The Pond Guy's Blog

How can I make my water garden more enjoyable for night time viewing? Mark – Schaumburg, IL

Tell Your Pond To Get A Night Life

Like so many other water gardeners out there, you’ve labored diligently throughout the seasons to build the perfect back yard oasis, but between work and errands you are never home early enough in the day to sit and enjoy the scenery! A few simple steps can make the difference between some night time relaxation or simply being stuck in the dark.

One of the best things about your pond is that it’s present both in the night and day. The soothing sound of flowing water is one of the most common and enjoyable products of your water feature. If you do not have a small fountain, waterfall, or stream, consider installing one to instantly up your pond’s enjoyment factor. For smaller ponds a pump like the Fish Mate 580 comes with both a fountain head attachment and a diverter to route water to a small waterfall making installation fast and simple.

With some soothing sounds added to your pond, we can now turn our focus over to the visual side of the spectrum. A somewhat obvious way to get some late night pond side time is to implement some cleverly placed lighting. Floating Solar Lights and a 10-Watt Waterfall Light can add soft subtle accents to the pond, drawing your attention to desired areas. 3-Pack Halogen and LED Kits can be used in or out of the pond to softly illuminate large areas of the pond. If you are looking for a little more power you can use a Multi-Color High Intensity LED to flood an area with light or a 50-Watt Warm Halogen light to spot light and accent a particular area or item.

Tip: When installing pond lighting underwater, make sure to wrap an appropriate amount of excess power cord around the light to allow the ability to replace the bulb if needed. This excess power cord will allow you to pull the light out of the water for a bulb change instead of having to either move rock or drain the water. Also make sure you point lighting away from where you will be viewing the pond.

Another less known but equally effective way to accent your pond in the twilight hours is to use night blooming plants. Night blooming lilies like the Trudy Slocum still possess the same shading and filtering properties as your other lilies; the only difference is the blooms open up in the evening and throughout the night so you can enjoy a little extra color when the lights go out.

Each pond is special and unique so there is never one specific layout when it comes to adding lights and plants. Select items that match the surrounding colors and landscaping of your pond and use lighting to accent them accordingly. With a little practice and experimentation you can achieve a beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable pond, even at night.

Pond Talk: What products do you use to make your water garden more enjoyable at night?

Filed under: Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: aquatic plants, Lighting, lighting up your water garden, night, underwater lights, water garden | 1 Comment »