Zen-like Japanese garden house surrounded by peaceful greenery, big natural stones and a stick private fence.

It’s almost summer and in some regions it’s already summer, it’s warm and there are lots of sunlight. If you love to spend time outdoors, especially if you have a garden, there’s a great idea to make your garden more nature-like – to add pond! We’ve gathered a bunch of ideas and pond designs in different styles, with different plants and even fish, just have a look. If you like a more refined variant, make a pond near your entrance or house and create a path above it. For a more organic design choose stones, moss, water lilies and carps or other fish, and a water cascade or a fountain would diversify the look. We hope you’ll enjoy the photos and maybe find something for your own garden.

Best Pond Plants

We also have some tips to help make your pond look very natural. Planting plants in your pond is as important as planting them outside of it. They not only looks great but also filter wanter to keep it fresh. There are three kinds of water plants you need to know about.

Bog plants, are those that have roots and are planted underwater near the edges of the pond. You can simply put them in large pots and place where you need. In nature, these plants help to control the erosion of the bank of the pond. They also act as natural water filters. Among the most popular bog plants are Corkscrew Rush, several Iris varities, Cattail, Cyperus alternifolius (Umbrella Palm), Broadleaf arrowhead and many others.

Floating plants are those that float on the surface. Many of them are quite invasive and hard to control. Among these plants are: Pistia (Water Lettuce), Ivy-leaved duck weed, Frogbit, Salvinia minima (Water velvet), and so on.

Pond plants are those that are potted underwater and could be planted at any depth. They grow long stems so above the surface of the water you could see beautiful blooms. The most popular pond plants that everybody knows are water lilies and lotus.

Backyard Pond Varites

There are many kinds of ponds you can build in your backyard. Among the most popular are those that are made with natural rocks. Such ponds remind those beautiful lakes you could find in mountains. The next type is contemporary ponds. They look well near modern houses and in highly maintained backyards where all greenery is pruned. Besides, you can even DIY a pond for your deck that could even be moved when it’s necessary. In our gallery, you’ll also find interesting ideas for above-ground, natural swimming and Koi ponds. Those are awesome too.

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a contemporary patio with a koi pond and a little waterfall

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a contemporary pond is a perfect background for fancy goldfishes

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a natural swimming pond is a great alternative to a standard pool

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a weathered Adirondack chair should be near every backyard pond because of the fact it fit nature surroundings very well

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adding a pond to an small urban garden might be a great way to spice things up

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driftwood is a great addition to any water feature

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gazing to a fish pond might be a perfect way to spend 10 minutes after hard day at work

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natural swimming ponds could come in different sizes but they are much deeper than organmental ones

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stone pavers could surround any swimming pond so you could walk by it

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water plants is a great natural filter so you dont need to add chlorine to a swimming pond

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Even a small pond could make a simply backyard much more interesting.

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Natural pond where house owners could swim during hot summer days.

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A large pond could look like a lake. Just don't forget to add a gazebo near it. It's a perfect place to admire the nature around.

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A wooden bridge is perfect way to connect zones in your backyard.

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Water lilies are beautiful so definitely add them to your backyard's pond.

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As we already showed you, any large pond should feature a gazebo near by.

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Layered ponds are even more beautiful because they remind small mountain rivers.

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There are so many beautiful plants that are perfect to grow near water on in it...

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Water flowers are easy to grow and look beautiful during the whole season.

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Modern looking garden fixtures look great among beauties of nature like greenery, stones and water.

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A backyard waterfall might easily become a focal point of your garden.

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Every pond should be surrounded by stones to remind mountain landscapes. The more you add, the better it looks.

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In those climates that don't have a cold season you could build a pond right by your house.

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a great thing about ponds is that they look better over time

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A swing arbor is one of those things you can build near a pond to help you admire it.

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That's how you can take building a pond to the next level. A bunch of terraces, waterfalls, and lots of water plants surrounded by forest trees. Perfect place to hide from Summer heat.

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Pebbles are great to hide pond's borders.

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If conditions are right you can add some beautiful fishes to your pond.

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Small pond design with a small waterfall right in the middle of a garden.

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Lawn is also a great surrounding to a backyard's pond.

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Nymphaeaceae is a family of water plants that should be added to any backyard pond.

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A little pond near the BBQ area is a great idea to make your cooking time more pleasant.

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As you can go with natural pond borders, you can go with more man-made looking walls to make it look more contemporary.

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fishes are little things that makes a pond complete

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Japanese ponds could provide inspiration for any backyard pond construction.

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A cozy chair is the most simple solution to admire your pond surrounded by trees and other plants.

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Even a tiny pond could add an interesting touch to your backyard.

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A hammock is another great thing to build near the pond. Perfect place for daydreaming.

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Small fountains and waterfalls are those things that can easily make a backyard's pond cooler.

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Don't forget to add some figures to decorate your pond.

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Even a natural-looking pond could benefit from underwater lighting. Consider this before building yours.

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Small DIY pond is a great weekend project to make your backyard even cooler than it is.

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above ground ponds look great too

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Add some under-water lighting to make your pond look better at night.

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With careful stone placing you can even walk through your pond.

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That's how well designed modern ponds looks like.

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Adding stepping stones to the pond might be a great idea if its locating is somewhere in the middle of your backyard.

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The cool thing about water is that it reselects all these beautiful trees that surround it.

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Koi ponds are more complex in construction but they are more rewarding.

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If you have a natural pond then Koi fishes would survive in it without much trouble.

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Admiring fishes is even more interesting that admiring gorgeous water plants.

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Checking what fishes are doing right from your terrace could take spending time there on the another level.

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Once again, Japanese Koi fishes are beautiful things to add in any pond.

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Sound of flowing water could make your outdoor relaxing much more pleasant.

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The cool thing about water plants that they filter water so it stay fresh-looking.

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If your pond is large enough don't forget to add a wooden bridge to it. It's perfect way to connect several backyard's zones.

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A waterfall made of stone is one of those things that could become a focal point of any pond.

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Even a small waterfall is a nice addition to a pond.

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This is how beautiful backyard with a pond could be. Of course, fishes and a wood bridge add some goodness to this beauty.

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Long and narrow ponds are perfect for similar backayrds.

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With some planing you can even walk through your pond. Just don't forget to add stepping stones.

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who said it isnt possible to have a koi pond indoors