DIY Miniature Pond
Updated: Apr. 24, 2020
Create a calming oasis on your patio with an easy, mini pond. You don’t even need fancy pumps—just water.
Materials:
- Watertight container
- Water plants
- Garden soil (heavy clay) or aquatic plant soil
- Pea gravel (if using garden soil)
- Black plastic pots
- Mosquito Dunks
Step-By-Step Instructions:
Step 1
Choose your pond container. Materials like ceramic, concrete, plastic, terracotta, metal, porcelain, etc. are all great options. Don’t use wood unless you line it with black plastic. Remember, the pot will get heavy, so place it where you want to display it before filling it with water.
Step 2
Add plants to the black plastic pots. If you have heavy garden soil (high in clay content), you’re all set. Just cover the soil with an inch or two of pea gravel to keep it from floating to the top of your pond. Don’t have clay soil? Use aquatic plant soil, and bury a fertilizer tab with each plant so you won’t have to fertilize.
Step 3
Place your potted plants at the appropriate depths in your empty pond container. I used broken pieces of brick to set my potted plants at the right level. You could also use upside-down terracotta or ceramic pots, pieces of stone or even Tupperware filled with sand! Planting from deep to shallow, and large to small works best.
Step 4
Now just add water! Start by adding water to the potted plants themselves. After it’s filled, add your floater plants and a piece of the product, Mosquito Dunks.
Step 5
Look for three types of aquatic plants for your water garden.
- Emergents. They are potted and have great foliate. Try umbrella palm and dwarf cattails.
- Submerged. They live below the surface of the water and add oxygen. Try anacharis.
- Floaters. They float on the water’s surface. Try water hyacinth and parrot’s feathers.
If you have some flowers growing in your garden, snip a couple of blooms and add them to your water garden just like you would a vase.
