It’s hard to believe that garden ponds were fairly rare not so long ago. Now they are considered an essential part of most backyard gardens.

I built my first backyard pond about twenty years ago. After seeing a massive in-ground pond on a rural garden tour, I was hooked (that’s it in the photo above). The sound of the waterfall was enticing. Dozens of fat fish frolicked in the waterfall. Dragonflies dipped down to drink and then zotted off into the garden. Squirrels would lean over the edge, taking sips of water with their little red tongues. Water spiders danced across the surface. Water lily stems held their flowers high above the surface, leaning their pink and white petals toward the sun. Frogs sunbathed and snoozed on the floating leaves. That pond was clearly the heart of the garden and it was just beautiful.

My own first pond was not nearly so grand. In fact, it was simple preformed pond that I buried in the ground, probably not more than 500 gallons. I added a little makeshift waterfall and a couple of aquatic plants. But that was enough to bring the entire garden to life.

What I wasn’t expecting was how a pond—no matter what size—truly transforms a space. Suddenly my little perennial and veggie garden became the hub for all living things in the area. All creatures great and small made use of the fresh water and chose their nesting spots nearby. As someone who loves not just plants but the living things that rely upon and sustain them, this was a wonderful thing.

Since then, I have built several more ponds: in-ground ponds with waterfalls, above ground ponds in containers, bathtub ponds, patio container ponds, and miniature desktop ponds.

What you build will depend on your resources: the space available, your budget, how big or permanent you want the pond to be, if you prefer a naturalized pond or want something with more of a human touch, and what you want the pond to do for your space.

The first step when planning a pond is to get inspired. There are so many choices to consider:

Above ground, inground, or partly inground
Type of materials to contain, surround, and line the pond
Formal, casual, or naturalized
Waterfalls, bubblers
Fish, plants (the other wild things will find it on their own)