Building a natural bridge and Koi pond in the backyard

“Firstly, even though my ground seemed rock free, once we got down about a foot or so, we ran into rocks. Not solid nor tremendously numerous, still they were sufficient to create an issue digging deep enough to give me the 3.5' I set out for. Instead, after getting between 2.5 and 3', we ran out of energy to continue to fight the hard clay and rocks to gain another inch of depth. So, we stopped there and worked on the sides to create the shelves. And there I ran into another issue with the ground. Namely, the way it crumbled as I attempted to dig and shape the sides. It refused to hold together like I had seen in all the videos I had watched on Youtube.”

“Left behind from the retreating glacier that covered the Northeast during the last Ice Age, the granite ledge and large rock outcroppings in our backyard provided a dramatic backdrop for building a little garden pond. A gap between two boulders left a natural trough that was perfect for building a little stream to trickle down towards the pond, cascading over the edge of a waterfall and then spilling into a small pond that we dug out between the rocks and contained with a cinder block retaining wall. Building this small garden pond in an area surrounded by ledge and boulders, under trees and on a slight slope was a challenging project, but it was a lot of fun too.”

“As we dug, I realized I would not have sufficient height to allow for my original plan of two small waterfalls leading down to the main pond. So, I redesigned in midstream (no pun intended) and only did one waterfall, while lengthening my stream portion of the pond. [...] Let me tell you, my reality was not what my mind designed, but at least it was close.”