Pond Decorations & Ornament Ideas – 2022 Essential Décor Guide
One of the best things about having a garden pond is being able to add your own personal touch to it with pond decorations and ornaments! There are several different types of pond décor that work great to add personality and character to a water garden, and all can be mixed together to create something truly special.
Below we have some great pond decoration ideas, ranging from floating ornaments to water features, which would look great in all types of garden ponds. Although the choice of best pond décor is highly subjective and down to personal taste, we do hope this article at least gives you some inspiration when designing your own pond!
Pond Ornaments
Pond ornaments could be anything placed around the pond, which add to its visual aesthetic, and they also make fantastic Christmas or birthday gifts for pond lovers! These range from vintage statues, to stone benches, and even decoy animals for deterring predators! The choice of ornament would be dependent on the design of the water garden you’re looking to achieve. If you’re wanting an oriental zen theme, some water bamboo would look right at home. If you’re going for a Victorian-style garden, some vintage sculptures would fit perfectly. There are so many different types of ornaments you could choose, and sometimes it’s best to mix and match until you get that aesthetic just right. Some of our personal picks which might inspire you are below:
1) Solar Powered Turtles Statue
- CUTE TURTLE SOLAR GARDEN DECOR: This solar-powered outdoor LED light features three turtles with shells that light up at night to...
- HARNESS SUNSHINE TO LIGHT THE NIGHT: Runs up to 8 hours on a full charge. LED bulbs illuminate the turtles’ shells with dusk to give off a...
- WITHSTANDS ALL WEATHER: Toughest polyresin is used to make these decorative outdoor accent lights. The polyresin is completely dust and...
A lovely choice of solar-powered pond decoration which light up during the night! This fabulous trio of turtles are painted with super durable poly-resin for extra durability against all outdoor weather. They have built-in solar cells which absorb sunlight during the day, and an automatic sensor which turns the lights off in the morning and on during the night. The shells of the turtles light up and can provide up to 8 hours of nighttime operation on a full solar charge, which is really impressive!
There is no need for extra wiring, and the lights won’t cost you anything extra each month as they’re powered 100% by the sun. Would look great alongside the banks of a pond, blending in with the natural backdrop or alongside potted plants.
2) Little Boy Fishing Pond Statue
A classic pond-side feature that adds a huge amount of charm to a garden pond. Fisher ornaments sit neatly on the side of a pond, dipping their toes into the water and showcasing their latest “catch.” This particular ornament is hand-painted with non-toxic resin and features a very colorful fisher boy and his loyal pup. It measures around 10 inches in height, so would be a perfect addition to a small pond or to accompany other ornaments in a larger pond. It may be a little smaller than some other fisher statues, but the detail is superb and the statue is full of character which is difficult to find in non-painted varieties.
3) Helping Hands Rabbit Pond Friends
- Made from metal with an aged brass finish
- Perfect for decorating shelves, tables, stairs, patios and more
- Hollow body makes the piece light and easy to set up
A charming pond ornament, telling the story of some rabbits who’ve joined together to get their friend out of some garden trouble! The statue is made from high-quality aluminum and is 100% water-resistant. It would be a fantastic addition to a pond with a small ledge, or it can be added to a natural rock alongside the pond’s perimeter. The weighted design means it will fit just about anywhere that supports the shape, so you can get really creative with your garden storytelling! It measures around 11 inches in height, with the hanging rabbit needing around 3 inches of depth for solid placement.
This whimsical statue is probably one of our favorite pond ornaments due to its uniqueness and would make a lovely gift and great addition to any kind of water garden.
4) Toscano Pagoda Lantern Statues
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If your pond is looking a little dark and dull, lanterns are a great way to add some natural lighting and ambiance to the backdrop. These hand-cast stone lanterns from Toscano come in a few different sizes, and are compatible with common battery powered tea lights used in gardens. They’re extremely well made, durable, and would look great alongside both small or large ponds.
Even though they’re not specifically designed as pond ornaments, they look like miniature lighthouses when coupled with tea lights – something which we feel looks fantastic for a water garden! They’re also a good choice if you’re looking to add some “Zen” to your pond, as both the design and lighting are very relaxing.
5) Regal Art and Gift Bronze Heron Decoys
- Large metal bird(single unit).
- 6" ground stake included
- Make beautiful yard accents and pond decoys
Heron decoys are a common sight in fish-stocked ponds, as they help deter the real thing from eating pond fish! Most decoys are crafted from plastic and resin to cut down on costs, but we feel this doesn’t do justice if you want your decoy as both a deterrent and a fantastic piece of décor. These metal heron decoy statues from Regal Art & Gift are the best of both worlds; realistic enough to act as an effective deterrent, and beautifully crafted to enhance the aesthetic of a pond. The decoys are made from sturdy metal and painted with a bronze rustic finish. They come as a pair which looks fantastic together, but also work well alone as both a predator deterrent and pond decoration. They’re able to free stand on a flat surface without support, but also come with added stakes just in case.
Floating Pond Ornaments
A floating pond ornament does exactly what it says on the tin – it floats neatly on the surface of your pond! These types of decorations look great for all kinds of ponds, but would suit a pond without many pond plants as the water may look empty. If you have lots of water lilies, you don’t want too many floating ornaments as they can damage the plants. However, they’re a great choice for ponds with little plants, as they help break up the water and create a more exciting environment. Here are some of our floating ornament picks:
1) Floating Frog on Lily Pad
One of our favorite floating pond decorations is this charming life-size frog and lily pad which floats on the surface of your pond water. The frog is around the size of an actual bullfrog and is cast in non-toxic resin and hand-painted with a textured finish. It’s very light, and floats neatly on the water surface as it rides the current around your pond. The lily pad is also fairly big, and if you have goldfish it will give them an extra place to hide when they need to! A very cute and charming floating decoration that would suit any type of water garden, or make a great gift for a pond lover.
2) Realistic Male & Female Ducks
- Extremely realistic, highly detailed duck Garden decoration
- Lifelike floating Mallard Ducks set
- Easy to place and convenient to use
Floating duck pond ornaments are a popular piece, and we can’t help but love these highly realistic Mallard duck decoys which will fool even the real thing! Extremely realistic and highly detailed, these floating ducks would look great to add some realistic life to a pond or lake.
Made from durable and non-toxic materials, they’re safe for wildlife and will last a very long time in all weather without degrading. They’re also very light and float on the pond with a light “bobbing” motion with the natural water current. There are both female and male varieties and would work well as either a floating or pond side ornament. They may also help attract real ducks to your pond in Spring, so be prepared for possible extra guests!
3) Floating Pond Fish Dome
- Velda Floating Koi Fish Dome
- Floats On the surface water of the Pond, No Stand Required
- Float is 18 Inches x 9 Inches High (46 x 24 cm) Overall Size of dome 14'' (36cm)
What better ornament than your own fabulous pond fish? This great floating fish dome from Velda may not be a normal ornament, but it’s definitely one of our favorite pieces for fish stocked ponds. Fish food can be placed inside the dome when feeding, which allows you to get up close and personal with your pond fish. Over time, fish will become more and more accustomed to using the dome and will associate it with positive interaction (food), and will start coming up to say “hello” more frequently. If you have guests over, what better way to show off your fish than with a personal greeting!
The dome is fairly larger at around 22″, and needs to be fully submerged and the base filled with water before the glass top begins to float. It looks great in both small and large ponds and would suit both koi or goldfish feeding.
Pond Spitter Statues
Another great pond ornament that doubles as a miniature water feature is a spitter statue! These great looking sculptures are usually made from non-toxic resin and are designed to spit a small stream of water from their outlet. This gives some great ambiance to a silent pond, and also provides extra aeration and oxygenation which is beneficial for fish. They also look great, and would suit a small garden pond which may not be suitable with a larger feature, or in a larger pond alongside a main feature, such as a waterfall. Some of our best pond spitter choices are:
1) Aquascape Double Frog with Cattail Spitter
- Aquascape Spitter fountains enhances the beauty of your pond or water feature
- Made of high-quality poly-resin
- Lightweight, easy to install, and resistant to UV and heat
The statue comes with a 180 GPH water pump included and all necessary piping for installation. The pump is more than enough to power the feature, and the water display is attractive and also helps provide aeration to the pond water. It can be fitted inside your pond on a shallow bank or installed outside the pond with water directed onto the surface water.
A very unique and interesting spitter statue that would look fantastic in all kinds of ponds and water gardens.
2) Toscano Kohaku Koi Spitter
- Hand-cast using real crushed stone bonded with high quality designer resin
- Each piece is individually hand-painted by our artisans
- Arrives piped for optional use as a water feature fountain
Another wonderfully detailed pond ornament from Toscano comes in the form of this colorful Kohaku koi spitter statue! Hand-cast using crushed stone and painted with non-toxic durable resin, the statue would look great as a koi pond ornament. The statue comes with a pipe pre-installed but requires a pump for the water feature to work.
We recommend a pump around 100-200 GPH for the best water display, with solar powered pumps being a good choice for monthly savings. The design would suit all sorts of garden ponds, but would look particularly great in a zen-style water garden! If you’d like a water spitter with some color and character, this is definitely one of our personal favorites.
3) Oase Ceramic White Pouring Pitcher
- The handcrafted Ceramic White Pouring Pitcher Spitter will delight traditionalists and pond enthusiasts, creating a trickle sound as it...
- The Ceramic White Pouring Pitcher Spitter supplements the pond's oxygen supply, aerating the water to improve water quality for plants and...
- The recommended flow rate is 200-400 gallons per hour (757-1514 liters per hour).
A classic water feature that looks good in just about any kind of garden pond. If you’re unsure what kind of water spitter you want, you really can’t go wrong with a pouring pitcher. This particular water feature from Oase is made from handcrafted ceramic and painted with a non-toxic white poly-resin coating. The ornament comes with pipework included, but you’ll need a separate pump for the feature to work. The piping fits a standard 1/2 ID hose, and we recommend a cost-effective solar pump for maximum savings.
Not only does the classic pitcher design look great for all types of ponds, it also helps oxygenate the water and aerate a pond which will benefit fish. If you prefer something more classic and subtle as a water feature, we can’t think of a better choice!
Pond Lighting
If your pond is great to look at during the day, why not make it equally spectacular during the night? Pond lighting is a simple and very cost-effective way of bringing life to your waters during twilight hours, providing great displays in a huge range of colors. Pond lighting can be submersible, mounted, or a mix of both! We find submersible pond lights the best for illuminating water and creating a more magical scene, whereas mounted lights are great for illuminating plants and ornaments, casting mysterious shadows. Luckily, pond lighting is also very cheap to run and won’t break the bank due to the very energy efficient cold LED technology; so it’s a win-win!
1) Jebao Underwater Pond Lights
- Light dimensions: 2.25
- 12 super bright LED on each light, 110V 60Hz
- UL listed, LED last 100,000 hours, 4-color lens caps
Possibly the best way to add some magic to a pond during the night is with a simple set of pond lights! These underwater pond lights from Jebao feature ultra long-life LED bulbs and can be mounted both externally and fully submersed under the water. They come with 5 color options, ranging from white, blue, green, orange, or red.
The colors are added using durable lenses which fit to the front of the casing, creating a water tight seal and turning the regular white light into vibrant colors. These lights are very versatile, and work great as mounted external spotlights, or to illuminate fish and plants under the water.
For more recommendations on great pond lights, check our fully featured guide on this here.
2) Dragonfly, Butterfly, and Bird Pond lights
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If dedicated pond lights are not your thing, what about some magical fairy lights to enhance your pond’s backdrop? These elegant lights are 100% solar-powered and feature some recognizable garden visitors – a butterfly, dragonfly, and hummingbird. They cost nothing extra to run each month, and just require a bit of sunlight in the day to create a strong glow in the evening.
If you have plenty of sunlight, the battery on the lights can provide up to 8 hours of continuous operation on a single charge! The lights are super easy to install and come with sturdy stakes for placement anywhere in your garden or around your pond. The lights will automatically turn off at dawn and back on during dusk, so you just place them in the ground and let them do their work!
Artificial Pond Plants:
Pond plants without the maintenance, but still with much of the charm! Not every pond is suitable for real plants, and sometimes you just don’t have the time to manage them. Adding artificial plants to a pond allows you to create a similar natural aesthetic without any of the fuss. These types of plants are usually made from a non-toxic plastic mix and come in both potted and floating varieties, with water lilies and water hyacinth being particularly popular. If you’d prefer real plants, check our guide here for our recommendations. If you’re going for maintenance-free, we have some good choices below:
1) Floating Foam Lotus Water Lilies
- Size: Approx. 7" x 6"(L*W)
- With the foam material lotus plants which can float on the surface of the fish tank; Fish love to hide among the plants for safety.
- These Floating Lotus Aquarium are provide realistic beauty and easy to clean; Suitable for salt and fresh water.
If having real water lotus is not suitable, these are the next best thing! This red foam water lotus flower sits beautifully on the water surface and moves around slowly with the natural flow of the pond. The flower is realistic and colorful, and you’d need to get up pretty close to know the difference between this and the real thing.
It would be a nice addition to a non-planted pond to add some natural decor to the water, without the need to worry about taking care of it. The piece by itself is a little small, however, and would look much better bunched up with a few different color lotus together!
2) Green Floating Lotus Leaves
- Pond leaves are a very nice quality and look awesome in my little fountain!!!
- Very Natural Looking. High simulation artificial lotus leaf. Color: Green. Material: Soft EVA. Size: 40cm 30cm 20cm 18cm 15cm 10cm
- Great to decorate your fish pond or aquarium with a touch of greenery
They can be combined with lotus flowers to create a heavily planted pond design or can be used by themselves if you’d prefer a more subtle aesthetic. They also work great to provide shade to the pond in summer, helping control algae growth and cool off the water for fish.