sounds made by streams and waterfalls. Japanese garden waterfalls can be simple and complex, multi-stage. The place for the waterfall is chosen with great care. Almost always they are covered with vegetation, which makes the landscapes even more romantic.

garden ponds in oriental garden always have islands, one of which is considered paradise and does not connect with the coast. There are several types of islands: forest, mountain, rocky, with young pine trees on the sand. In modern Japanese kindergartens ponds replace small stone pools of water, and sometimes there is not even room for them. Then this element of nature can be introduced into the composition of the garden in the form of a tsukubai - a stone bowl with water in the form of a barrel, in which they traditionally washed their hands during the tea ceremony. In some cases, the tsukubai may be at ground level, but most often it is raised to a height of 20-30 cm. Usually, tsukubai are placed on a low, small, flat area in front of stone wall, hedge or in the center of the garden and certainly illuminated by a stone lantern.
Another decorative element of the garden, which is directly related to water, is a thin plumbing from a hollow bamboo stem through which water runs. Japanese title of this watercourse - shishi odoshi, which means "scaring deer", because. it was originally invented by farmers for this very purpose. Most often, such structures are located on the edge of the pond.

Fascinated by the beauty and naturalness of the Far Eastern gardens, the English colonialists "infected" their compatriots with a love for natural landscapes. Today, Great Britain is considered the state in which the landscape style (such words as English, romantic, natural became synonymous with it) reached its peak. Landscape composition techniques strove for beauty and naturalness. A characteristic feature, in addition to the beautiful "bouquet" plantings of trees, have become vast spaces reserved for lawns. beautiful ponds, streams, waterfalls and cascades surrounded by greenery and moisture-loving vegetation - characteristic such gardens.

The naturegarten style is very similar to the English landscape style, with ponds and streams of the same natural shape, but its main principle in the design of the reservoir is the rejection of the most beautiful coastal plants, possibly imported from afar or, on the contrary, have long been included in culture and subjected to selection, in favor of "savages" - that is, the vegetation that is characteristic of the area and grows literally behind the fence. Designing the coastline with coastal plants characteristic of the area makes such a solution as viable as possible.

avant-garde gardens

To date, the most interesting garden ponds are found in those gardens that are made in the avant-garde style. landscape architects Those who love the avant-garde have always treated water with special trepidation, rightly believing that you can relax and truly relax only by the reservoir. Life-giving moisture can be present in such gardens in a variety of ways. For example, one of the exhibition gardens from The 100% Pure New Zealand Garden was a fairy tale fantasy about the aesthetics of a desert seashore. The water, as it were, flowed from the mountains, trying to reach the sea, and passed in its path the rainforest, and the wild cliffs of the west coast, and the dunes unprotected from the wind. More than 3,000 types of plants were used in the creation of the garden!

The water of an avant-garde garden can become a symbol of respect for this valuable natural resource. For example, in the project Bradstone: Walking Barefoot with Bradstone, which won a gold medal at one of the exhibitions in Chelsea, a special drainage was applied garden system: through special funnels rainwater is collected from the roof of the house and from the walls of the blind fence that surrounds the garden on both sides, accumulates in large tanks inside the walls and is used to keep the water level within the garden's closed water system. Of course, in the absence of rain, replenishment water resources comes from civilized sources and yet this system is very interesting and environmentally friendly.

The combination of glass and water is very advantageous. An example is an interesting "water" project - "Ravine Garden: gift of the Glacier" from the Lake Forest Garden Club. Glass blocks, installed among the greenery of trees, on a hillock, seem to melt, giving life to a stream. The stream flows down, surrounded by simple but very graceful plants, but the water does not just go into the ground: it falls on a platform made of glass, similar to an unmelted block of ice, and already falls into the channel from it, creating an interesting lens effect.

An absolutely remarkable avant-garde pond was shown at an exhibition in Chelsea in 2008. Designed by Arabella Lennox-Boyd. A thinly curved ribbon of water lilies running down the center intersected with a garden path, which also acted as a bridge from one end of the pond to the other. The composition was structured by beautifully arranged stones set in the water.

The Russians will soon celebrate the 20th anniversary of the moment when landscape design came to the country in its modern form. Obviously, their preferences are ponds and streams. landscape style. But allowing yourself only reservoirs of this kind is too strict a restriction, significantly narrowing the number of options. To appreciate the variety of forms and styles of design of modern reservoirs, it is enough to visit one of the European landscape design exhibitions, for example, the English exhibitions in Chelsea or in the Hamptons.

As you know, contemplation of the surroundings can give us many pleasant moments, restore strength, calm and inspire. Therefore, we are in a hurry from noisy city streets to natural spaces or to the quiet comfort of our garden.
If you are a happy owner of your own plot, then you probably decided long ago not to be limited only to the beds. Beautiful cozy garden, decorated with paths and benches, flower beds and arches, will be a real salvation for you. But a truly pleasant garden for contemplation and relaxation will not be complete without a small pond.

Creating a pond or lake in your garden is not at all difficult. Our tips will help you easily and quickly cope with this work.

Where to start

If you have made the final decision to create a park reservoir on your site, then the following questions will be your priority:

• how to arrange the reservoir so that it is in complete harmony with the landscape;
• what to do so that the pond serves for a long time and does not require special care.

We will help you choose the style of the reservoir, its location, as well as tell you about the laying technology and equipment.
Traditionally, there are several classic design styles ornamental ponds in the garden.

1. The eastern (Muslim courtyard) is characterized by many small pools and fountains of regular geometric shape.
2. The Chinese style is determined by the maximum proximity to the natural landscape, voluminous reservoirs with irregular bends of the banks and the use of bridges, lanterns, stones and trees.
3. The Japanese style suggests minimalism, so the reservoir is very small, but complemented by a stream flowing into it. The tradition of uniting all the elements in Japanese garden requires to surround the pond with stones, small trees, and at the same time leave the space open.
4. The European style is characterized by luxury and the use of large spaces. Ponds in this case can be voluminous, they are surrounded by spacious flower beds and thematic park ensembles. At the same time, the English direction is more like chinese style, striving for natural lines, and the French is characterized by clear lines and different levels.

In order to choose the best option for the style of the reservoir in your garden, take the architectural design of the house and other buildings on the site as a starting point. You also need to pay attention to the breakdown of the garden. The bowl of the reservoir can be supplemented with a decorative waterfall or stream, and the coastline is decorated with plants and stones.

A small pond with natural outlines will always look great in any landscape. However, a body of water with clear geometric shapes will not only emphasize the lines of nearby buildings, but will also be very easy to install. Therefore, if you are planning to make a pond with your own hands and have never encountered such work, take the second option into service. In its execution, many improvised means will come to your aid, which have not been used in home improvement.

A variety of styles in which you can arrange a decorative pond

How to properly position the pond and what materials to use

It is very important to properly position the reservoir so that it not only serves you for a long time, but also does not silt up, and also does not annoy you with seasonal water blooms due to algae activity. Therefore, the pond should be in a place that is shaded during a certain period of daylight hours, but not without good lighting, which is important for plants.

Note! Optimal solution for the location of the reservoir - a place illuminated 5 hours a day and open from the southwest side. Shady trees and bushes around the pond will be superfluous, as falling leaves pollute the water.

For a small area it is better to make a pond small size. It won't take you much time and money, and it won't take working space reserved for horticultural crops.

Tip: choose a sunny, warm day to install the film. Under the influence of temperature and sun rays the film will become more elastic and it will be easier to bend around the ledges of the pit.

Congratulations, your pond is ready!

Old bathtub as the basis for a pond in the garden

The finished plastic form is perfect as a base for a pond. But it is not at all necessary to buy it in a store if you have an old enamel bath.
So, in addition to yourself, you will need the following materials and tools:

• 2 buckets of gravel for drainage;
• 50-70 kg of sand;
• shovel;
• bucket;
• wheelbarrow;
• a large saucepan without a bottom (it can be replaced with a sheet of tin with dimensions of 70 X 60 cm;
• level meter and tape measure;
• board equal to the length of the bath.

1. Mark the boundaries of the pond pit by setting the pegs to the size of the tub and pulling the thread between them. Add about 20 cm to make a sand cushion.
2. Remove the sod layer and dig a hole. Calculate the depth so that the edges of the bath are 5 cm above the soil level, taking into account the sand cushion. In the place where you plan to make a drain, you need to dig another hole about 60 cm deep and the same width.
3. old saucepan or folded sheet install the tin in the drain hole so that the edges are 25 cm above ground level. Fill the funnel with gravel 20 cm above the bottom. Now evenly pour a 20-centimeter layer of sand into the bottom of the pit for leveling. Take out the pan or sheet of tin.
4. Place in the hole with the drain hole above the bed of gravel. In this case, you need to add sand between the ground and the walls of the bath, moistening with water. Gradually pour water into the bath so that its level matches the level of the sand. Use a level meter to check that the installation is correct.

So, your reservoir is ready. Along the edges, you can decorate it with stones, or plant moisture-loving plants using the turf removed earlier. Plants can also be placed inside the pond, directly in pots, or on the bottom of the bath itself if you cover it with a layer of sand and gravel.

Plants for decorating a decorative pond

What are the most common mistakes made when applying

If you are doing this work with your own hands for the first time, then you will not be able to avoid mistakes. Especially often they appear in the creation of compositions for the design of the pond. So take a look at some tips.

1. Do not decorate the banks of the reservoir with stones of the same size - this gives a boring look. It is better to combine different sizes with each other and color solutions. Place the stones unevenly, do not fill up the entire coast with them.
2. Do not make the pond too deep, otherwise it will look like a stone bag. This form is inconvenient for decorating the reservoir with stones, plants, as well as for breeding fish.
3. Do not abuse plants in pots and containers. This option is convenient for quick and frequent design changes, but it has a bad effect on the development and growth of plants. It is much better to fill the bottom of the pond with soil for planting. It will not contaminate the bottom and the water in the pond, as a heavy soil containing clay is used, which is well strengthened by the roots of plants.

Note. If you doubt that you will cope with the task of forming a reservoir in the garden the first time, practice at home. Form a small pond in a wide bowl. And when you are sure that everything is working out, feel free to start working in the garden!

Video about creating a reservoir with your own hands

small decorative ponds gaining more and more popularity among gardeners and owners of country houses. We are happy to help you create cozy corner, which will become a real decoration of your garden! If you have any questions about this topic, ask them in the comments. Share with our readers your experience in creating artificial ornamental ponds. Easy work for you and comfort for your home!

Even on small area you can equip a quite decent artificial reservoir, while sacrificing only a few beds. It'll be cheap. In order to create a pond in the country with your own hands, you only need geotextiles, PVC film or polyethylene and a few days of free time.

Choosing a place for an artificial reservoir

When choosing a place for a pond great importance has it illumination. Since aquatic plants require sufficient sunlight, it should not be too shaded. But too much overheating of the water is also undesirable, as this can lead to flowering of the surface.

The most suitable site for placing an artificial reservoir is a place near the fence in the corner of the garden, which is illuminated in the morning, but is in partial shade at noon. Do not place the pond near large trees: growing roots can damage the pit cover. And during leaf fall, you will have to clean the pond from leaves almost daily.

An artificial pond is best placed in partial shade

Pit preparation

The size of an artificial reservoir can be any - it all depends on the desire of the owner and free space Location on. But it should be noted that too large a pond will require more care.

1. With the help of driven stakes and a rope, markings are made according to the shape of the pond at the selected place.

2. Sod is removed along the perimeter of the marking.

3. A small pit can be dug with an ordinary shovel. So that the walls of the pit do not crumble, its walls must have slight slope. There is no need to make an artificial reservoir too deep. Minimum depth bowls - 60 cm (plus 30-40 cm for backfilling drainage from crushed stone and sand).

4. If it is planned to launch fish into the pond, its depth should be lower soil freezing level in this climatic region. Otherwise, the water at the bottom will freeze and the fish will die. In the central part of Russia, the soil freezes to a depth of about 1.4-1.5 m.

5. For planting aquatic plants, it is better if the edges of the pit are stepped. The size of each of these steps is 10-15 cm.

Stepped pond pit

6. All large stones and branches are removed from the bottom of the pit, which can damage a not too strong film.

7. At the bottom of the pit falls asleep drainage: crushed stone, and then sand each with a layer of 20 cm and compacted.

8. To protect against soil erosion, a layer of geotextile. It can be replaced with any durable fabric: old carpets, blankets, old oilcloth or roofing material. Laying such a protective layer is carried out with an overlap on the edges of the pit of about 50 cm.

Roofing material laying

9. Next, you can lay on the bottom of the reservoir polyethylene film (shelf life is about 3 years), pvc film (it will last longer, about 15 years) or durable butyl rubber. To prevent damage to the film during filling with water, it must be laid without tension.

A film is laid at the bottom of the pit

10. Do not cut off excess geotextiles and films immediately. They will take the desired shape only after filling the pond with water. It is better to dig along the perimeter of the pit shallow trench, in which it will be possible to lay the edges of the fabric and film and lightly cover with earth.

11. After filling the artificial reservoir with water, stones are laid along its edges, which will not only hold the material lining the bottom of the pond, but also serve as decoration. The edges of such an artificial reservoir can be decorate and decorative tiles, slate, sandstone or other suitable size stones or bricks.

Stones are laid along the edges of the reservoir

12. The area adjacent to the reservoir can be backfilled with gravel or marble chips.

Decoration of the edge of the reservoir

13. In the center or at the edge of the pond, you can install a small artificial fountain.

14. Along the edges of the reservoir, you can install several small lamps on the solar panels.

Advice. If there is too little space on the site, a small artificial reservoir can be made from an old wheel or bath, buried in the ground and finished with stones along the edge (see photo).

A small artificial pond made from an old bathtub

Pond from an old wheel

Pond cleaning

To clean a large pond, you can use the simplest system filtration: a small pumping station with a sand filter. Two pipes are drawn into the pond: one serves to take water, from the second, purified water will again flow into the pool. Additional purification can be provided by a small stream filled with sand, through which the filtered water will pass before re-entering the pool. It can flow into the pond along a small waterfall.

Pond filter

It is enough to clean a small pond only once a season by hand. To do this, completely pump out water from it using a submersible pump and remove accumulated dirt from the bottom. To clean the pond, you can also use a special vacuum cleaner equipped with a filter, with which you can collect dirt from the bottom.

Pond vacuum cleaner

Advice. If you put a vessel filled with charcoal at the bottom of the pond, the water in it will not bloom for a long time.

Fallen leaves can be collected from the surface of the pond using a net. In autumn, during heavy leaf fall, the reservoir can be covered with a special net. To avoid getting dirt on winter period the pond is covered with any covering material.

Advice. So that the film does not crack in frost, it is better not to drain the water for the winter. To compensate for the pressure created by the expansion of the ice, several wooden planks or boards can be thrown into the water. plastic bottles filled with water.

Planting aquatic plants

Aquatic plants serve not only original decoration pond. Bogwort, hornwort, elodea and other plants that can saturate the reservoir with oxygen will help protect the water surface from greening.

Naturally, only those plants that can develop well in a given climatic region should be planted. To decorate the pond, you can use traditional plants: reed, sedge, reeds. large plants(lilies, water lilies) will be able to cover the water surface from the bright scorching sun and reduce water heating. Flowering plants that prefer to settle near water bodies include arrowhead, kupena, plakun-grass, fern, bergenia, lungwort, water iris, etc.

Advice. For planting plants, you can use special containers that are placed along the bottom of the pit. In this case, it will be much easier to take care of the plants.

Planting aquatic plants

Video: Do-it-yourself pond in the country