How to create a barrel pond for wildlife | WWT

Adding water to your outdoor space is one of the most important things you can do for wildlife. It is vital habitat for wetland wildlife like frogs and dragonflies. Creating a barrel pond is one of the easiest, most accessible ways to bring wildlife to your space as you only need a small bit of hard standing land. It’s also great for many species of garden plant, insect, bird and mammal. We used lot of plants in this barrel pond to show variety. You don’t need to use that many – 3 plants would be absolutely fine for a barrel pond and allows more room for each to grow bigger. Try to pick one with flowing leaves for shade and cover, one with emerging vertical stems, and one with plenty of leaves under the water to oxygenate the water and provide habitat below the surface. Here are some details of the native plants we have used: Mare’s Tail, also known as bottle brush (Hippuris vulgaris) – evergreen and a good oxygenator. Can be planted at a range of depths in the pond. Bog bean (M