Pond Design

Pond design is important to both commercial and residential landscapes. A pond can be built in virtually any style. It can establish the theme of a landscape, or it can support a more complex landscaping design. A good many ponds are deliberately constructed to look like the ones we find in forests and mountains. Others appear deliberately manmade and are designed in this manner to work as compliments to highly contemporary and eclectic architecture.

In most instances, commercial ponds tend to look deliberately man-made and are designed to reflect the architecture of an office park or corporate headquarters. Residential ponds, by contrast, feature designs that heavily emphasize Nature, vegetation, and wildlife. Other than making certain that the size and shape of the pond honor home architecture and outdoor elements, we can basically accommodate any style or sensibility the homeowner is looking to add to the property.

In as much as possible, a pond should look have earth or gravel at the bottom to look as natural as possible. However, exclusively earthen bottoms inside the city limits of Houston are impractical. Heavy rains will flood the pond and alter the shape of the bottom. In order to maintain the form and depth of the pond bottom, we normally build a gunite shell to buttress it against unstable soil conditions that can cause erosion. Gunite creates a very stable, sealed basin for water containment and circulation. Drains and silent pumps can be hidden beneath the surface of the water. Such concealed mechanisms can be used to aerate the water for goldfish and koi, power fountains, or create artificial waterfalls.

Once the gunite shell is built and pumps and drains installed, we almost always add earth or gravel to the bottom of the pond. In addition to the aesthetic this creates, this creates an ideal habitat for wildlife. Many plant species such as lily pads and reads will grow just as hardily in a gunite pond provided the layer of soil or gravel is thick enough. A number of native wildlife species, such as turtles, bluegill perch, tadpoles, and adult frogs lay their eggs in this soil and hide from predators.

To further magnify the pond and make it stand out in a yard, we will often design ledges around the water where we can place a number of plant species. Ledges also provide shelters for aquatic life, especially if they are built to curve inward under the water. Fish can hide under these ledges and remain completely concealed and safe. We can also build rock formations and fountains that look like natural waterfalls. Such ponds can even be designed as natural swimming pools that are environmentally friendly and also safe for human use.

These many elements are based upon the intended use of the pond and the overall theme of the surrounding landscaping design. No two ponds we design will ever be the same, and homeowner consultation throughout the process plays a very large role in determining the specifics of the final outcome.

If you are interested in any high-quality landscape services, Exterior Worlds has been providing the high-end residential landscape services and garden design services discussed above for the Houston and the surrounding areas including The Memorial Villages (Piney Point Village, Bunker Hill Village, Hunter Creek Village), Tanglewood, River Oaks, West University and the greater Houston (Hou), area since 1987.