More and more dachasfrom vegetable gardens to wonderful man-made landscapes. This is understandable. We do not experience acute necessity in vegetable plantations, but many try to try themselves in the role of landscape designers. Therefore, flower beds, lawns, alpine hills and, naturally, all kinds of water reservoirs and fountains come to replace beds. However, if we still manage somehow with the flower beds and lawns, the arrangement of artificial reservoirs in the garden often causes certain difficulties. Most often, the reason for unsuccessful attempts is a rather small area reserved for these reservoirs. After all, for a clean artificial pond requires a very impressive size of the site - only then an autonomous ecosystem is formed in the pond. And small ponds require constant care. In addition, surprisingly, it is more difficult to fit a small pond into the landscape of the country plot. It is important not only its size, but its shape, as well as the decorative frame. Unfortunately, not all gardeners have an innate sense of taste, and not every homebrew builder and designer knows how to correctly apply knowledge in practice. So how do you arrange an artificial pond in your garden? What mistakes should be avoided? How to care for a man-made pond in the country? Let's try to figure it out. 
Construction of a reservoir
If the area of your site allows, it is betterall make a large pond, which in time will turn into a full body of water with a closed ecosystem. However for such construction it is necessary to use the services of specialists. After all, you need to dig a large pit, strengthen its bottom and walls with reinforced concrete, and then cover with waterproofing materials. However, if you want, the reserve of forces and time and the availability of funds, such a pond in the garden can be built and personally. But there is an easier way - the use of special reservoirs for ponds. Such containers can be purchased in garden stores, and the variety of their shapes and sizes will make it possible to realize your wildest fantasies. This is the way we arrange the pond with you and consider in more detail. The whole process of creating such a pond in the garden fits into a simple scheme:
- The pit is excavated according to the shape of the finished tank;
- is set by means of a level tank for the pond;
- sand between the walls of the pit and the tank;
- the beach is decorated and planted;
- the pond is filled with water.
In practice, this scheme is implemented as follows. We choose and buy a pond tank and deliver it to the site. Then choose a place under the pond. It is important that there are no large trees nearby, as the roots will prevent the excavation of the excavation, and the leaves and fruits falling from the crown will subsequently clog the reservoir. So, we place the tank in the selected area, and then using the pegs and rope "outline" the contour of the future pond in the shape of the tank. Now we start digging the pit, retreating outward ten centimeters from the designated contour. By the way, the depth of excavation should also be ten to twenty centimeters greater than the height of the tank. Very often the walls of the container have a stepped shape. Exactly the same form should have the walls of the pit. When the foundation pit is ready, a ten-centimeter sand pillow should be placed on its bottom, which will facilitate the shrinkage of the water-filled reservoir. But now we establish the form in the dug hole and level it with the help of a level. Having reached the ideal position of the tank, fill it with a third of the volume with water. All the voids between the walls of the vessel and the pit are filled with wet sand, which is carefully compacted. In parallel with these works, we gradually fill the reservoir with water. And when all the installation works are finished, we decorate with the stone and the soil of the shore of our pond and plant the plants. First we plant decorative aquatic plants, which will be located at the deepest part of the pond. Then, moving to the shores, plant other plants, and in the last turn we decorate the shore itself. That's the whole simple process of creating an artificial pond with your own hands. But not everything is as simple as it seems. Often, even made with love and by all means, the reservoir does not look perfect, but eventually turns into an unsightly deep puddle with muddy water. And it happens because of mistakes made during the construction. 
Possible errors in the construction of the reservoir
The mistakes that we make when constructing a pond in the garden with our own hands can also be classified:
- wrong choice of a place for a pond;
- incorrectly chosen size and shape of the pond;
- errors in the choice of plants;
- insufficient care or lack of it;
- superfluous decorations.
Selecting a location If your holiday property is locatedunder the slope or has natural elevations or lowlands, then consider its terrain when choosing a place under the pond. If you place a pond in the upper part of the garden area, it will be difficult to see. The pond located on the mound, as well as surrounded by an earthen embankment, will look extremely unnatural. If you equip a pond in the lowland, it may drain melt water, and also soaked soil or water during irrigation. And with the water in the pond can fall all kinds of garden chemicals and fertilizers. Therefore, for the pond, you need to choose an even, well-viewed area, protected from rain and meltwater. It is important that in the immediate vicinity of the pond there are no large fruit trees. But also on a completely open to the sun, a body of water can not be located. If the pond will be under the sun for more than four hours a day, then the water in it will quickly bloom. Choice of shape When choosing the shape of a pond created by one's own hands, the size of the cottage area, and its style, and the location of the pond are important. The coastline of a small pond should not be severely rugged. Firstly, it will be difficult for you to dig a foundation pit of this shape, and secondly, a pond of similar shape will look very unnatural. If you are going to place a pond in the middle of a paved area, it is best to give preference to the correct geometric shapes. A round, oval or rectangular pond perfectly fits into the landscape of the garden, decorated in regular styles. But for the landscape garden the wrong shape of the reservoir with smooth curves of the coastline will do. As for the depth of the future pond, then choose a container whose maximum height does not exceed one meter. In this case, the depth of two thirds of the area of your future pond should not be more than sixty centimeters. Decoration of the shore The most common mistake in decorating a reservoir created by one's own hands is the unsuccessful masking of the edges of the tank or film, which is covered with a pit. And the sloping edges of the tank, and the film should in no case just lie on the ground. As soon as the water level in the pond drops (for example, during elementary evaporation), the edges of the film or container are immediately exposed. And it looks, at least not aesthetically. Therefore, along the perimeter of the upper edge of the reservoir it is necessary to make a terrace of ten centimeters wide. And already on this terrace to have decorative stones, arrange a soil dump and plant plants. If it is difficult to get stones suitable for decorating, then you can mask the edge of a pond made by yourself with an artificial or natural flat stone designed for paving. If you decorate the coastline with round or oval boulders, then pick stones of different sizes to avoid the effect of beads. Please note that for a different size, the texture and color of the stones for the decor should be the same. Do not make out the beach only with stones - this also looks unnatural. Part of the shore can be sprinkled with gravel, planted with ground cover plants or, conversely, high bushy flowers (for example, irises or lilies). Decorating Excess of all sorts of decorations (gathered around the pool of garden sculptures, lanterns, waterfalls and fountains) is a sign of bad taste. Certainly, it is necessary to decorate a pond made by one's own hands, but it must be done competently. Stop your choice on any one element of the decor, a maximum of two. Let it be, for example, a fountain and a figure of a gnome (birds, little animals) standing near a pond. If the fountain itself is represented by a sculptural composition, then all additional figures will be superfluous. In this case, it is best to arrange for the fountain a highlight or place in a pond or next to it cute lanterns. Waterfall (as an element of decor) is quite self-sufficient decoration of a reservoir made by own hands. No other decorations such a decor will not be tolerated. And in general, remember that the best is the enemy of the good. Sometimes the beautiful plants with which the shore of a reservoir made by hand is planted is quite enough. Selection of plants Another mistake in arranging a man-made pond in the garden is the wrong choice of plants. The first thing you should consider when selecting the green decor of your pond is the local climate. No matter how attractive the plants look on bright pictures, you need to choose only those that are suitable for your region. Otherwise, the means, the forces, and the time will be wasted - the plants simply will not survive. The size of plants is very important. So, for example, planted on the shore of a small pond large or spreading plants visually make it even smaller. This effect will create and large trees, growing near a small pond made by own hands. But if the pond is impressive, then boldly plant tall plants or specimens with large leaves and flowers. Aquatic plants, as a rule, grow very quickly and over time can cover the entire surface of the reservoir. By the way, when choosing aquatic plants for your dacha pond, stop only on one or two types. And do not forget that some aquatic plants are real aggressors and can simply displace any neighbors. If you are building a film pond, do not plant shrubs and trees near it, which give an underground shoot, as well as cereals with sharp roots. If you take plants from natural water bodies, then you must disinfect them before relocation. And remember that in the shops often sold aquatic plants that hibernate only in the greenhouse conditions and will not be suitable for an open reservoir made by own hands in the suburban area. 
Care of artificial ponds
To make your artificial pond look likenaturally and effectively, it is necessary to take care of it. In the care not only need large ponds in which a closed ecosystem is formed. And in ponds of small size, water inevitably blooms, which can lead to its decay and death of plants. To minimize the prospect of water flowering, the pond should be shaded whenever possible. You can also plant oxygenator plants that produce oxygen in the pond. It will help in the fight for the purity of the pond and the water filtration system, as well as special chemical preparations. In summer it is necessary to add water to a small pond made by own hands. And if the reservoir is planted with plants, then it is necessary to follow them, rejecting the dead specimens and removing the rotten parts of the plants. It is also necessary to clean the surface of the water from all kinds of foreign rubbish - fallen leaves and fruits, dead insects, dry grass and twigs. In the autumn, an artificial pond made by own hands is cleaned of silt, and on the eve of winter all the non-wintering plants are moved from it. A reservoir of plastic form is half empty, and several plastic bottles are placed on its bottom, half filled with water. This will prevent the appearance of lopines in the tank during the winter cold. If any technical equipment is installed in the pond, it must be cleaned for the winter. With approach of spring the pond is filled with water, the overwintered or new plants are planted in it and pumps and filters are returned to the place. In summer, the typical care for an artificial reservoir is resumed. If you are not ready to devote enough time to your man-made pond, then it is better not to equip the pond at your dacha section at all. This pleasure, unfortunately, is not free. Without proper care your pond will turn into an unattractive kind of muddy puddle, which, besides, may smell bad. But with careful and diligent care, even the smallest pond becomes a real garden ornament. Imagine ... Quiet murmur of water in the fountain, cool splashes, sunlight on the surface of the pond, rustle of leaves, chirrups of grasshoppers - just a paradise in your garden. Is it tempting? Well, everything is in your hands. Good luck!
