2torial #0693:
Learn2 Build a Garden Pond (continued)

Create the shoreline

Technically, the reason to create a shoreline is to cover and help secure the lining's border. Aesthetically, though, it can do wonders for blending the pond into the surrounding landscape. Keep these guidelines in mind when creating yours:

• Always bury at least 6 inches (15 centimeters) of the liner's outer edge. This will keep it out of sight and prevent it from slipping into the pond.

• Situate rocks so they extend over the water's edge about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters). This will help further camouflage the liner.

• For a formal pond, try laying flagstone side-by-side along the shoreline perimeter (and the tier), or stacking the stones up from the underwater tier until they reach past the surface, then tucking the liner underneath the top stone.

• For a natural pond, the shoreline can be built up from a shallow tier, or started above the water's surface. Mix large and small stones for a more organic look (use aggregate--washed bits of stone--to fill in the gaps).

• Arrange plants along the shoreline in their pots, or cut a hole in the liner (at least 6 inches, or 15 centimeters, from the water's edge) and transplant them. You can also create a gravel planting pocket by stacking a wall of stone along the edge of a tier, then filling it in with aggregate above the water level. Bury the pot in the gravel to its top so it's level with the aggregate and above the water level.