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Call terraces, balconies and gardens


As the days get warmer, we start getting the itch. We want to get our terraces, balconies and gardens up to scratch for the hot days and balmy summer nights. Flowers and beautiful garden furniture are a great way to make yourself feel at home outdoors. It is especially beautiful when our outdoor space feels a little like the sea or a lake, with a small water feature directly in front of our house – how about a mini pond for example?

Materials for the mini-pond:

  • Pond liner (thickness 3-5 mm) for lining the non-waterproof vessel 
  • Staple gun to fasten everything together 
  • Scissors 
  • Lean, unfertilised soil or special pond soil planting baskets 
  • Stones for varying the placement height of aquatic plants in containers 
  • Decorative pebbles 
  • Watering can, Wooden tub 
  • Stapler, e.g. Novus J-17 DA or Novus J 19 EADHG staples (flat wire 6-8 mm)

A little oasis of calm


Due to their size and shape, wooden tubs are ideal for your mini pond and can simply be bought from a hardware store. In addition to tubs, you can also place your pond in glazed ceramic pots, wine barrels, zinc buckets and old feed troughs. All that matters is that the containers are at least 10 cm high and offer more surface area than depth. If you want to use water permeable containers, you should line them with pond foil beforehand. Before you can start building the pond, you will have to search for a suitable location: A place that offers enough sunshine for the plants to grow, but also enough shade to protect them, is ideal for this. A spot under a deciduous tree is not suitable, however, as falling leaves can get into the pond water and thus influence the water quality.

The right plants for the mini pond


When choosing plants, you should select species that do not proliferate and that are appropriate for the location and depth of your pond. A combination of a floating pad plant, marsh plants and tall plants create a balanced aesthetic.

And this is how it’s done:


1. Prepare the container

First coat the wooden tub with foil and weigh it down with stones. Then carefully raise the foil on the inside of the vat and staple this inner edge firmly, e.g. with a Novus staple gun. To prevent the film from tearing, it should not be stretched too tightly. Finally, cut off the overhanging foil.

2. Fill the pond

Cover the bottom of the pond with a 10–14 cm high layer of soil. Then place the stones in terraced form on the bottom of the vat. Before doing so, you should check which depth of water your plants prefer, in order to place them at the right place on the stone terrace to suit their requirements. A step-by-step video tutorial is also available on the Novus Fastening YouTube channel. All that remains is to wish you much fun in your own little oasis!