Build a pond

• Pond liner - we would recommend a liner made of butyl rubber, which is durable, flexible, moderately cheap and easy to work with
• Spade
• Insulation - Sand, old carpet or newspapers
• Spirit level
• Scissors

1. Mark out your pond on the ground with a rope or hosepipe first
2. Get digging! Dig the hole, ensuring the sides are level with a spirit level on a plank spanning the pond
3. Dig an extra 25cm depth to accommodate the liner ’under-cushion’ (see below) and height of the flagstones at the pond edge
4. Finally, dig a trench around the perimeter of the pond for the overhanging pond liner to drop into
5. Remove any sharp stones or other objects from the bottom of the hole and first put down a 5cm+ layer of sand, old carpet or newspapers (or try loft insulation material!)
6. Unroll the butyl liner over the top with the over hanging edges falling into the trench. Any extra excess liner can be snipped off with scissors
7. You will need to add a substrate for plants and animals. Sand is excellent because it is sterile and will not harbour any undesirable seeds or microbes. Spread a thin layer over the bottom of the pond

1. Fill with water! If possible, use collected rainwater to fill your pond; for most people however, filling from the tap with a hose is usually the most practical method. To stop the sand substrate dispersing, rest the nozzle on a plastic bag to absorb some of the energy
2. Filling may take much longer than you think so now is the time to put the kettle on for a well deserved cup of tea
3. Back fill the trench with soil; as the pond fills up, the liner will stretch. As the pond is filling, place turf, soil or flagstones over the exposed liner at the pond edges. Butyl liner degrades in sunlight so try not to leave areas of uncovered liner exposed for too long
4. Place stones and logs around the edges to create some habitats for all those future pond visiting creatures. Irregular shaped rocks in the pond will also help create nooks and crannies for pond-life

Remember, NEVER introduce frogs, tadpoles or spawn from another pond, as this could spread disease.

• Curled pondweed Potamogeton crispus
• Water starwort Callitriche stagnalis
• Rigid hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum
• Water milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum
• Water crowfoot Ranunculus aquatilis

• Broad-leaved pondweed Potamogeton natans

• Frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae

• Floating sweet-grass Glyceria fluitans

• Yellow water-lily Nuphar lutea

• Fringed water-lily Nymphoides peltata

• Water soldier Stratiotes aloides

• White water-lily Nymphaea alba

• Amphibious bistort Persicaria amphibia

• Water forget-me-not Myosotis scorpioides

• Lesser spearwort Ranunculus flammula

• Spearwort Ranunculus lingua

• Arrowhead Sagittaria sagittifolia

• Brooklime Veronica beccabunga

• Bogbean Menyanthes trifoliatea

• Flowering rush Butomus umbellatus
• Branched bur-reed Sparganium erectum
• Water mint Mentha aquatica
• Water plantain Alisma plantago-aquatica
• Greater pond-sedge Carex riparia
• Lesser bulrush Typha angustifolia
• Common reed Phragmites australis

• Bugle Ajuga repens

• Marsh marigold Caltha palustris

• Hard rush Juncus inflexus

• Lady’s smock Cardamine pratensis

• Yellow flag Iris pseudacorus

• Ragged-robin Lychnis flos-cuculi

• Purple-loosestrife Lythrum salicaria

• Yellow loosestrife Lysimachia vulgaris

• Marsh woundwort Stachys palustris

• Great willowherb Epilobium hirsutum

• New Zealand pygmyweed
• Water fern
• Parrot’s-feather
• Canadian / Nuttal’s waterweed
• Floating pennywort
• Curly waterweed
• Water primrose
• Water hyacinth
• Water lettuce
• Himalayan balsam

A pond is the perfect habitat for frogs and toads, but during the winter they hibernate to escape the freezing temperatures of the water.

To help provide a year round habitat for frogs and toads in your garden, simply lay a plant pot horizontally on the ground by the pond, and bury the lower half in the soil to create a cave! Alternatively, turn the plant pot upside-down and rest on a circle of rocks to raise it, then remove a couple of the rocks to provide an entrance.

Newts love hiding at the bottom of the pond and finding places to hide. When building your pond, put some irregular shaped rocks at the bottom of the pond and stack around the edges to provide a habitat for newts. 

Stacks of logs and stones around the pond will also help to provide much needed hibernation spots for newts.

Dragonflies spend the majority of their life span underwater in their larval form, therefore ponds are an essential dragonfly habitat. The developing larvae need submerged plants to cling on to and as a source of oxygen.

Logs and stones on a sunny open bank around the pond will also provide a perch for adult dragonflies.

Floating plants in the pond are the perfect site for laying eggs, and vegetation around the pond will provide shelter.

Ponds aren't just beneficial to amphibians, they're an important water source for mammals too.

Why not create a beach or ramp to your pond so thirsty hedgehogs can drink without getting trapped.

The water provided by pond can also attract insects including honey bees. Honey bees collect the water and use it to cool the hive as well as to thin honey to be fed to larva.

Floating leaved plants such as frogbit and water-lilies are favourable to bees as they provide a platform on which the bee can easily forage water.