My Koi Pond: How to Create a Serene and Beautiful Oasis
Spring is an exciting time for koi pond owners. As the water temperature warms, the fish slowly become more active. After missing them under a sheet of ice all winter, it’s blissfully reassuring to see they’re still healthy. Today I’m sharing photos of my pond that were taken last fall. I love this little oasis that exists just outside our kitchen door. (All photos courtesy of Aquascape, Inc.)
The koi and the water lilies are the things I love most about my pond. There’s a peaceful enjoyment watching the koi swim about while listening to the soothing sound of the waterfall. And every time I see a waterlily poke its pretty head above the surface of the water, I get excited like a kid at Christmas.
Feeding the fish is always a joy for me. If you’re patient, you can train them to eat right out of your hand. Koi are quite friendly. When I need to step into the pond to prune lilypads or remove the faded flowers, the koi will always glide up against my leg, just like my cats do when it’s feeding time. And on occasion, they’ll nip at my toes thinking they’re worms. It doesn’t hurt, it’s just a little startling (in a good way) when it happens.
Believe it or not, each fish has its own unique personality. Some are shy, some are skittish, and some act like they’re happy to see you. The fish will survive the winter if your pond is at least two feet deep and you keep a hole in the ice. Or in my case, I leave the waterfall running all winter and don’t need to worry about keeping a hole in the ice. The waterfall provides adequate oxygen for my finned friends.
Koi don’t hibernate, they go into a state of dormancy called torpor. Once spring rolls around, they come out of that state and start swimming around. I don’t feed the fish until the water reaches 50 degrees, when they’re able to fully digest food.
Here’s another view of the pond from the patio next to the deck. I have a tendency to overplant which creates an air of intimacy around the koi pond. Lavender, hardy figs, ornamental onion, coneflowers, and more, are all planted in the dirt around the pond. Inside the pond are both tropical and hardy waterlilies, yerba mansa, aquatic hyacinth, rain lily, and a few others. Most of the pond plants are annuals so I change it up every year. It’s truly a backyard oasis.
Near the pond’s shore is a Rose of Sharon that attracts hummingbirds. My friend Lisa captured this photo for me. The koi pond also attracts frogs, toads, dragonflies, butterflies, and bumblebees. It’s amazing how all these critters find your pond once it’s installed. It’s the sound of water that draws them.
At night, the lights come on and the pond takes on a magic all its own.
I can’t imagine living without a koi pond. Each year we add a new plant or two and watch the water garden grow and evolve into the oasis it is today. We begin and end the warmer days here, drinking coffee in the morning and enjoying wine and conversation at night. Or sometimes I enjoy the pond by myself listening to nature and enjoying the therapeutic affects of the waterfall and surrounding beauty.
Visit Aquascape, Inc. if you’re interested in creating a serene and beautiful backyard oasis with a koi pond (or waterfall or fountain).
Love, love, love your pond….I have 3 that were created from former people who owned my house, my ponds are shallow around the edges but the middle are 18-20 feet deep. They are fed underground by a continual running spring….I have been slowly adding perrenials that I moved away from the gardens around the house….so I too love seeing the birds, bees and fish jumping…we often get ducks visiting to have their ducklings in the spring and they make it their home for the summer and leave us in the fall. The land leading up to the ponds are peat moss, so I have 710 high bush blueberries. It’s a really beautiful area. So when we moved here last January, the previously owner told us that we have a few blueberry bushes to enjoy but we saw the bushes in the spring when our snow thawed here in Canada….I spent 5 months trimming the blueberry bushes and decided to open a U-pick business and WOW, what a great way to meet new neighbours and make some money to buy hay for our horses/donkey. So thanks for sharing your pond, you created such a beautiful spot, I’m taking notes….Sheri from New Brunswick, Canada. P.S. Love your site of different homes etc….
Oh, wow! I had no idea the fish could stay in the pond over winter in a harsh climate- given the right conditions. How do you keep the waterfall/fountain running all winter? I have a small heated bird bath….your pond is just amazing. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful pond – I love it! It has been a dream of ours to have one of these to enjoy in our backyard. Maybe we’ll give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration.
I’m glad you shared your pond and the way the flowers have grown around it. I know you enjoy the peace and quite it brings to sit and watch those fish swim and all of nature.
This is so lovely. I had no idea one could hand feed Koi fish. I’ve been following your Town and Country Living blog for some time now, and have not seen that comments can be posted there. I love reading your blog, and I especially loved the pink and blue house. It looks so clean and fresh, and those are perhaps my two favorite colors.
What an amazing way to start and finish your day, and just outside your kitchen seems like a perfect spot. I really admire the edges of this pond, how they meander through the landscape the way nature creates them. It looks perfectly natural. Wonderfully written, thanks for sharing.
Absolutely love love love your koi pond..!!!