The perfect pond maintenance for cleaning ponds and conservation of ponds

Pond predators in your water garden? what to do? ... Water voles or water rats are confined to streams and very wet ditches and although regaining a foothold in the countryside with the clamp down on the mink population, it is still rare enough to be no threat at all to suburban pond liners.

Landscaping techniques that discourage garden predators ... Using 'soft landscaping' techniques i.e. using plants, a wreath of spiky, thorny plants growing around can be visually effective particularly amongst rocks or gravel. en leaves. They also come dwarf, evergreen and with stunning yellow or orange flowers.

British and garden predators - the bad guys ... The Great Diving Beetle, Dysticus marginalis. This kills small fish considerably larger than itself. Net it out. Not to be confused with the Great Silver Beetle, which eats plants and is the largest beetle in the pond.

Conservation or natural garden ponds ... The problems inherent in the design of conservation ponds make them worthy of a separate mention. It is not that they are more prone to problems; it is just that if there is a problem of any sort then it is more difficult to correct.

Choice of plants for the British Natural water garden pond ... Here is a range of typical and indigenous water plants that would be suitable to establish in new conservation ponds or lakes.

Transporting the rubbish out of the pond ... If you are leaving material to drain on the bank and small animals to escape, be careful not to smother large areas of bank and not to leave silt where it will run back or be washed by rain back into the pond.

Cleaning out conservation water garden ponds ... When it comes to clearing the real mud, silt and rubbish on the bottom of the pond, start at the bank and work out into the pond so that you are not churning up the mud and silt or tripping over the rubbish you are about to remove.

You and your water garden design are not the main beneficiaries of this feature ... It is only when you have a pond that you realise the importance of water in the garden.