A garden pond is not too difficult to install – in its simplest form, it’s just a big hole that you’ve dug out and then filled with water. One you’ve got a pond, though, you can put all sorts of things in it, such as all kinds of aquatic plants and ornamental rocks.
If you put in a simple filtration system to keep the water clean and oxygenated, you can even keep some kinds of fish in your pond. Goldfish are a popular choice, but any fish will do as long as it is nice-looking and can survive in a wide variety of climates – most fish that can survive in a non-temperature-controlled tank will be just fine, but do check. You may also find that other wildlife starts to turn up on its own after a while, especially frogs and small turtles, although this is much more likely to happen if there are already ponds nearby.
One thing to beware of, though, is larger wildlife that might turn up uninvited and spoil your fun. Fish in garden ponds can attract all sorts of animals, especially fish-eating birds like herons. Even domestic cats can sometimes be a danger to your pond fish!
Apart from animals, you can lots of other interesting features to your pond, particularly if it is a large one – waterfalls are very popular, as are fountains. You should consider, however, what effect these features could potentially have on your pond wildlife, and check that they are safe before you install them.
