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A garden pondadds beauty, elegance, and lively interest to a yard.

A garden pond’s water level is only as high as the lowest point of the perimeter.

Any low points are spillover points.

Japanese-style pond with fish swimming.

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Retroactively building up low edges is difficult, so plan this in advance.

Then, the underlayment and liner go on top of the dirt layer.

A quality 45mil EPDM liner, 15 feet by 20 feet, costs between $325 and $375.

Applying a top dressing

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Delicate nuances like curves and inlets look great in the digging stage.

But they tend to get smoothed out and even obliterated with each stage of the pond-building process.

You don’t want the pond to spill into basements oraround the foundation.

Garden pond surrounded by rock, off a walkway and patio.

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Spillover occurs in wet areas.

It can even happen in dry areas if you overfill the pond.

If possible, venture to keep the garden pond banks at a 45-degree angle or less.

Add Hardware Cloth To Combat Moles

Add Hardware Cloth To Combat Moles© Lee Wallender

A filter mounted on the side of the pond stays out of the way.

Since it is automatic, it will turn on at set intervals.

Your other options for filtration will be manual skimming or floating filtration devices.

A hole in a backyard lined with a tarp.

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Hand skimming is a constant job.

Floating filters take up a lot of water on the surface and are unsightly.

Keep each terrace riser at most about 6 inches high to avoid stacking rocks too high.

Garden Pond Maintenance

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A professionally built garden pond does not show a pond liner, inside or outside.

Doing so means less liner to cover up.

Rivers are a good source of rounded river stones.

Rain drops

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Beaches, too, provide an endless source of pebbles, round stones, and sand.

Just double-check that you’ve got the option to legally take the rocks.

A garden pond collects everything that falls on it, including leaves, dust, dirt, and debris.

Garden retaining wall with in-built waterfall and pond

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Rock the pond bottom so that it is smoother and easier to clean.

EPDM liners are thicker and far more durable than PVC liners.

EPDM liners resist UV rays well; even chemicals such as chlorine are no match for EPDM.

The filter and pump on the Intex Ultra XTR Rectangular Pool Set with Sand Filter Pump & Saltwater System

The Spruce / Mary Speichinger

Also, when warmed by the sun, EPDM liners become pliable and fit well into the pond hole.

A pond underlayment softens rocks and roots in the soil.

The water weight of a fully loaded pond can eventually cause sharp objects to pierce the liner.

Backyard pond.

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Install an underlayment made of polypropylene nonwoven needle-punched fabric.

you’re able to also add a 1-inch layer of sand or old carpeting.

Cans of landscaping foam, similar to insulation foam, are perfect for adding extra touches to curves.

Rock the Pond Walls

The Spruce / Lee Wallender

Sunlight promotes algae growth in garden ponds.

If you want sunlight on your garden pond, you’ll want to look into natural algaecides or inhibitors.

Some pond owners drain their ponds during the most light-prone times of the year to avoid algae altogether.

collecting rocks

The Spruce / K. Dave

Pond Safety.William and Mary University.

Public Collection of Rocks, Mineral Specimens, and Semiprecious Gemstones on Public Lands for Noncommercial Purposes.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.

The surface of a pond with lily pads covered in algae.

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EPDM Pond Liner

The Spruce / Lee Wallender

Agfabric Landscape Fabric Weed Barrier is placed outside on top of a small garden

The Spruce / Mike Navarro

Rigid Foam Insulation on Concrete Wall

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algae bloom in a pond

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