Even if you live in an arid climate or just have a small backyard, you can still have your own pond.  These two ponds are easy to install and are visually appealing. 

Dry Landscape Sunken Pond

If you live in a hot climate where water is precious, you can still have a small pond without much effort. One way to make one is by using paving stones and smooth river rocks. Dig out a rectangular, square or circular hole and line it with thick plastic. Frame it with paving stones that will hold the plastic in place.

With the rectangle and square design you'll end up with four open corners. Fill these with river stones in a different colour than the paving stones. You can get arched paving stones for a circular pond and then just fill in any gaps with the river stones. Gray paving stones pared with black river stones looks both contemporary and stylish.

Fill the hole with river stones of different colours, sizes and shapes. This will both cover up the plastic and add interest to your pond. It will also help you save water because the rocks take up space. You can opt to install a water pump to recycle water or just add water when the pond gets too dry.

Pond In A Pot

Even if you have a postage-stamp sized backyard, a "pond in a pot" will still fit. This is also one of the easiest ponds to make because there's no digging involved. Just find a pot that fits in with your décor, put potting soil in the bottom, add some plants and cover the exposed soil with rocks or pebbles. Set the pot in your selected space. Add some water, and you have an instant pond. The water will saturate the potting soil and the rest will pool on the top.

Use a non-porous pot, like ceramic or stoneware. The larger the pot, the more creative you can get with the plants. Floating plants help reduce algae growth, so hyacinths work well, like from The Gardeners Nursery. They grow fast so you will have to trim these plants fairly often. Water grasses grow from the bottom of the pot to the surface and help oxygenate the water.

If large enough, pond pots will support fish. The pot should be left alone for a couple of weeks before you add any fish. This allows the water and plants to stabilize. If you are bringing fish from an inside tank, take a cupful of water from the pond and let the fish swim in that for a few minutes. This lets the fish get used to the temperature of the water. If you've bought new fish, keep them in the baggie that the aquarium shop puts them in. Put the baggie on the surface of the pond. The water temperature will even out in a few minutes and you can add the fish to the pond.

At first you'll have to feed your fish everyday with commercial fish food. Once the pond is established the fish will start eating the pond's algae. You'll have to keep an eye on the water level and change the water if it gets too mucky. Fish also do better in small ponds that have partial shade.

Whether you decide to add fish or not, ponds add an exotic touch to your personal space.