Wildlife garden
Digging a wildlife pond: depth, banks and plants
Dig a pond in September–October in a spot with at least half a day of sun, with one part 60–80 cm deep and gently sloping banks, filled with rainwater, planted with native water plants and without fish.
What to do
- Choose a spot away from large trees (leaves make the water too rich) with at least half a day of sun.
- Dig the pond in steps: a shallow margin, a part 30–40 cm deep and a deepest part of 60–80 cm that does not freeze solid. Make at least one bank very gently sloping, so hedgehogs and young frogs can get out.
- Lay a pond liner on a layer of sand or old carpet, or use clay if your soil is suitable, and cover the edge with soil or turf.
- Fill it with rainwater, not tap water: tap water contains too many nutrients for clear water.
- Plant native water plants in the different zones: marsh marigold, water mint, water forget-me-not and purple loosestrife on the margin, water violet and rigid hornwort in the water.
- Don’t add fish, and don’t bring frogspawn or animals from other ponds: they will come by themselves.
Caution: A pond is dangerous for young children: choose a shallow pond or fit a sturdy grid over it.
Why it helps
- A pond is the quickest way to make your garden richer: dragonflies, whirligig beetles, frogs, toads and newts often find it in the very first year.
- Birds, hedgehogs and insects drink and bathe there, especially in dry summers.
Which plants?
- Marsh marigold Caltha palustris water or marginal plant · flowers March–May NativePoisonous
- Yellow flag Iris pseudacorus water or marginal plant · flowers May–June NativePoisonous
- Water forget-me-not Myosotis scorpioides water or marginal plant · flowers May–September Native
- Water mint Mentha aquatica herbaceous plant Native
- Purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria perennial · flowers June–September Native
- Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria perennial · flowers June–August Native
- Bogbean Menyanthes trifoliata water or marginal plant · flowers April–June Native
- Brooklime Veronica beccabunga water or marginal plant · flowers May–September Native
- Water plantain Alisma plantago-aquatica water or marginal plant · flowers June–September NativePoisonous
- Arrowhead Sagittaria sagittifolia water or marginal plant · flowers June–August Native
- Water violet Hottonia palustris water or marginal plant · flowers May–June Native
- Water soldier Stratiotes aloides water or marginal plant · flowers June–August Native
- Rigid hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum water or marginal plant Native
When?
March–April and September–October.
Garden jobs in MarchGarden jobs in AprilGarden jobs in SeptemberGarden jobs in October
Take up the challenge
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Put out a water dish (June–August)
Put out a shallow dish of water with a stone in it, for birds, hedgehogs and insects. Refresh it every few days.
Did you know? Every spring a toad returns to the pond where it was born, sometimes from more than a kilometre away.