Asked By: Judy of Port St. Lucie, FL
A: After a long day, few things are more relaxing than sitting outside with your favorite beverage and listening to the soothing sound of a flowing fountain or waterfall. Backyard ponds and water features are lovely ways to personalize your outdoor living space while providing a haven for local wildlife.
Determining whether a pond or pondless water feature better suits your space is the first step in designing your backyard retreat. Before you bust out the heavy equipment, take a moment to ponder the following questions.
What is your budget?
Consider how much you would like to spend. Generally, ponds with extensive water features are more expensive than small pondless water features. Once you know your budget, check out our pond kits and pondless water feature kits online or call us to determine which kit is the best fit.
How much space do you have?
Take a realistic look at your yard and consider how you can blend a water garden or fountain into the existing landscape. If you have a sprawling backyard with room to build, consider going big with a pond that is 2,000 gallons or more. For those with limited land, pondless waterfalls or container water gardens are the way to go.
Who is coming for a visit?
If you have young children or grandchildren running around the backyard, a waterfall without an open body of water may be a better choice. Pondless waterfalls allow you to enjoy the sound of running water with less worry and hassle. If you want the water to be open so older kids and pets have a place to play and splash around, opt for a full backyard pond with water features.
Do you need a professional?
You don’t have to be a contractor to build a small water garden with DIY water features. Kits provide everything you need to get your aquascape up and running, including easy-to-follow instructions. If you want a large, complex aquascape, consider contacting a pond-building professional in your area to help create your perfect oasis.
How much maintenance can you do?
Pondless waterfalls and features are lower maintenance and suitable for those who only want a place to sit and relax. However, pondless water features have fewer options than water features for a pond. If you're going to garden, raise fish, or spend time tinkering outdoors, then a pond has much more to offer.
Can you have both?
Don’t worry if you cannot decide and want aspects of both a pond and pondless features—you are only limited by your imagination! Combine them to create a statement piece that is as unique as you are.
A great example of combining pond and pondless water feature ideas into one functional display is an elevated pond that cascades down into a pondless waterfall basin. Combining allows you to enjoy fish and plants while keeping the water out of reach of small children. Start with a pond kit, then add some Pond Liner, Pond Underlayment, and a Liner Seaming Kit as needed to complete the project.
Pond and Pondless Water Feature Tips and Advice
There are countless water feature setups and combinations for ponds and pondless builds. Do you need additional help deciding and planning your backyard aquascape? Contact our pond experts online or call 866-766-3435 for professional advice.
Explore the following articles to read more about water garden design ideas:
Small Pond Waterfall Ideas and Inspiration
Types of Ponds and Water Features
Raised Garden Pond Ideas
How to Build a Pond
Pondless Feature Maintenance