We put a pond in our garden for just £50 – it makes the most of a shady corner and our kids are obsessed with it

The Sun

04-05-2025

WA-TER MAKEOVER
They got the rocks for the pond from someone who was getting rid of theirs
Sarah Bull
IT can be difficult to know what to do with dark corners of the garden.
But one couple came up with the brilliant idea of using the otherwise dead space to put a pond.
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Not only that, but they managed to do it all themselves - for just £50.
Sophie took to TikTok to share a video of the process, which began by collecting rocks for the pond from a skip and removing the lawn in the area where the pond would be.
They then started to dig - the most arduous part of the whole job.
"We dug different levels and a slope for wildlife to get in and out," Sophie explained.
The next step was to add a pond liner they bought online, before popping in some oxygenating pond plants.
Once it was finished and good to go, Sophie showed her three boys eagerly waiting by the pond's edge, as she said: "The boys were so excited for frogs and newts to arrive!"
She further explained the project in the video caption, as she said it was their "lucky day" when they spotted a skip full of rocks where someone had just removed a pond.
But if you're not quite as lucky, Sophie suggested checking Facebook Marketplace for similar freebies.
While they had added the slope in the pond for wildlife to be able to easily get in and out, the area has since become a favourite for birds to have their daily bath.
They also added a pump because they wanted "to hear the sound of running water".
The Range launch HUGE summer sale for the bank holiday weekend with a playhouse, inflatable pool with slide & table sets all slashed by up to half price
And within weeks, frogs and newts had made their way to the pond, making it "all worth it".
"Definitely consider adding a pond to your garden," she concluded.
"It wasn't something we ever would have done when the boys were younger as water and drowning is a huge fear of mine so always be careful."
"It's fabulous!" one person wrote in the comments section.
"My wildlife pond is 4 years old, I have 2 large clumps of frogspawn and newts hibernating under the rocks.
"Your kids will learn so much about life!"
Top gardening trends of 2025
Gardening experts at Barnsdale Gardens has shared the top gardening trends of 2025.
Matrix planting
It seems that a top planting trend for this year is going to be Matrix Planting.
In essence, planting in groups or blocks to give an effect of being wild whilst actually being carefully managed.
Selection of the plants is essential, to give year-round interest either with flowers, seed heads or frosted/snowy spent flower heads. Some recommend using plants that seed around, but this could make managing your matrix planting harder to keep under control.
Chrysanthemum comeback
I hope that the humble Chrysanthemum makes as much of a comeback this year as Dahlias have over recent years, because the simple single flowered types, such as 'Innocence' and 'Cottage Apricot' would be spectacular within a matrix scheme.
The hardy varieties are so easy to grow in a sunny spot and give such a valuable burst of late summer and autumn colour that would lift any dull- looking border.
Blended borders
For some time now we have been promoting the growing of veg within ornamental borders and I think this could really take off this year.
The choice of ornamental-looking varieties available in seed catalogues is phenomenal and, if managed correctly, visitors to your garden will not even realise that you have veg growing!
Must-have tool
My secret is out. I discovered the Hori Hori a couple of years ago and now it seems so is everyone else.
It is such a well-made, adaptable tool that can be used as a trowel or weeding tool in the garden that and everyone I speak to who have used it absolutely would not now be without it. Enough said!
"Really nice to see someone creating habitats for wildlife when half of TikTok is full of garden builds with Astro turf and patios," another commented.
"It looks amazing!! Well done, lovely job!!" a third praised.
And for everyone saying the pond should have been built in the sun, there were just as many arguing that the shade is better.
"Our last pond was in full sun and had SO much algae overgrowth we couldn't keep on top of," one wrote.
"Now ours is half shaded and it's perfect!"
"A shady corner is ace," another agreed.
"We bought a house with a pond but it was in direct sunlight all day, the algae growth was crazy.
"We could never get it right!"
"In the summer our pond is sheltered by huge gunnera leaves and various plants," a third added.