February is here at last and as we wave goodbye to January, we can already see the first signs of spring starting to appear. For many people, now is a good time to start thinking about the garden and projects that can be started in the garden.
Something that is beneficial both to you and to the wildlife in your local area is a pond. If you are thinking about adding a pond to your garden this year, then here are some things to help you get started…
The first thing to think about is where you want to put your pond and the size that you want it to be. You can mark out the area of the pond with sticks if you like. It is a good idea to have a think and get some inspiration before you start, as there are many beautiful and varied pond designs, and having a picture of what you want it to end up looking like before you begin is a handy thing to do. Bear in mind the care of the pond, the size and shape of your garden and the style of the pond and how it might fit in with your gardens own style.
Once you have done this and you have a much clearer picture of your finished pond in your mind you can then start to get the area of your pond dug out. This is a lot of work, so especially if you are building a larger pond, you might want to get some help, or even hire machinery that will make short work of the job from somewhere like this digger hire Leicester based company https://greensplanthire.uk/plant-hire-leicester/excavator-digger-hire-leicester/ when you are doing this, leave some areas shallower if you are wanting to attract more wildlife. A sunny spot will also attract more wildlife.
Once you are done with the digging you can then add the liner. Before you do this, get rid of any sharp or spiky stones and any debris from the hole so that you don’t accidentally pierce the liner. You can then put a layer of sand in the hole. For the liner that overhangs at the top you can dig a trench and tuck the extra liner into it.
Once this has been done, put another fine layer of sand on top of the liner at the bottom of the pond, and then just add water! Relying on natural rainwater is ideal but this can actually take a long time, especially if we are in a bit of a dry spell. Filling it with a hose is often an easier way to get the pond filled up quickly.
Once you have done this, you can then add decorations and plants to your pond, add in some wood and rocks around the edges for wildlife to hide and sit back and enjoy the beautiful pond in the summer time!