Pond Edging- Edging for your Pond

Pond edging is not visible to the passerby, but it helps to hold the structure together, conceal liner, and set the mood of the pond. Pond edging can be done through the use of soil, stones, brickwork, wood, turf, or shingle. Choose a material that is long-lasting and stable, and carefully plan out the edging to ensure that the end result suits the style of the pond.

1. Pond Edging for Sunken Ponds

The edging needs to obscure all traces of the liner from view (whether it be a preformed liner or EPDM liner). A dense planting of bog and marginal plants, large rocks, and layered stone can all be used to accomplsih this. Densely plant pond plants to achieve the look of a forest pool. Use weathered stone as pond edging if you want to aim for a riverside rock pool. Use a mixture of layered rock and plants as pond edging if you want a meandering stream effect.

Pond Edging Idea: Rockpool boulder

Set each boulder on a pad of concrete, and tilt them so that their weights are thrown backwards. Run the liner under and up behind the boulders, so that the boulders are partially underwater.

Pond Edging Idea: Meandering stream

Set carefully-selected slabs of stone on a pad of concrete to create a striated drystone wall that tilts back against the soil. Run the liner up between the wall and the soil bank.

Pond Edging Idea: Beachside edging

Create the pond using liner and a concrete ring footing supporting a brick wall. Cover the slope with cobblestones and shingle, and top it with soil. The water should come halfway up the beach.

Pond Edging Idea: Bog garden rock edging

Built the pond with a liner, ring footing and a brick wall to secure and define the edge. Add soil and stones to conceal the brick wall.

2. Formal Edgings for Sunken Ponds

A formal edge is one that does not exist in nature naturally. It can consist of paving, brick, concrete, stone, wood, or metal.

Pond Edging Idea: Brick on Edge

A brick paving patio with on-edge (soldier bricks) for the edging.

Pond Edging Idea: Reconstituted stone

An octagonal pond set admist reconstituted stone paving.

Pond Edging Idea: Railroad tie

A square pond with an edging made from railroad ties, backed with bricks.

Pond Edging Idea: Cleft-stone paving

A long, semi-sunken pond surrounded by cleft-stone paving.

Pond Edging Idea: Curb and cobblestones

A cast concrete kerb edging surrounded by egg-size cobbestones set in mortar.

Pond Edging Idea: Concrete and mosaic

A circular pond with a cast concrete edging, detailed with a mosaic infill.

3. Pond Edging for Raised Ponds

Raised ponds require retaining walls to both hold the shape of the pond and to conceal the liner. Many build a wall that is only one brick thick and flap the EPDM liner over it (or sit the preformed liner in place), and then paste mortor on top of the wall to bed the coping into posiiton. However, the narrowness of the wall means that the coping can fall off quite easily. It is advised that retaining walls be at least two-bricks thick, which will provide plenty of surface contact between the wall and the coping.

Retaining Wall Idea: Roof tile sandwich

A traditional coping made from a double course of plain roof tiles.

Retaining Wall Idea: Soldier bricks

Bricks set on edge can create a simple, round pond.

Retaining Wall Idea: Cut stone

A double-row of cut stone slices produces a nice finish to a round pond.

Retaining Wall Idea: Reconstituted stone

A traditional retaining wall with a paver coping, made from reconstituted stone.

Retaining Wall Idea: Slate cladding

A wall can be built completely from concrete blocks and clad in slate.

Retaining Wall Idea: Log roll

Log-roll edging can be placed around a preformed raised pond, topped with soil and plants.

Next: Choosing Pond Plants

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