The name's Pond ...

Building a pond turned out to be slightly easier than expected. Step one is obviously dig a large hole, big enough to accommodate said pond. I dug a spade or so down and dropped a slab in to give it a solid base and hopefully stop any tree roots puncturing the liner.

I used bricks and old bits of wood to make a shelf on two sides to put plants on, covering the structure with cardboard before laying a couple of tarpaulins down for extra protection against invading roots.

Then I laid the liner on. I'd bought a 2m sq butyl liner off the roll as a garden centre, which gave me a bit of extra to work with as I filled it with the hosepipe.

The left hand side (top pic) shallows up to just a couple of inches of water, with an outfall under the quarry tiles.

There are broken pots and rocks to give creatures a hiding place in the shallows. I'm going to leave it for a week or two to settle down before I start introducing plants like marsh marigold and water soldier.

As well as cheering up a dull corner, the idea is to attract some wildlife including frogs and other predators, which will hopefully start keeping nasties like slugs in check.