Last summer, my interest in environmental issues peaked during the heatwave and I was alarmed to learn that the UK is one of the most nature depleted landscapes in the world. I’ve always been someone who believes that small actions matter and we gardeners have the ability to make a real difference to support wildlife and biodiversity.
One suggestion that came up again and again was adding a water feature to the garden. I have fond memories of watching tadpoles, frogs and dragonflies in my best friend’s pond as a child, and thought a pond would be a lovely feature to add to our own garden.
We decided to put the pond in the front garden as it seemed safer for the kids as they’re never out the front unsupervised. We (or rather my hubby and father-in-law) dug out the pond, put in a liner and part filled with the hose, and then cemented crazy paving around the edge. It’s about 60cm deep at the deepest point with a shelf at 30cm and a gradual slope up to a wide pebble beach to prevent any animals from drowning.
I’ve been filling the pond with plants, Hornwort and water crowfoot as oxygenators, then water forget-me-nots, flag iris and Marsh marigolds as marginals. We’ve also submerged a couple of water lillies in the deepest part of the pond, but I’m prioritising native plants to attract wildlife.
Cranesbill or hardy geraniums are my favourite perennial, so they were my first choice for planting around the pond to soften the edges, provide shelter for critters and food for pollinators. I relocated dragonheart from the long border in the back garden to the edge of the pond, along with a blue geranium I picked up years ago that has been living in a pot while I tried to find a permanent home for it, and added a few more that I bought from a local nursery.
I’ve always taken a “build it and they will come” approach to coaxing wildlife to our garden, and been rewarded when birds, insects and animals have found their way here. We all trooped out in our Pyjamas one evening after I’d spotted a pond skater, and my husband found diving beetles a few days later. It made my day when I spotted a pair of goldfinches bathing in the shallows as we’ve never had them in the garden before.
We’ve had a prolonged spell of dry, hot weather, leading to water scarcity warnings (very rare in Scotland!) and we’ve seen the pond water level dropping, and algae spreading. Nevertheless, I hope that over the summer our pond will be a little oasis in the urban desert for wildlife. Have a lovely week. X
Lovely and Grateful 
What a wonderful project, your pond looks lovely . . . and yes, just look at how quickly the wildlife comes! Great idea to put it in the front garden, too, so much safer for the children but maybe others will see it and be inspired by what you are doing? I know we’ve had the conversation before but I think gardeners are key to making a huge difference even through small gestures in helping to support and save the precious biodiversity that is so badly threatened. Keep up the good work and enjoy your pond watching!😊
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Thank you. 😊 Today, a red damselfly found the pond, I am always ridiculously excited by every new visitor to our garden. The pond has been a wonderful addition and we’re trying to work out if we could put a container pond or bird bath somewhere in the back garden too. I always struggle to know what to say when others tell me they’re paving front garden to make a driveway or replacing lawn with fake grass, I try to persuade them that I’m actually a really lazy gardener which is why I grow more fruit than veg and have filled the borders with cranesbill and roses – all minimum effort for greatest reward. 😂
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I think the time to take back front gardens is upon us! Although it’s obviously aimed at America, Heather Jo Flores’s ‘Food Not Lawns’ https://www.foodnotlawns.com/ (free e-book) is great on this one. We once caused quite a fuss planting veg and annual wildflowers in a front garden ~ people either ranted about it or invited coach parties to visit and take photos! 😆 What you are doing is brilliant and yes, I also get ridiculously excited with each new incomer, too! Have a lovely weekend. 😊
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Thanks for the link, look forward to reading it. Given that gardens are getting smaller in urban settings, it seems a shame to waste the space, our front garden is quite exposed (opposite a bus stop) but it’s in full Sun and gives us so much more space for low maintenance gardening so love the idea of turning it into a little fruit forest with cherries, raspberries, rhubarb and strawberries. 😊
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What a lovely pond you have created. My attempt has been far less successful due to lack of rain. I need to try again!
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Thanks, it hasn’t rained heavily for weeks so we can see the water receding as it evaporates in the sun and algae has built up too. It’s still full of life though, lots of birds bathing in it, hoverflies flitting around and today I saw a red damselfly on the slender rush grass. It’s definitely been a worthwhile endeavor.
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That’s beautiful, I love the cranesbills. So pretty. X
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They’re my favourite flower, I’m filling the front and back garden with them because the bees and other pollinators love them, they usually flower for ages and they require almost no looking after. 😊 X
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Sounds perfect 👍 x
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