Preformed ponds have come a long way since the days when the main choice was between a rectangular, circular or "naturally" shaped pond. If the encouragement of wildlife is one of your priorities, and it should be, then there are a number of preformed ponds available now which have much improved margins built in to the shape. Some even have a shallow sloping tray with a pebble strewn bottom that could form the perfect entry and exit point for frogs and toads inhabiting your wildlife friendly water feature.
The latest terminology I wanted to explain about is called a "Bio Edge". This is an area around the perimeter that is just a few inches wide, about eight inches deep and has a narrow retaining wall reaching almost all the way to the surface. The idea is that you can place compost into the trough and then plant marginal and bog plants to grow around the edge forming a perfect transition between land and open water for all the wildlife that comes and goes. Wetland is an increasingly scarce environment in the UK these days and every little bit of recreated bog land in homes and gardens will help to provide a vital oasis for the indigenous creatures that have evolved to take advantage of just such an environment. Bio edge preformed ponds also solve the problem of covering up the edge of the pond which is often the weakest point in creating the illusion of a natural looking pond in your garden.
There are no special considerations when digging the excavation for fitting a bio edge preformed pond, you just put it in the hole as normal, fill the gap with soil and sand and then plant the marginal area with native bog plants that will spread around and form a little reed bed to surround the water.
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