A small pond in just 3 steps

A small pond in the garden can be just as idyllic as a large garden pond. But it can be put on much faster.

My husband and I have fulfilled our dream of owning a house with land. We have been living in the house for a short time and are already starting to think about how we want to design our garden. A small, long-cherished dream of mine is a garden pond. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my husband excited about the idea. This is not least due to the fact that we have a small daughter and such a pond is a source of danger.

A friend then gave me the idea of creating a mini pond. This has several advantages compared to a garden pond. On the one hand, a mini pond is much easier to create and, on the other hand, it can also be placed higher up, thus minimizing the danger to children and pets.

What materials are needed for a mini pond?

You can find lots of pictures of mini ponds in zinc tubs on the internet. That's also a great idea, especially since many of them still have an old tub from grandma and grandpa. Otherwise, you can also use a wine barrel cut in half (you can get it here) or a large planter without holes in the bottom.

Tip: Whatever container you choose, make sure that it has a capacity of at least 60 liters. A height of at least 40 centimeters would also be ideal, so that the aquatic plants have enough space.

In addition to the vessel, you need a few more items to be able to create a mini pond:

Bricks
Aquatic Plants
Plant Baskets
Pond soil
Garden gravel (washed)
poss. A pond liner

Tip: How many bricks you need depends on which and how many aquatic plants you choose and which location requirements they have.

Which plants are suitable for the mini pond?

When it comes to planting a mini pond, the motto "Less is more!" applies. You should use a maximum of five plants per square meter. You have to pay attention to the different requirements. Accordingly, aquatic plants are divided into

Marsh plants (roots in deep or shallow water, depending on the variety, the latter are suitable for planting at the edge)
Floating plants / floating leaf plants (float freely in the water or root on the ground, form leaves and flowers on the water)
Underwater plants (roots at the bottom, usually no leaves on the water surface)

You can place the following plants in your mini pond, for example:

➜ Edge planting

Frogspoon
Water Iris
Marsh Marigold

➜ Marsh Plants

Fir fronds (prevents algae blooms)
Hikeweed
Water mint (leaves suitable for tea)

➜ Floating plants / floating leaf plants

Duckweed (purifies water)
Water hyacinth
Dwarf Waterlily

➜ Underwater Plants

Waterweed (oxygen dispenser, purifies water)
Crownfoot
Hydroskin (carnivorous plant that eats mosquito larvae)

Create mini pond

Before you create your mini pond, you need to find a suitable location, as the finished pond will be difficult to transport. A partially shaded to sunny location with about six hours of sunshine a day is best suited for this.

Tip: Under certain circumstances, water evaporates due to the sun's rays. Therefore, check the water level regularly and top up if necessary.

Take a closer look at your vessel. Is it tight everywhere and can hold the water? If not, you will need to line it with pond liner before you can fill it.

Step 1: Goat stones in the jar

Once you have found the right location for the mini pond, you can start creating the different zones for the aquatic plants. To do this, stack stones at the desired height. Make sure, however, that these cannot slip later.

Step 2: Prepare and place plants

Before you can place the plants in the pond, you may have to place them in plant baskets. To do this, first fill it with some pond soil and insert the plants. Then fill up some more pond soil and cover the soil with a layer of garden gravel.

You can then place the plants in the mini pond. Make sure that you put larger plants in the background and smaller plants in frontplant.

Tip: If you like, you can cover the bottom of the planter and the stones with the garden gravel.

Step 3: Fill up with water and add floating plants

Once all the plants are in place, you can fill up the mini pond completely and use the floating plants. You should make sure that the water surface is about three centimeters below the edge. In this way you can prevent the mini pond from flooding during a rain shower.