subject: Attract wildlife to your garden by creating a pond using pond liners [print this page] Attract wildlife to your garden by creating a pond using pond liners
Attracting wildlife to your garden does have great benefits to the environment. The changes in farming, increase in the number of buildings being constructed, renovations to old buildings and the expansion of road networks have resulted in the natural habitats of all types of wildlife to disappear.
If we want to see a growing trend in wildlife friendly gardening, we need to move away from manicured gardens, sterile lawns, clipped hedges and shrubs to gardens planned not just for plants but also for the benefit of wildlife. A balanced ecological garden means that many pests are killed by their own predators because the natural food-chain of predators is maintained. This doesn't mean that you can't ever use pesticides, but staying as close to nature as possible is certainly the best way of going about attracting wildlife to your garden.
You can attract wildlife by providing food and putting up shelters in your garden such as nest boxes or planting ground cover to encourage more natural sites for shelter and nesting. Birds, mammals and insects will be attracted to wildlife friendly gardens including those with a source of water.
No matter what size your garden, you can enhance its value for wildlife with the addition of a well-planned pond. Using a pond liner, you can create a shallow pond with a gradual sloping area at the edges.
The deepest part of the pond should not be more than 20cm deep to reduce the risk of animals drowning. The pond needs to be positioned in an area of the garden that gets at least four hours of sun a day. Aquatic plants grow well with four or more hours of direct sunlight.
To reduce any possible pond maintenance it is advisable to line your pond with a protective underlay before covering with either a plastic or rubber liner. The underlay will protect the pond's liner from rocks, roots, or other debris. Plastic liners are generally cheaper but thinner, and rubber pond liners are more durable and therefore less maintenance required.
An edging needs to be placed around the pond to protect the pond liner from UV rays and the claws of visiting wildlife. Many materials are suitable such as slate, brick, rocks, concrete, turf grasses, and other plantings. Keep in mind that the edging of the pond should not present an obstacle to an animal trying to get into or out of the water.
Just as a garden requires ongoing maintenance to keep it looking healthy, so too does a pond. This will include topping-up the pond with water (preferably rain water collected in a water butt, but if this is not possible then use fresh water) and removing any debris that lands in the pond. Algae can be any pond keeper's worst enemy, but there are environmentally friendly ways of dealing with it. Adding submerged aquatic plants is one way of cutting down on algae growth.
Lastly, make your pond even more inviting to the animals living around you by adding water lilies and other aquatic plants to your pond. Birds, amphibians, and insects will land or sit on large lily pads and drink from the edge of the leaf. You might see goldfinches or red-winged blackbirds perch on the vertical stems of plants rising out of the water to drink, or swallows scooping moist earth from potted plants to make nests.
Enjoy creating that perfect environment for attracting wildlife into your garden and to your pond.
