Creative landscaping designs will enhance a garden pond but there are some things that need to be considered. These landscaping designs should not only complement the area but also not to be a hindrance to any of the mechanical features that keep the water moving. You also do not want any debris falling into the pond especially if you are planning on having fish. A fish pond also needs to be surrounded by plants that will not become toxic to the fish.

A type of water feature that is somewhat different than the fish pond or garden pond is called a bog garden. This type of garden pond generally uses a perforated pond liner and gets filled with mixtures of peat, compost, soil, and water which help to create a bog. The types of plants that you can use in this pond might include turtlehead, plantain lilies, irises, bog rosemary, and cattails. Most bog plants can also be used to surround the bog garden such as cattails, umbrella plants, and tules as long as the soil is quite moist or muddy and water is able to run through it slowly every day.

Most of us find that the sounds of running, trickling, or cascading water to be quite soothing. This is the reason why so many of us have water fountains or some type of water feature in our backyard landscape design. This movement of water is not just for our benefit; it aerates or puts oxygen into a pond that give fish a better habitat for living and it prevents water from becoming stagnant. You can purchase a pond fountain kit for your garden pond or create your own fountain or waterfall by using a heavy duty pump that has the ability to send water cascading down a hill of rocks or boulders or even a small slide.  

Landscaping designs can be as creative and unusual as you want. Plants such as agapanthus and clivia can be used as part of the design along with juniper that grows horizontally along the edge of the water. The tropical plants are also excellent plants to use such as succulents and yuccas. Sedges and ornamental grasses should also be included along with the soft sounds of bamboo or Miscanthus moving in a gentle breeze. Ferns are also excellent perennials to be part of your landscaping ideas around a garden pond such as shield, staghorn, and maiden hair.  

The following plant parts can be very toxic to fish: anemone flowers; amaryllis bulbs; angel trumpet leaves and flowers; azaleas and rhododendrons, all parts; bird of paradise seeds; betel nut palm, everything; calla lily leaves; bulbs of crocus; delphinium, everything; berries of English ivy; entire foxglove; holly leaves and berries; all of the hydrangea; all of the yellow jasmine; berries of mistletoe; leaves of oleander; sap and leaves of philodendron; poinsettia flowers and leaves; all of snapdragon and tiger lily; and foliage and vines of tomato. This just a short list; there are quite a number of them and a good nursery will help determine the best plants to use for around or in a fish pond.  

The fish in your Koi pond need minimum sun and wind exposure to resist algae profusion and from the effects the sunlight has on the color of carp, it could bleach the color away. For this type of pond the tall vertical plants will help protect the water and fish. Most other types of water gardens need to have the opposite elements; a substantial amount of sun for the plants to grow. It is better to bunch together similar kinds of plants than to have one of every type of plant. Sometimes it will help to visit public gardens to see how they have designed the landscape around aquatic features. There are also garden books that specialize in landscaping ideas around water.

Try to incorporate the entire backyard so all aspects will blend in nicely. When you use perennials that love moisture and the hardy ornamental grasses your water garden or garden pond will be the main focus of your backyard. It is best to put everything down on paper during the planning, this way you will know where everything is going and you should not have any problems. Your backyard garden pond will look as though it has always been there because you blended in all your creative landscaping designs.