Small pond on site. How to make a pond in the country with your own hands

Almost every garden has a pond. And he definitely gets into the frame: the owners love their pond (or even the smallest pond), are proud of it and consider it perhaps their main garden achievement. And this is understandable. But the strict eye of a professional often notes the unfortunate blunders in the creation of reservoirs, which are repeated in many gardens with offensive constancy.

We asked landscape designer Valeria Ilyina to analyze some typical amateur mistakes and talk about what you need to know in order to do it yourself in the garden decorative pond, stream or waterfall.

Are you building a reservoir? Make no mistake!

Perhaps it makes no sense to convince someone that a pond in the garden is good. Water like a magnet attracts everyone's attention and even in photographs it always looks mysterious and alluring. Is it any wonder that today the reservoir has become an indispensable attribute of the "gentleman's set" of any design project for the development of a new land plot or renovation of an old one.

Unfortunately, as a result of a formal approach to business, one garden becomes similar to another. Gardens are churned out by professional designers like cakes are baked, and they actually turn out to be cloned. To be honest, the gardens of amateurs are closer to me, which, although they sin with some dilettantism, still attract more with their ingenuous sincerity. All actions of an amateur come from the heart, and therefore the path is often tortuous, but in the end the truth is found, and not least thanks to intuition.

To make the path to beauty shorter, let's try together to analyze the characteristic mistakes that miraculously repeat in many reservoirs, and analyze their nature. And after that, we will gradually analyze all the subtleties and secrets of a quick, easy and economical creation of a reservoir that is ideal for your garden. So, the most typical misses.

Wrong size

This is the most common mistake: the pond does not match the size of the garden and its surrounding plants. A small puddle located somewhere at the fence or at the entrance to the garden and squeezed on all sides by lush and beautiful garden plants, no matter how hard you try, will always look miserable.

Wrong place

In no case do not place a reservoir against the backdrop of unsightly buildings, a sloppy garden, a pile of garbage, a rickety fence, and who knows what else.

old fence- not the best background for a pond

Water always attracts the eye, so placing your pond in an unsightly place, you thereby focus on the shortcomings of the garden.

Mistakes in the selection of material

Purchasing garden supplies follow the law of similarity. If the house is made of brick or stone, then their color, texture, shape and size must be repeated in the material of the fence, paving, finishing of other buildings. The same applies to wooden house or a house sheathed with siding.

Often you can see a picture when individual corners of the garden are very good: beautiful plants are logically grouped, the pond is carefully and with fantasy decorated, and the overall impression of the garden is negative. You start to analyze, and it turns out: the brutal appearance of the house is made of red brick with white architraves plastic windows, a powerful fence is assembled from ready-made concrete blocks painted with bright pink paint with white scallops on top, a carved gazebo is gilded with turned beams, an asphalt tape of the path leads to it, over which the rocker arms of openwork white arches for roses are thrown, the presence here and there of colored plastic , various-sized borders, flowerpots, and to top it off - like a gold medal for bad taste - a plastic water lily on a living leaf of a nymph. As they say, comments are superfluous.

Conclusion: while arranging the garden, introducing new elements into it, try to predict the final result, predict how the garden as a whole will look like. The body of water should always match the garden, buildings and surrounding plants in size and style, and be placed in the most advantageous position depending on the image you choose.

Defeat in the fight against the plastic mold

Common misconception: the finished plastic mold is best choice if you decide to create a reservoir, as they say, with small means. Yes, indeed, manufacturers offer a wide range of such "baths", and it seems that you can choose a shape for every taste. But everything is not so simple. Even the largest of them (and they are very expensive) will not be big enough in the garden, and the small ones just look like a misunderstanding. At the same time, all of them, although obviously small in size, have an overly intricate shape that will never turn out to be natural in place.

The edges of such forms have a rounded profile, on which it is impossible to fix neither soil for coastal plants, nor stone, much less gravel. Some of the more expensive forms have quartz sprinkling glued with a wide tape along the upper edge, but most often it is so strikingly different from our local materials that it still cannot be decorated.

Plastic molds are made by stamping, and cheap products often have an annoying defect - the edges are skewed along the periphery, due to which, no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to dig such a shape neatly and evenly in principle. Needless to say, a piece of black plastic sticking out above the water will nullify all your efforts. For clarity, such a reservoir can be compared with a luxurious suit, in which a carelessly sewn lining is bristling in the most visible place. The sight of such a suit is at least regrettable.

Protruding black plastic of the finished form sticking out above the water- poor decoration of the reservoir

It is worth adding that transporting the finished form, especially big size, not easy and expensive, and as a result, the final cost of the structure increases significantly. I once had a chance to work with a plastic mold of small size and at the same time intricate design. She was hopelessly skewed. I spent a lot of time, effort and nerves to somehow neutralize this innate flaw, but, unfortunately, there are things that cannot be fixed.

However, rigid forms have a future. In Europe, plastic molds of regular geometric shapes have been produced for several years now: round, rectangular, trapezoidal. They have a wide, flat, horizontal edge, making them easy to mount under all sorts of flooring. It is advisable to use them for raised formal reservoirs, which are effectively decorated with stone, wood, plastic, metal; they can be located at different levels and combined with fountains and waterfalls.

Unfortunately, our trade so far only offers round shapes, but we must not forget: there will be a demand - there will be an offer. The breadth of the horizons of consumers shapes the market.

Conclusion: before choosing one or another method of waterproofing, you need to fully familiarize yourself with the positive and negative sides of each and carry out comparative analysis. The lack of information about the qualities of waterproofing materials in the presence of a large supply on the market leads to the wrong decision.

Waterfall spout P WF380 4 500 rub WATCH
RosPrud

Nozzle for fountain pump Bell SK 3 Sicce 545 rub WATCH
RosPrud

Pond Skimmer SK-40 (JEBAO) 6 420 rubles WATCH
RosPrud

Luminaire JPL 1-3 2 700 rub WATCH
RosPrud

Trying to repurpose an old bath

Speaking of ready-made forms, it should be mentioned that amateurs often try to recycle enameled cast iron bathtubs. Once upon a time, in times of chronic scarcity and lack of available materials, this simple way to create a garden pond was welcomed by many. However, few people managed to decorate a white bath so that the enamelled pond looked more or less attractive.

More often, such a structure looks miserable: greenish white walls, mounds of garbage at the bottom (after all, you can see everything against a light background!), round cobblestones are artlessly laid out along the edge, and a collectible beauty hosta is planted nearby. An unattractive spectacle…

But there are ways to embellish such a reservoir, you just need to move your imagination. The easiest way is to paint the bath with any dark or black paint. Visually, the container will look deeper, the reflectivity of the water will increase, and the edges will almost merge with the ground. In the presence of all kinds of plasticizers and modern mixtures (for example, Eunice-plus cement glue), the inside of the bath can be coated with a layer of 1-3 cm, give it a texture, tint by adding mineral powder or liquid colored pigments or finely ground brown peat to the solution. If desired, if such an image fits into the overall picture, a mosaic of colored pebbles or glass, pieces of a mirror, or simply glued pieces of crushed stone of different sizes can be laid on top of the cement.

If you have a whole arsenal of used household bathtubs, you can dig them close to each other in a chain or square-nested way, depending on the quantity, finish the inner surfaces as mentioned above, and mount a decorative flanging made of tiles, clinker, wood over the joined edges etc. You will get a channel or a pool with separate cells, each of which can be decorated in a special way: somewhere there are plants, somewhere a spring or a small fountain, somewhere there are fish or lights - an unplowed field for fantasy.

Such a structure can be made partially raised over the entire area, or you can place the cells at different levels, and even arrange the flow of water from one block to another. So an old primitive idea can be applied in a completely new way and achieve a wonderful result.

Conclusion: old, used containers can be successfully used to create reservoirs, you just need to be creative and never leave the wrong side in sight.

stone beads

The most common decorating mistake garden pond- this is a rounded cobblestone laid out around the entire edge, like beads. More often such beads lie in one row, but some manage to lay two rows on top of each other.

Such a way of laying a stone will never look natural, not to mention the fact that it is absolutely impossible to decorate a film or a board of a rigid structure. So the multi-colored "monists" lie on the monstrous black shores, and no matter what beauty you arrange around, such an aqua garden will serve as a mute reproach to the owner.

When relaxing on the banks of rivers and lakes, try to pay attention to how nature "lays out" the stones, and what you like and remember the most. Usually, small fractions serve as a background, while larger ones are textured by contrasting groups.

The stone for decorating the reservoir must be carefully selected. Photo by Valeria Ilyina

Conclusion: stone for decorating a reservoir must be carefully selected. It is desirable to use a stone that is uniform in rock and color, but varied in size. This does not mean that the pellets are completely unsuitable, just that they “play”, you need to work with them even more carefully.

Toys around the pond

Another typical drawback that can spoil the most beautiful, carefully thought-out design: the simultaneous presence of a large number of decorative figures and various garden accessories in a small area.

An abundance of accessories and decor elements– a sure way to ruin any body of water

Nobody argues, some bright gnomes and funny lafs can really decorate some corners of the garden, bring a smile. But if plastic frogs, papier-mâché ducks and clay mermaids are already enough, and you were also presented with an “overturned” jug with Maya painting for a fountain, white bent furniture in the rococo style and black lanterns a la Montmartre, it is inevitable there will be overkill. Any of these items can be quite attractive on their own, but put together within line of sight, they will most likely do you a disservice by turning the garden into a haberdashery.

Do not abuse accessories and decor. Photo by Valeria Ilyina

Conclusion: The thoughtless use of decorations will break the garden harmony. Try to look at the garden as if from the outside, and if you tend to get carried away with "decoration", at least spread the decorative "gadgets" in space and time.

Next time we will finish the analysis of the most common mistakes that gardeners make when creating ponds and think about what kind of body of water - a pond, stream or fountain - will suit your garden. Read the article. ,

Artificial reservoirs in the landscape design of the summer cottage create an amazing atmosphere conducive to a comfortable stay. The pond gives a feeling of freshness and serves as an indispensable decorative element site.

What is a pond?

Pond - an artificial reservoir of a static type, an element landscape design park, suburban area, garden. Considered the most common and the best choice for a site of any size and configuration.

It can be arranged separately or combined into a harmonious composition with artificial reservoirs of a dynamic type: streams, waterfalls, fountains.

The pond is an obligatory element of the site in Japanese style, rock garden. The water is purified artificially, the bottom and banks are decorated with plants and stones. Sometimes fish are bred in an artificial pond in the country.

Types of ponds

Artificial ponds in the garden can be done in natural or formal styles. Each of them can be structurally recessed or raised. They are made from various materials, which are used for waterproofing the bottom - concrete, clay, a special rigid form, brick, a special film.

The criterion for classifying ponds can be a geometric shape. Allocate artificial reservoirs correct and not correct form.

1. The first group is round, rectangular, square, diamond-shaped reservoirs.
2. The second group is ponds, the configuration of which is close to natural. The choice of form depends on the style of landscape design of the suburban area.

Stages of building a pond in the country

To build a pond in the country with your own hands, you need to solve several organizational issues. First you need to choose materials and a place for the construction of the reservoir.

The location of the pond should be chosen based on the design features of the site - it is recommended to take into account its size, shape and layout. It is better to place the pond in a place protected from winds and excess sunlight - this can harm the harmonious development of vegetation. The reservoir should be illuminated by the sun no more than 10 hours a day, but not less than 6 hours.

If you decide to make a pond with a pump, you need to consider access to the power supply system. A pump will be required if a static reservoir is associated with a dynamic one.

The most popular type of pond is buried. In order for the reservoir to be durable, high-quality waterproofing of the bottom is necessary.

Consider the common materials for waterproofing:

• Fiberglass. From it, ready-made rigid forms of various configurations are produced. Most often, small ponds up to 3-4 sq.m. are constructed from ready-made forms. It is not recommended to use ordinary plastic - it will not last long. Fiberglass molds are reliable and durable. The disadvantage is the relatively high cost.
• PVC or butyl rubber film. This is a good material for arranging a free-form pond. The material is characterized by elasticity, strength, durability, resistance to aggressive substances, low and high temperatures. PVC film will last about 15 years, butyl rubber - up to 50. Using the film makes it possible to change the shape of the bottom in the future, it is easy to produce repair work. Experts warn that polyethylene should not be used - it is not strong enough. Also, for the winter, it is necessary to pump out water from the pond so that when it freezes, it does not damage the film.
• Reinforced concrete is a reliable material for construction artificial pond at the cottage with their own hands. The main advantage of reinforced concrete is strength, it is very difficult to damage it. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to work with this material, certain skills are required. When constructing a high-quality bottom for a pond using reinforced concrete, it is necessary to follow the technology, use concrete of a certain brand. Reinforced concrete is indispensable if you decide to build sculptures or a bridge.

Stages of construction of a pond in the country, we use a rigid form:

1. A pit is required that matches the configuration of the selected container. First of all, you need to outline the contours of a rigid shape with a shovel.
2. The pit should be a little deeper than the depth of the tank itself - about 4-5 cm.
3. At the bottom you need to compact the sand.
4. Having installed the bath in the pit, you need to make sure that there are no voids anywhere - they need to be filled with sand. You need to be especially careful if the foundation pit is of a complex shape - for example, terraced.

Construction of a pond with foil insulation:

1. First you need to dig a pit. The use of a film allows you to create a pond of various configurations. The photo shows a pond in the country, created using PVC film.
   The choice of film depends on the planned life of the pond: PVC and butyl rubber will create a durable bottom coating, polyethylene is cheaper, it will last for 2-4 years. Polyethylene - the choice of those who like to change design often garden plot.
   An important selection factor is the color of the film:
   • Blue, gray: the pond will resemble a pool.
   • Cream: the bottom will be light, and plants and exotic fish look beautiful against such a background.
   • Brown: imitates natural soil. In combination with the natural shape of the pond, such a bottom will look as natural as possible.
   • Black: The pond will look like a mirror. The pond looks fantastic, fabulous - appropriate decorative elements are needed.

1. Prepare materials: sand, building level, twine and pegs for marking, shovel, hose.
2. Dig a pit without sharp corners, the banks should have a slope. Remove stones and roots from the pit.
3. The minimum depth of the central bowl is 60 cm.
4. Lay a drainage layer of sand.
5. Geotextiles are laid on top of the sand layer. This is necessary to protect the film from mechanical damage.
6. The beach needs to be worked on. To do this, dig a ledge - it is needed for tiling, decorative stone, brick.
7. The film is loosely laid on the bottom of the pit so that it lies without tension, and fixed along the edges with stones.
8. The last stage is the installation of the blind area.

Instructions on how to make a raised pond in the country:

• The main thing for the installation of such a pond is the foundation. It must be poured and allowed to harden. You can create a half-buried pond - for this you need to dig a small pit. A sand cushion is laid at the bottom.
• It is necessary to build supporting walls and let them get stronger.
• When the foundation and walls are ready, it is necessary to ensure reliable waterproofing by laying a special film.
• Gradually fill the tank with water.

It will take several days to make a pond in the country.

When the pond is ready, it needs proper care:

• Eliminate debris that enters the pond.
• Once a season it is recommended to clean the bottom with a special net. You can use a special vacuum cleaner for cleaning ponds.
• Choose the right plants - they will also "look after" the pond. Oxygenerators (for example, elodea) will help fill the water with oxygen - it will not turn green in the summer.
• Once a year, mainly in the spring, you can use special cleansers. Do not abuse them - they are harmful to human health.

The video tutorial will help you understand the intricacies of the work.

Video: how to make a pond in the country with your own hands

Decorative pond in the country fashion element landscape design. And if the maintenance of a full-fledged pool is a rather troublesome business, then even the owner of a small plot can build a small reservoir.

The presence of a pond on a personal plot is determined not only by aesthetic considerations, but also by a practical component. On a hot summer day, even from a small pond, it breathes coolness, the air seems much cleaner and fresher.

The most popular types artificial reservoirs in landscape design:

• pond;
• stream;
• fountain;
• waterfall.

In terms of shape, reservoirs on personal plots can be either round, with an irregular coastline, or regular geometric shape. It all depends on the location of the site, its features and your imagination. The main rule in this case is that the reservoir should ideally fit into the surrounding landscape.

The most common shape for an artificial pond is round or oval. This is what natural lakes look like, so if you want to create a garden corner of nature, then this option will be the most acceptable. In this case, the wrong coastline and asymmetric planting of the reservoir with plants may even appear.

If the reservoir is located on a site where everything is done in classical style, straight lines dominate, then they equip a pond of the correct form. Often, this is the basis for the fountain, which is the center of the exposition.

It should be noted that the most common and least expensive in terms of labor and financial investments is the pond. But it is quite possible to equip one on your own site without the involvement of specialists.

Advice! Before you start arranging a decorative pond in the country, you need to decide on its purpose.

A decorative pond in the garden can be small and shallow, because the most valuable thing in it is the aesthetic perception of the water surface surrounded by greenery and stones. Therefore, its arrangement may consist only in the creation of a waterproofing layer.

After removing the soil and giving the future pond the desired depth, it is necessary to compact the walls well, after pouring a layer of sand on them. If a sufficiently deep reservoir is planned, in which fish will be kept, so as not to risk the collapse of the walls, they are performed in the form of terraces descending to the bottom. Thus, a more reliable design is obtained, not prone to landslides. And on horizontal sections it will be possible to place flowerpots with plants and decorative items for decoration pond.

As a waterproofing, you can use any waterproof material - polyethylene film, PVC fabric, roofing material. It is important that this material does not deteriorate over time and from moisture and can serve for a long time without accidents.

Having laid overlapping sheets of waterproofing, you need to make sure that in places of overlaps the layers are aligned and fit snugly one to another. This ensures that under the pressure of water they will not move anywhere and will hold it securely.

The edges of the film protruding beyond the sides are laid out and sprinkled with soil so that they do not wrap and move. In accordance with the design project, stones can be laid on them, or an alpine slide can be built on the edge of the pond, or pots with overwater plants can be arranged.

Decorative plastic pond in the country.

• easily transported,
• just installed
• withstand heavy loads
• well washed and processed,
• may have different sizes and forms
• small price.

This is the simplest and fast way make an artificial reservoir in the country. The shops sell bowls of different shapes, sizes and colors (mainly blue, green and black).

When installing such a reservoir, you need to carefully ensure that its bottom is exactly parallel to the ground, otherwise the plastic container may crack.

In addition, it is necessary to fill the plastic container with water gradually, at the same time pouring sand into the gap between the wall and the pit.
Of the purchased tanks, the plastic pond is the best option, as it has a rigid shape and strength, and it is also relatively inexpensive.
You can decorate it as a natural reservoir, or you can make it the central object of a picnic area. Such a decorative pond can also be used as a small safe pool for children, especially since plastic has dark color and well accumulates solar heat.

Plastic Pond Care

Compliance with the elementary rules for caring for an artificial reservoir will keep its attractive appearance throughout the summer holidays:

• Leaves of plants and small debris should be regularly removed from the surface of the water.
• A net stretched over the surface of the pond during autumn leaf fall helps to collect fallen leaves.
• Flowering, stagnation and an unpleasant odor are prevented by a complete replacement of water in an ornamental pond.
• The walls and bottom of the empty plastic container cleaned with a brush from plaque and rinsed with clean water.
• Aquatic plants grow very quickly, it is recommended to consult a specialist before planting them.

capital construction

For adherents of solid and solid solutions, capital structures are more suitable. In this case, concrete is erected robust design, which assumes the content of a significant volume of water. It can be used to create a resting place on suburban area, or as a large fish pond.

One way or another, a decorative reservoir can be built without any help and in one season. The prepared recess is reinforced with reinforced concrete: reinforcement is laid along its walls and bottom, tying it at the intersection or fastening it by welding. Finished construction fixed with studs and throw a solution of concrete. The screed must completely harden, after which the entire surface of the pool is treated with a sealant. The last stage is the design of the sides.

A decorative pond in the country is an important element of landscape design, the arrangement of which must be approached with all seriousness! And then the beauty created by your hands will delight both you and your guests!

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How pleasant it is to spend time on the shores of a picturesque forest lake on a fine summer day, enjoying the coolness and great views aquatic vegetation. Knowing how to make a pond in the country with your own hands, you can equip a similar corner on your own land. It is enough just to decide on the design and clearly follow all the stages of work that the instructions below contain.

Preparatory stage

Pond Style Selection

Before proceeding directly to the construction, you should choose the design of the pond in the country - by going through a lot of standard sketches and samples with your own hands, you can create a unique pond, adding personality to it with the help of minor design changes or using additional decor.

Of course, the simplest option is a mini-pond made of tires, which, in spite of everything, will look great in a small summer cottage.

However, if you have enough space, and you are not embarrassed by the cost of materials and the cost of designing a pond, you can make an excellent decorative concrete pond, which will be the central element of the landscape design of the entire site.

Advice!
Used as temporary housing country houses from block containers after the construction of a permanent structure can be converted into a bathhouse, for example.
In this regard, it is advisable to locate the reservoir not far from them, in order to subsequently organize a recreation area with them there, organically completing the entire ensemble.

When choosing a style for a reservoir, first of all, you need to take into account the architectural design that was used when building a house and laying out a garden.

It's good when a small pond in the country - designed and built with your own hands - is combined with the following elements:

• coastline;
• design of garden paths;
• appearance of small garden forms and so on.

A gazebo or terrace looks most appropriate near the pond, sitting on which you can comfortably contemplate the calm water surface.

Let's dwell on some points in more detail:

1. Stylistics. The features of the Japanese reservoir are stones various sizes and forms and conifers. This style does not accept the presence of a large number of multi-colored herbs. The Chinese pond is decorated with brighter and more lush vegetation. Trees and a classic convex bridge must be present here. You can also plant a pond with local plants, without various exotic specimens. This style is called "ethno-garden".

1. geometric shape. A strict rectangular or square pond looks good next to a residential building, perfectly combined with its strict forms. In addition, this form is often used in the arrangement of a reservoir during patio. Flowerbeds of the same shape and strict concrete paths organically complement the ensemble.

Advice!
Garden paths, regardless of the material used to make them, go well with ponds.
Looks organic terrace board, from which a bridge is made across the water surface or concrete slabs, as if hovering above the surface.

Round ponds are suitable for decorating grassy lawns and neat ones. In this case, an additional element will be a pergola covered with ivy, as well as a separate group of low-growing trees.

It should be noted that it is easiest to build a round small pond in the country with your own hands. To do this, you can use many ready-made forms: from concrete rings for a well to the automobile tire already mentioned above.

Selection of location, size and material

The correct choice of the site where the reservoir will be located is the key to its normal functioning throughout the year. Otherwise, you may encounter the so-called bloom - the rapid reproduction of microscopic green algae, covering the water surface with an unaesthetic brown film.

• too long illumination leads to excessive development of harmful microorganisms in the water;
• being in the shade negatively affects the growth of ornamental aquatic plants and the behavior of fish living in the pond.

The best option is lighting for 5-6 hours. The water surface should be open from the south. It is also impractical to equip a pond in the shade of massive trees. Falling leaves from them will constantly clog the reservoir.

The ideal size for this hydraulic structure is 3% of the land area. However, not every summer resident is ready to donate such an amount of land for him. In addition, you need to remember that making a small country pond with your own hands is easier and cheaper than a vast lake.

As for depth, a three-stage system is most often used:

• coastal zone - for aquatic plants;
• shallow water zone - for growing water lilies and water lilies;
• deep zone - for the wintering of aquatic inhabitants (if their breeding is supposed).

The maximum required depth is 180 cm. Below this level, the ground does not freeze through, which guarantees the presence of water under the ice layer in winter.

Note!
The deepest zone can occupy no more than 1/5 of the entire pond area.
This will be quite enough for the wintering of fish, and its increase will negatively affect the cost of works on the arrangement of the reservoir.

Once you have decided on the size and shape, it's time to move on to choosing materials. most expensive and reliable option- casting of a concrete bowl reinforced with metal rods or mesh. A little less expensive is the use of a ready-made plastic container, which can be purchased at a building supermarket.

However, the best and cheapest way is to make a pond using a special film, which is lined with the bottom of the future pond.

Self-manufacturing

The sequence of actions for the design of a decorative hydraulic structure in a summer cottage is as follows:

1. As with any other construction, first of all, you should create a sketch of the future structure. When drawing, you must observe the selected scale. Reflect the size of the pond, its depth, the width of the shelves on which coastal plants will be planted, as well as the pattern of future landscaping. With this approach, you can avoid rework and changes during the construction process.
   It is also advisable to provide an accent detail - a tree, a stone, a bridge, a sculpture or an island, which will become the highlight of the landscape design element being developed.

1. The contour of the pond is best chosen on the ground. To outline it, you can use twine, a garden hose or sand. Remember that the opposite edges of the reservoir should be at the same level with each other.
   The bottom also needs to be level. Measurements can be made using a special laser tool or an ordinary long board on which the building level is placed.

1. Roem a pit.
   Work should be done in the following sequence:

• • the soil is removed to the first depth mark;
  • a new line is marked for deepening;
  • digging the pit continues to the next level;
  • marking is done again;
  • a small depression is dug, necessary for the wintering of fish.

Earthwork is a rather laborious task, especially if the size of the future pond is large. It is best to hire an excavator for this purpose. Otherwise, be prepared that at a certain stage of digging in the bottom area will accumulate ground water, in connection with which it is necessary to work in semi-liquid mud.

To avoid this, you can use a water pump designed for pumping slurries. Dirt is dumped into an auxiliary pit.

Advice!
If there is no electricity in the garden, renting a diesel generator for a summer residence will help you.
This unit will provide the necessary electricity not only for the pump, but also for many other tools that make it easier to create a pond.

1. As soon as the digging is completed, its dimensions are measured with the help of a towline, taking into account the resulting depth.. To this value is added about 1 meter for allowances. The resulting value is necessary to purchase a film of a suitable size.

Many are wondering where to remove the soil that was taken out during the digging of the pit.

In this regard, the following can be recommended:

• raise the level of the site, evenly distributing the earth throughout the garden;
• form an alpine hill out of it;
• make the basis for the ledges along which the stream will flow.

1. Then the entire bowl of the pond is carefully lined with a waterproof film.. In order not to tear the coating, it is recommended to pre-cover the pit with an additional layer of geotextile. Then the pebbles and roots will not be able to tear the film after pouring water. Cheaper options are old linoleum or a compacted layer of fine-grained sand.

Work should be done on a warm, sunny day. Such weather makes the film more flexible, it stretches easily and repeats all the irregularities and decorative curves of the pond.

1. To fix the film, a small trench is dug along the edge of the pond.. The edges of the material fall into it and are covered with rubble. More reliable than the way you can't imagine.
2. In order to strengthen the edge of the reservoir and prevent soil shedding, the edges of the reservoir should be reinforced with concrete blocks or plastic pipes attached to pegs. As a decor, wild natural stone is great.

1. The bottom of the pond is made out of rubble or boulders. Plants are planted in special plastic boxes, which are installed in the right places of the reservoir and next to it.

1. Further water is poured. The readings of the water meter should be recorded before and after this process. This will allow you to calculate the volume of liquid in the cavity, which will be useful later when purchasing equipment and chemicals for maintaining the pond.
   
2. It is best to make a pond with circulation. In this case, the water in it will be constantly updated and not bloom. To do this, an embankment is made near the reservoir, from which the stream will drain. Water is supplied to the top by a submersible pump equipped with a cleaning system. Decorating all elements is up to you.

Conclusion

After carefully reading the above material, you should not have any questions about how to build a pond in the country with your own hands. You can learn more about the process of building artificial reservoirs from the video in this article.

It seems to beginners that making a pond from a finished plastic mold is easier than a pond using flexible waterproofing. This is an illusion. At first, the molds seem huge in the store, but after they are installed in the ground, they look about half the size, and when filled with water, they look very tiny. Such containers are good for raised reservoirs of clear geometric shapes, for installation on slopes.

The most durable plastic forms for a pond are fiberglass structures, they are not inferior in strength to reinforced plastic containers, but the edges of the latter can be deformed if the structure is not provided with a reliable external support to the ground. These forms are imported and quite expensive. Containers made of ordinary plastic are cheaper, but they are not rigid enough, often have deformed edges, and their dimensions are small. Only black forms are suitable for reservoirs.

Often, plastic molds for a pond in a country house are deformed after filling with water, this is due to improper filling of the gap between the wall of the pit and the wall of the mold with soil.

It is correct to do this: pour 5-7 cm of sand on the horizontal base of the pit, compact it tightly and install a plastic mold, then pour 10-15 cm of water into it, then pour sand into the gap between the walls of the pool and the pit to a height of about 20 cm, pouring it with water from a hose, or pour a mash of earth, sand and water into the slot and wait until the liquid mass hardens. Then pour another 10-15 cm of water, and sand with water or a mash into the slot, repeating this until the pool is completely filled with water, and the slot is filled with sand or soil. As a result of these actions, the form will stand rigidly in the ground, and its coastline will be in a horizontal plane.

Water from plastic molds for an artificial pond never drains for the winter, this is an unnecessary and even harmful operation, in the spring an empty bowl will be squeezed out and crumpled.

The best way to arrange a pond in the garden, made in plastic mold- is to decorate it with rockeries or blooming retaining wall. V modern gardens most often a pond is arranged in which aquatic plants grow, fish and frogs live. The shape of a natural pond should be as smooth as possible. The smaller the pond, the less there should be all kinds of bends, which is why reservoirs in rigid forms look so unnatural, the “shores” of which are excessively indented and resemble figured cookies rather than a natural structure. If such a reservoir turned out, the thoughtful planting of plants that camouflage the unnaturalness of the coast, in plastic form, can improve the situation. Do not forget that an excessive number of coastal plants, especially large ones, visually significantly reduces the size of the reservoir.

One more not an easy task- decoration of the shores of garden ponds: a lawn can come close here, in some places of the coastal zone you can plant coastal plants such as loosestrife, loosestrife, marsh and Siberian irises, daylilies, etc. The choice of coastal plants is inexhaustible, your taste, ennobled by the study of nature and the best samples are your judge.

In the process of how to decorate a pond in a garden, remember that there should not be a lot of vegetation around a geometric pond, one large plant of an architectural form is enough, for example, a curtain of marsh iris or a large hosta.

Look at the photo how to beautifully arrange a pond in a garden in a regular style: trimmed shrubs and plants in containers are quite logical around it, if there is no fountain, you can plant a nymphaeum.