Making a Business Work When Its in the Red

Posted on: 14 September 2016

If your property wasn't blessed with the beauty of a backyard pond, put in your own! A pond can really change the curb appeal as well as the atmosphere of your exterior spaces. Furthermore, it is easy and inexpensive to create your own water feature for your green space when you start with prefabricated pond liners:

• First, dig a hole slightly larger than your liner and a couple inches deeper than it needs to sit flush with the ground.
• Add a couple of inches of sand to the hole before sliding in the pond liner. This will help the liner settle naturally in the ground.
• Fill in the space around the liner with more soil or with some good-quality fill.
• Conceal or camouflage the lip of your pond liner with plants, rocks, or soil to create a natural-looking pond.
• Fill with water slowly and allow to settle before adding plants, foliage, or wildlife to your pond.

Next, make some choices about the right features to add to make your pond the focal point of your property:

Add some aquatic plants. If you choose a large enough pond, you may want to float some aquatic plants on the surface of the water for an intriguing, natural look. Some floating plants for a freshwater pond include water lettuce, water lilies, and fragrant water hyacinth.

Give fish a home. Be wary of adding fish to your pond that are not native as this can cause problems with the environment if they are accidentally released to nearby water sources. A heavy rainfall is sometimes all that is needed to sweep your pond's fish into a public water supply, which could lead to an invasion that could jeopardize native species. Sunfish are freshwater fish deemed safe for backyard ponds and that come in a huge range of vibrant colors.

Find furnishings for your sanctuary. Set up a scene surrounding your pond to optimize the space and to thoroughly enjoy your new sanctuary. Invest in some lounge chairs, conversation tables, and unique yard art to create an extension of your living space that you love spending time in!

A garden or backyard pond is the perfect project; it takes little time, cost, or effort, but the payoff is huge. Enjoy spending time with friends and family lounging by your pond or use it for a quiet retreat to meditate or read. Whatever you decide to do with your pond, enjoy adding features that make it your own and that bring an element of your own personality to your home's green space.