Mini Wildlife Barrel Pond 

​Have you ever felt that your garden hasn't got enough wildlife in it? Would 
you like to make a small pond out of something many people can get and 
many people already have? Try building a mini wildlife barrel pond! This is a 
really simple way to make a small pond in your garden with things many 
people have. This attracts all sorts of wildlife, such as birds, dragonflies 
and damselflies to your garden, no matter how big or small!  
 
You will need: 
Half barrel (around 60x45cm) 
Some pond plants (see below) 
A fairly large stick/log (for the birds to sit on) 
A small basket 
A big basket 
Some bricks 
Aquatic Compost 
Grit 
 
Some good pond plants are lilies, water mint, cuckoo flower and 
purple loosestrife. Some other good plants are fibre optic plants, Iris 
versicolor and flowering rush to put into your basket as well. 
Remember to also get some hornwort to oxygenate your pond! ] 
 
 
 
 
   
 How to make the barrel pond 
 
1. Clean out your barrel so it is safe for your animals that may come 
2. Get out your baskets 
3. Put a tiny layer of compost in your basket. 
3. In your big basket put your main plants in. Make sure to take them out of 
their pot, and put some space between the plants! Place these into your 
basket 
4. Pour your aquatic compost around your plants and firm it down so it 
is nice and compact. 
5. Put a layer of grit on top of your compost to keep the plants and the 
compost from floating away 
6. Put some more plants in your smaller basket such as your water lilies 
7. Stack your bricks 2 or 3 high and place your baskets on top of them 
8. Using a hosepipe, pour the water into the barrel, covering everything 
9. Put your hornwort in your pond to oxygenate your pond 
 
You can put this anywhere outside, in your front garden or back garden. 
Don’t hide it away, or all the wildlife may not find it and they won’t come, so 
put it sort of out in the open.