Alas, not many of us have the good fortune to have a natural pond in our garden, so we have to create one artificially. There are, of course, a number of ways of doing this. The simplest, and ideal for a small garden, is to use a plastic pond of the sort sold at garden centres. These ponds are tough, well able to stand up to frosts and freezing weather, and only need a hole to be dug for them. Birds like shallow areas where they can drink and bathe, so if buying a prefabricated pond make sure that its design is suitable.
T here is nothing like a patch of water for transforming a familiar view.
Even a relatively small pond will make a tremendous difference to the appearance of the landscape and its value for wildlife. But perhaps the most appealing part of the whole business is how swiftly the transformation can take place. Get digging today and you could have rippling water by tomorrow. As long as your planned pond is within the boundaries of your garden, and does not depend on damming or abstracting water from a stream or river, you should be able to construct it without planning consent. However, if your garden is big and your pond-plans more ambitious, it is a good idea to speak to the local planning authority, just in case.