Choose the Ideal Stepping Stone for Your Pond

A pond adds tranquility and grace to any landscape. Whether you are in the process of constructing your own pond on your property or are thinking of enhancing a pre-existing water feature, adding stepping stones creates both a visual and practical guide to enjoying aquatic attractions. Enjoyed by adults and children alike, a path of stepping stones allows you and your guests to walk across water and pause to enjoy and reflect.

Choosing which stones to install in your water feature can be more involved than it may seem. Some of the things to consider when making this decision are dimensions of your stones, the color and texture you desire, whether you’d prefer your stones in a more natural or manufactured state, and the ease of their installation.

The dimensions depend on the purpose of the stepping stones in your pond. Will your stones serve a practical purpose of getting from one place to another? Or will they be more decorative, serving primarily to highlight a specific feature or to enhance the visual aesthetics? A practical, usable path will require sturdy, well-supported stones with enough surface area to comfortably stand upon. More decorative stones can be tinier and don’t require as much underwater support.

Stepping stones come in a wide variety of colors and textures from flecked white to jet black, from polished to rough-hewn. Even if you know with certainty which type of stone you want, most popular stones such as granite and sandstone come in a wide variety of hues and surfaces. This choice, combined with the state of the stone, should reflect the taste and vision of the designer and ultimately blend in or improve the overall aesthetics of the pond. More naturally cut stones in your pond will create a harmonious and organic feel to the path you lay out. If you prefer your stones to have a more manufactured look, these create a better sense of direction, order, and design.

Finally, it’s important to understand how to properly and securely install stepping stones in your pond. If you are constructing an artificial pond, determine first where you want your path to go, and then make sure that you construct secure footings before you put the pond liner down. Once the liner is down, brick or concrete supports your stone just above the water level. Installing stepping stones in a natural pond also requires the installation of secure footings, frequently of concrete, but can be more involved depending on the depth of the water. Consult a professional when in doubt.

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