Edging garden ponds

Small man-made garden ponds are often let down by the fact that the pond liner shows around the edges and it is quite difficult to get a natural looking edge. If you have managed to get the banks of the pond level all the way around, you are half-way there. Then, it's just a question of personal taste which method you use.

Rocks, bricks or coping stones on a narrow shelf.

This method allows you to mortar your chosen edging materials into place on top of the liner.Bricks and coping stones are more suitable for a contemporary pond or for a square or rectangular shape whereas rocks suit a natural pond. No matter how careful you are, you are likely to let mortar fall into the pond. You should wait for it to harden and fall to the bottom of the pond before fishing it out.

Rocks and pebbles on a wider shelf

Using a wider shelf and a mixture of rocks and pebbles allows you to grow some shallow-rooted plants in between the pebbles whilst still making sure you completely cover the pond liner. It is possible to dislodge the rocks and pebbles since they are not mortared in and it can be quite difficult to cover every bit of the liner.

Rocks and pebbles on a slope

Laying rocks and pebbles on a slope as opposed to a shelf hides even more of the liner and lets you grow some plants. Again though, you will find that the pebbles and rocks may be dislodged over time.

Edging with turf

You can lay turf right up to the edges of your pond and you can let some of the grass grow long to encourage wildlife to shelter there. To use turf as an edger, you will need to make your shelf deeper so that there is sufficient soil to keep the turf healthy. This makes a nice natural finish and you can replace the turf with plants if you like.