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How to create a water garden

Garden pond feature with stones, lady beetle figures, and mossy plants.

Overview

Creating a water garden is an easy project you can do in any size garden. We'll show you some simple landscaping tips including what plants to use, where to put your pond and the benefits of a water garden.

Tools and materials

Tools

Materials

Steps

1Choose your plants

The right choice of plants can improve the look and the overall health of your water garden. Some plants can create oxygen, which reduces algae growth, others can be used as ground cover around the pond while other plants are purely decorative.

Person putting bricks into small pond feature.

2Place your plants on the floor of the pond

Despite their small size, oxygenator plants will grow towards the sunlight. They can be placed on the floor of the pond, 30 centimetres deep. Because the plants are already potted, there is no need to have a bed of soil or gravel at the bottom of the pond, which will help reduce algal growth.

Person placing plant on floor of small pond feature.

3Landscape the pond

To make your pond look more interesting, use house bricks to sit the plants on. You can place some of the plants so they sit well above the water and others just above the water. Place the bricks around the pond and put the plants on top. Move the bricks and plants around until you achieve the look you want.

Person putting bricks into small pond feature.

4Plant ground cover

Planting ground cover around the pond helps to soften the landscape, hide wires and cables and protect your fish from predators. Choose ground cover depending on what look you want to achieve. To plant the ground cover, dig a hole, deep enough for the roots. Put the plant in the hole, cover it with soil and water it in. If you disturb any rocks around the pond, put them back in place, to give the job a professional finish.

Person planting plant next to small pond feature.
Health & Safety

Please make sure you use all equipment appropriately and safely when following the advice in these D.I.Y. videos. You need to be familiar with how to use equipment safely and follow the instructions that came with the equipment. If you are unsure, you may feel it is safest to consult an expert, such as the manufacturer or an expert Bunnings Team Member.

Grave health hazards are linked to asbestos, which may be in homes built up to 1990. Health hazards may result from exposure to lead-based paints in older materials and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer. You can also use a simple test kit from Bunnings to indicate the presence of lead-based paint.