This garden pond had fallen on hard times:  A little waterfall had proven to be a big maintenance headache.  A shallow shelf for plants failed to provide a sure-footed way to wade in for water gardening.  An illogical ring of small stones at the margins had begun to slip and expose the liner.

The right thing to do was to rebuild with a heavier liner and a geologic program that mimicked a stream washing through an area of broken bedrock.  Much of the pond floor was raised for easier wading, with a few deeper rocky hideaways for fish.  A biological filter grid was installed to eliminate the need for fussy filtration gizmos.

A much more random arrangement of larger stones at the edge allows visitors to get close to the water without damaging the rim.  The flat boulders avoid interrupting the level spaces of surrounding lawn, which will grow back in by summer.