pond garden with patio

A pond garden with patio and plantings

Most photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

All work on this page designed by Green Art and installed in cooperation with Sahin Stonework.


		This patio was to be redesigned and the flagstone re-used for the new installation. The owner wished to have a pond as a vocal point in this area. I designed this space in a way that the new patio would not be clustered against the building. In order to maintain the existing Japanese Maples I located the pond at a minimum distance of 6 feet to each trunk.
		The finished installation shows the relocated patio with the trees intact, the flagstone reused, the pond located in the back half of the garden, and the pond excavation material mounded up to create a rockgarden in the pond surroundings. Rock boulders have been placed in the entrance and exit of the patio in order to obtain a 'gate effect'.
		The construction process of the pond: In my sketch I defined the location of the pond, extend of the patio, dimensions of the small retaining wall, and a few other details, but left out the planting scheme, for which I only created a list of suggestions without defining locations. Later we changed the posts at each entrance into rock boulders, and adapted a few other details to the ideas and needs as they became apparent during construction work.
		Excavation of the pond area and wall base. The 'gained' soil is stored for later use in the pond surroundings.
		The level is located in the approximate grade of the future water level. From there, depth is measured and the grade of the surrounding pond shelve is established.
		The liner and underlayment are placed and rocks are set to form the edging and waterfall. We use left-over liner and 1/2" thick styrofoam boards and other materials between the liner and the rocks to avoid punching the liner.
		The skimmer is placed. The inlet of the skimmer will define the water level of the pond. The skimmer also helps keep the pond clean and houses the pump.
		Pipes from the skimmer to the waterfall are connected and proper function is checked before any finishing work is put into place.
		Hollow spots behind the waterfall rocks are filled with black Styrofoam. This is necessary to insure that all the water flows over the rocks and not under them. The water needs to circulate for a day in order to get filtered and cleared.
		After all the soil work is done it is time for planting. We chose only dwarf and compact varieties of deciduous shrubs, conifers and perennials. It will take one season for these plants to get established and several years to fill in and mature. A great garden is not created overnight, but seeing the plants grow is part of the joy of gardening.
		Donate your TV to people who don't own a pond, and relax with a book and a fine cup of tea. The finished pond garden provides a space to sit in the summer, keep cool in the shade of Japanese Maples, enjoy the sound of the waterfall and watch the fish among the waterlilies.
		Another beautiful job finished. The pond is visible from the living room window.

The mound next to the pond is planted with rocks and low shrubs, such as Dwarf Mugho Pine (Pinus mugo 'Mops') and the dwarf Weigela 'My Monet' with variegated foliage.		Fargesia nitida is a winter hardy, clump-forming bamboo. It will perfectly enhance the slight oriental touch of this garden.

This beautiful stoneware bench, as well as the lantern visible in the photo of the bamboo, were created by NH artist Eric O'Leary.		Rock boulders are used like posts at a gate, marking the entrance into a separate garden space.