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POND/WATERFALL CONSTRUCTION - all you need to know from start to finish !

Recently a few people on the Community have asked me questions about the pond feature we had constructed and also how the waterfall was built;    I have now hunted out the photos showing the whole creation from start to finish;  there are 416 photos so be warned !    

We purchased our water feature from the RHS Tatton Park Show in 2011 this was one of the show gardens.   It was reconstructed (and added to) in October 2011 and was handed over in February 2012

  It may give those of you a few ideas if you are thinking about adding a water feature to your garden and if you don't want to do it yourself then these guys from The Pond Company in Aughton, Lancashire did a fantastic job.    The work that went into this pond was amazing, there were no short cuts and work was of the highest standard;  each sandstone carefully selected and cemented in position along with the sea pebbles and boulders.   I think the pond/waterfall had at least 4 layers:   sand, felt protection, thick rubber liner, sea pebbles, etc.,   there was one main heavy duty pump for the main waterfall fast flow, and another two pumps for the reed bed area and regular flow of the waterfall, with water circulating constantly and filtered with UV.   The waterfall can be put on a slow cascade or full power modes and we also added lighting around the feature.     

We extended this water feature with a bog pond and reed bed and the pond size was increased too.      

So HERE IS THE LINK to my Flickr. photos but as I have warned you,  there are 416 photos so you may just want to scroll through to the bits you are interested in !       Some of the photos may be slightly out of order so .....................just go with the flow   LOL

ps.  message to the Mods;   I had no idea where to post this thread so please feel free to move it if it is in the wrong section.   Thank you :)

  • Thanks for this Hazy, i've moved it to the water features section in Homes for Wildlife...

  • Oh, thanks so much Ian,  I was searching through the categories and must have missed this one.  

  • What a feat Hazy and not just the building of the pond, I have just seen some of the pics and thought you might have written something about it here. How fantastic and what a huge garden. Thanks for sharing

  • Evening Pat,  It certainly was a mammoth task to re-create this water feature and took over 12 weeks to complete with 4 guys working on it.   We never thought we would come back from the RHS show with having bought one of the gardens LOL   It was lovely when we saw the finished feature but getting there was an ordeal !   mud, debris, building materials and a construction site for months   lol

  • The new lawn will be settled in time for the Spring, do you normally do the garden yourself.

  • My goodness Hazy,that is one hell of a water feature!!!

    Lovely job and something to enjoy for years to come.

  • Crikey Hazy, that was one heck of a construction project. When you see the finished article you don't realise just how much work went into it. And you did it all for the birds. LOL

    Fabulous photographic record BTW.

  • Thanks Pat, M.P. and TJ,  

    @ Pat, the turf has already gone through one spring but with a mostly woodland area grass never does well with 50 Oak/Beech Trees so we have to try put extra feed on the grass to keep it looking good.   And, yes, Mike and I do all the gardening ourselves.   I had the job of planting every shrub and plant in the rockery/water feature  LOL !   but I have a ride on tractor for the grass :)

    @ M.P.   We were lucky enough to purchase this show garden for a bargain price and it has added not just value to the garden but a fantastic focal point and a haven for the birds and wildlife.  

    @ TJ,   It was a construction process which seemed to last forever LOL   and through the winter months and I had never seen so much mud and mess;   I thought it was going to take 5 weeks so I started making a full lunch for the three "lads" every day  and I was still making huge lunches for the next 3 months  LOL    maybe thats why it took a little longer than normal maybe ?  !!!!    

    These photos were only for our personal record of the build but after so many people were asking about ponds and waterfalls, I decided to share the photos so it may help folk if they want to try construct a water feature themselves or get The Pond Company to come and do one for them as they will do anything from a tiny feature to a mammoth one.

    We needed a focal point and feature for this bland looking garden so first it was the summerhouse from RHS Show in 2010 followed by the pond/waterfall in 2011   LOL,    it has been such an amazing attraction for the birds and wildlife, from Redwings bathing, Jays, Robin, Chaffinches, W.Pigeons, Blackbirds, Siskins, Wagtails (Pied and Grey), Dragonfly, and the usual water beetles, etc.,    even Cyril was drinking from it this morning lol      Its just a pain at the moment trying to keep the leaves off it as I don't like pond netting (due to the danger of it for birds) and although we have bought some plastic solid mesh, we haven't had chance to cover the water yet, so just keep scooping with the pond net.

    Thanks again all,  I don't think it matters if you have a large feature or a tub of water, the birds/wildife will love it so would highly recommend any feature with water in it for your gardens.        

  • Hazy,

    A really impressive pond build and the final article looks lovely and in the perfect setting of a large garden and tall trees as a backdrop.

    I'm planning a new pond myself but on a slightly different budget I think!!...

    Well done anyhow it is a lovely looking feature that will mature and give you lots of pleasure as time goes by..

    Best

    Higgy

  • Thanks so much Higgy,  it has really proved so worthwhile and attracts some amazing species of bird that we wouldn't normally get in the garden without the flowing water.   We've had both Grey and Pied Wagtails, Redwings bathing and we did see a toad !    The regular garden birds including some Corvids have used the waterfall area for either bathing, drinking or in the Crows case, he dunked his piece of brown bread in the water to soften it  LOL,    I wish you good luck with your new pond/water area and you will be amazed how much it will be used and enjoyed.