Garden Ponds

A Garden pond is a nice place to sit next to in Summer. If planted right around the edges, you can attract some Wildlife to your pond area, which is nice to sit and watch. Mine has a few Frogs and Newts in the pond, though Birds also like to take water in the hot weather and also you might get the occassional Dragonfly too.
Some ponds suffer from a green weed, that covers the surface of the water, which is very hard to control. It's usually Introduced by a plant that you bought, which had it around the root in the pot. So all you can do is drag a net over the surface, to scoop off as much as possible. Be careful though not to take out any tadpoles or snails. The pond plants can grow a lot in warm weather, so they need trimming back and keeping the water area tidy.
Also in Hot weather you'll need to top up the pond, as evaporation lowers the water level.
Despite droughts, you are allowed to top up Ponds, if wildlife in them , are threatened by lack of water. Remember to also Include oxygenating plants in the Ponds, as these keep the water clear and help airate the water for Fish or other Inhabitants.
In Autumn you'll need to remove any dead leaves that fall in the water and cut back the surrounding pond plants, as they die back .
They can be a lot of work to maintain, but I think they are worth it and add a nice feature to a garden. Liners for ponds can be either, PVC or a Butyl Liner, which is very long lasting...or even a pre-cast Fibre Glass shaped pond. All have their advantages.
Holes when dug, should have sand put around the area, before the liner in laid.
This will stop any stones from puncturing the liner....so use a lot of sand. Check for stones before laying the liner in the hole made for the Pond. Also check with a Spirit level, that the pond is level! This will help when filling with water, as the water will be then be level around the sides of a liner. The area around the pond can then be planted, using plants that look natural around a Pond. But avoid any bamboo type plants, that have "needle like" roots!!...which can puncture holes in a liner. On the edge of the liner, bricks or slabs can be laid, which helps keep the edges of the liner in place.