My "pond" is just a half barrel beside my front sidewalk but it's one of my favorite features in the gardens. I started it a couple of years ago because water lilies are so beautiful and I wanted to see if I could grow one. It's been a great (but small!) success and I plan to put in at least one more next spring.

Basically, the less lawn I have to mow the better!

I built a new deck and the section between the deck and the patio was a pain to mow without blowing grass on the patio (firm believer in letting grass clippings lie). A road construction project was starting and there was tons of free ledge available, the planets aligned in a manner that it made sense to do.

The more time I invest in my pond is less time I can devote to my wife's "honey do" list. Ooops, did I say that outloud?...

I can't even remember when I first got the notion of building a pond. Almost my entire adult life, I suppose. I would go to the garden centers and see those preforms, and I would think how neat it would be to have a pond in my backyard. I've always had fish in aquariums, fancy goldies and tropicals, but I like the big fish. Koi, specifically. So I patiently saved my money until I had enough to do the project. Dug my first pond myself over the course of a very rainy spring, but it was smaller than I intended. Saved for a rebuild this past spring, but I'm still not totally satisfied with it. Eventually, I'll enlarge it again, deeper this time and probably with a bottom drain. But for now, it's a lovely spot to sit and watch the fish. I like the way the back yard looks with a pond, and I find the trickling water soothing and relaxing. I enjoy working around the pond, planting flowers at the edge, rearranging the marginals, and even weeding takes on a whole new meaning when a pond is involved.

My reasons for ponding are much more utilitarian....I wanted to attract frogs, snakes and birds to control the insects in my organic garden....
At the beginning no one around here had a pond and supplies were non existent. Well from a hole in the ground (ugly but who cares)which attracted mosquitoes(goldfish to the rescue), to my now big hole in the ground, with rocks and plants, it looks good and functions wonderfully. The sound is so soothing while your puttering away.

Hmm never thought about that before. I guess growing up on a beautiful mountain lake was the beginning. I have always loved mountain streams too.

When I lived in Texas I went to a client's house. She had a pond and I can still remember taking a deep breath and relaxing, probably the first time since I'd moved to Houston. AND I WANTED A POND THEN AND THERE.

Well, I didn't then or for many years after have a place to put a pond. I'd had aquariums over the years and loved them, but hadn't had one in about 20 years.

I moved back the the mtns where I grew up and when BF said I could put a pond at his place that was the begining of the reality. So far I have only had it "just the way I want it" for a 24 hour span of time. LOL However, somehow the fish keep living and the pump keeps running.

And I love it.
Anne

I'm a gardener. I've always loved to play in the dirt and water. So we put our water garden in about 18 years ago. All our lilies are known varieties. Same with the lotus and the marginals. We do have fish, golden orfe, shubunkin and talapia - nothing that will destroy the plants. Green and leopard frogs have made it their home and we have toads, too.

Jan

First of all, I think I was a fish in a former life. When I was small we used to visit an aunt that raised goldfish to sell. She had 2 big concrete ponds and had the most beautiful fish with tails as long as they were. It was the most enjoyable thing to my young mind to have the goldfish pushing each other out of the way to get the food my tiny hands had to offer. The best I can remember her goldfish food was raw oatmeal. When we had a big rain the creek would overflow into the ditches and we would wade and play in the ditches. One day I picked up an old coffee can and it was full of baby catfish. I took them home and had my first aquarium. Ever since I wanted a pond and it only took me about another 52 years to get one. And that is why I love my pond and it's inhabitants. And finding the fish forum was one of the best things I ever did. Glenda

when my mother and father died I got a bet of money so i belt a pond. I go out and drink coffee and just watch them for a long time and just think about them both. I just feel closer to them

Destiny...I stumbled upon ponding by accident..My brother n law is a landscaper..When he moved into his latest house he dug up all the old landscaping...It included a 100 gallon or so preformed pond..He asked me if I wanted it..and that's how my ponding began..Also..after many Ford Ranger loads of rock I ended up with about 2 ton of rock for free..I had that pond for 3-4 years...and ran it without a filter..just a fountain pump that I turned into a small waterfall looking thing..Thanks to www.gardenweb.com I found the pond forum...I didn't know until I found this forum that a backyard pond needed a filter and such..I had visited gardenweb for years...but I was stuck in the tomato forum LOL..trying to grow the big one...last year after seeing pictures of a co workers pond I decided to go bigtime into ponding...on a limited budget but with a lot of energy I built my above ground in ground design 4000 gallon+ plus I added another 8 ton of rock......koi/goldfish/bass/fantail/catfish/toad/frog/bluegill...and any other creature that calls it home pond LOL...with a year into though I'm shutting it down...and will build a new one with better filtration and shade...so anyhow...that's how I got into ponding...for me it's never ending...and at the end of the day..One Hell of a place to drink a beer! LOL......Dave
ps...I added my brother n laws link to show you a pond or two that he has built..the one on the front page got me interested also..that was at his last house...

Here is a link that might be useful: ReynoldsLandscape

What a great question! And, what a great way to get more insight into other people's passions (especially Glenda's! how cool was that?).

I inherited two ponds when I took on an Estate Manager position for an old turn-of-the-century property whose formal gardens were originally designed by American Landscape Architect, Ellen Biddle Shipman (some people might know of her). The place had definitely seen better days and the formal gardens were a wreck. I had no formal gardening experience, but they hired me anyhow and the 6' radius semi-circular pond in the formal wall garden and the 20' diameter woodland pond were in horrible shape, but they had some goldfish in them and the woodland pond had some beautiful waterlilies. In a few years I learned a ton about gardening and a whole lot about ponding and I can't imagine having a garden without a pond. I love the sound, the site, the fish and the water plants. It's so incredibly relaxing to sit and watch it all develop and come together and in this crazy world, anything that makes me smile and laugh is a darn swell thing.

At the estate, I used to love to sneak up to the woodland pond on a sunny afternoon. The frogs/toads would all be lined up around the entire perimeter on the concrete edging. As I walked up to the pond the ones closest to me would make a little squeek and jump in the water and as I continued to walk in a circle around the edge of the pond they would each take their turns to squeek and jump in. It was like an Esther Williams choreographed show. One by one they'd take their cue to squeek and jump in, as though we had rehearsed the whole show.

Now if that doesn't make someone smile and laugh, I don't know what will! ;)

Ponding is fun!

I love flowers and plants and about 9 years ago we moved to a new house that was South of town in the desert. The soil there was so bad that nothing would grow and I mean nothing. The water source was also a problem as it was very high ph and had very high salinity. It was nearly impossible to get any type of tree or plant to grow there, It was even difficult to get plants to grow in big pots because of the bad water. It was horrible for someone like me who loves plants and flowers. So,I was in Sam's Club one day and they had these big two piece preform pond kits for just over $100. I went home with one of the kits and DH was so mad at me he could have spit bullets so he refused to help. He figured that if he wouldn't help I would give up and take it back. I dug and set the whole thing myself and got it up and running. I learned a great deal from starting with that preform. I learned that I love the water plants and the water gardening aspect more than keeping koi or other fish. I learned how to keep water plants going in the not so friendly arid desert environment and I've also learned that I don't want an inground pond like most of you have as it is much easier to have smaller above ground ponds for taking care of plants.
That's how I got started in ponding.

A pond seemed the perfect solution to an ugly corner of the garden right outside my just renovated sunroom. I also had lots of bricks from another house project to use as a edge. It's not a big pond-a triangle with 8x10 legs. But I can sit by the window, look at the blooming lilies, listen to the water, watch the dragonflies, toss food at the fish and count frogs (7 today!)

Hi
That's an interesting question lol. When I retired and went to work in an aquarium sales was asked "What is it about fish that is so attractive?" Since I have kept fish since 1953 you'd think I'd know the answer. lol
have kept aquariums from 1 to 2000 gallons ,ponds from 100 to 5000 gallons. FW, SW,paludariums terrariums you name it lol. I can't remember any time since 53 that I did not have some kind of fish and or aquatic plants. Only thing that differed was how many. I once intentionally tried to NOT keep any fish lol That lasted about 3 months. I bought a Betta on impulse and it started all over again.lol.
At present I'm on a downward cycle.Only three ponds and 5 aquariums.
The last question was About how much time and money have you spent in this "hobby" lol I can't answer that question either lol
One aspect that I have never tried is a saltwater pond or a shallow reef outdoors. Can you imagine how beautiful and fascinating that would be?? lol
I think I'm too old to start such an ambitious project
but boy possibilties are sure calling. gary

I have wanted a pond for as long as I can remember. The fact that my accountant DH's job made for frequent transfers made it difficult. I would be doing all the work and that would make it a long term project that might not get finished before the next move. Once I even bought a small pump that got carried to one house after another but was never used before the seals cracked with age. Since DH hit 65 he is no longer playing the moving up the ladder game, but he is still working about 50 hours a week. I am no longer working and the kids are out on their own. I decided to keep up with my Master Gardener membership and I guess the Agent in Charge decided I was quirky enough to do some of the more unusual projects and after I had helped get two of the Extension display gardens going he asked me to put in a small pond with a waterfall to distract from the noisy air conditioner. I put one together in my backyard to make sure I was on the right track and then put one in the Display Gardens. After that I was hooked. I have now built 5 different ponds. The one in the Display Gardens is different every year since we have to break it down every winter to satisfy the IU/Purdue oversight committee. It is always a challenge to teach the others on the garden team how to put it together and keep it working. I broke my back 2 1/2 years ago so they have to do all the lifting and moving of the stones. I sometimes think they don't quite understand why the stone should be stacked just so. One lady, last year, finally said to please not tell them why one stone needs to go in a certain place, just tell them where to put it. Since I had made her move that stone three times I refrained from further comment.
The pond at home has grown from 100 gallons to 1000 gallons. The latest expansion was halted when I had my accident so the finishing stone work has not been done. It will be a while before I can do that. Oh well, the time just gives me a chance to play with the final design on paper. Maybe if I work really hard on my physical therapy this winter I can do it for real next summer. Sandy

I just like to play in the water. Cheryl

Why? Because I love to torture myself.

This is a great question. I have kept aquaria since the early 70's and have had a pond for 4 years now. There is just something about watching fish and aquatic plants that is something like meditation. It seems to clear the soul and relax the body. Ponding is the same as long as you have a low maintenance pond. People always pay more for a waterside view or lake/ocean front. There is nothing better than watching the sun set over water. Having a pond is like having your own private lake.

If you have a pond, you are probably not the seadoo type of person but the contemplative, canoe on the lake type.

I LOVE your last comment, Kalevi! That appears to be the case in most of the ponders I've known, too.

Great thread; I've enjoyed reading all of the stories!

I pond solely for wildlife. If my pump is off, for any reason, I panic, wondering what the poor birds will do to quench their thirst or clean their little bodies. It doesn't matter that we're surrounded by irrigation canals or that we're a stone's throw from the Sacramento River. My stream is a lifeline! :D

Brenda

I've been fascinated by water and wildlife and plants my entire life. My mother says if there was a body of water within a mile of where we were I'd find it and get all wet and muddy going after frogs or whatever. I've had aquariums most of my life and also a parade of critters wild and domestic.

I got my first "pond" in 1981 made out of a whiskey barrel with a waterfall made from a swamp cooler pump and driftwood and my husband dug our first "real" pond in 1996. He is out working on water feature number ten at this house right now.

I've always been a gardner, but the first time I sat by my friend's pond in the Ohio wine country 4 years ago and enjoyed the peace and tranquility, I was hooked. I GOTTA HAVE A POND.

My ponds give me more pleasure than I could have ever dreamed of. Low budget, DIY, etc...I have created an oasis in my farmyard, lush, green, colorful, thriving....even with low maintanance pushing neglect, they are beautiful.

And almost every day when I get home from work and finish my chores I take a glass of wine out to the pond....

....I could sit there for hours :)

I wanted a pond because I enjoyed looking at pond pictures. I also like the sound of water, gardening, and fish. I grew up in Hawaii and my house was surrounded by water, and my I spent most of my time fishing or pestering the critters I would find in the lagoon or the beach.

After finding that I can afford my own water feature with plants and critters, I ordered my pond supplies online, and eventually got my husband and kids to help me dig the hole.

There is nothing like watching your fish grow, and seeing nature at its best. The sound of the water is so soothing, the sounds of the frogs and toads at night entertaining,the plants in your pond can bring such beauty and attract beautiful creatures as well. The whole scene in and around the pond, with all it's life, is so captivating and so addicting to witness, watch, and be a part of, that it's a wonderful thing to have.

Having a pond is an affordable utopia and luxury. It's also healthy for the mind and the soul. I thought it was for me at first, now I realize, that it's the whole family's because they enjoy it too.

I don't know about the rest of you, but my husband and my kids like to put on goggles, lean over the edge of the pond, and stick their heads in it to look at the fish from under the water. I think they are nuts and are grose for doing it. (Yes, I have told them about the little and microscopic things and bugs in the the water) They say it was the best way to view the critters in the pond...I worry that they would give my poor fish a heart attack..lol.