There are, of course, many ways of featuring water in a garden so it is crucial to establish at the outset the type of feature that you want. Essentially there are three general types:

1. Feature with moving water (fountain, cascade, and stream)
2. Still pond for fish and wildlife (and plants)
3. Self-contained water 'container' (barrel, wall, fountain, raised pond) waterfall header

Whichever feature you choose, consider very carefully how best it can be designed into the context of your garden so that it feels and looks right. In this way you will ensure that the feature - and therefore the whole garden -is pleasing aesthetically.

Firstly, decide on the mood or style of your feature, and how it will look as part of the overall garden: it could, for instance, be informal, with curving sides and associated planting to make a natural setting. Or, it could be very formal, comprising a water feature with lots of straight edges and very little planting.

If you are planning a feature that is more complex than a simple hole in the ground filled with water, then it would be wise to produce a scale drawing or plan of the area. This must include all of the garden's 'fixtures and fillings', i.e. the house, greenhouse/shed, immovable and desirable trees and shrubs, paths/driveways, paving and walling, drains and sewers, electricity poles, and so on. Consider also whether you might want to extend your home at some stage in the future; it would be a shame and a great waste of time, effort and money, to install a major water feature only to dig it out eighteen months later when an extension is built.

It is tempting to try to minimize the overall effort when designing a water feature, but it may be necessary to alter or move fixtures to accommodate it, so don't compromise the garden just to save on effort. If the pond really needs to go where the greenhouse is currently sited, and there is somewhere else for the greenhouse to go, then do it.

The best way to start a paper plan is to conduct your own 'survey' of the garden. Walk around the house (and any fixed outbuildings) and make a large sketch of the layout, in plan form but not necessarily to scale.

A long, flexible measuring tape is useful, and a good starting point is a particular part of the house, say the back door. Measure the distance from the door to your proposed water feature. This gives you a mental picture of distance combined with an actual measurement.

One stage further would be to prepare several plans, each incorporating a pond of a different shape and size, located at different points within your general garden scheme, but always in accordance with the rules of where not to site a pond. If you don't want to prepare a new garden plan for each design, simply produce one and then move cut-outs of different shaped and sized ponds within the layout until you are happy with a particular grouping. Alternatively, if you have access to a computer there are a number of excellent garden design software packages that will offer you much versatility in drafting a plan.

The final act, prior to acquisition and construction, is to lay a hosepipe on the ground to form the outline of your proposed pond site. Few people bother to do this, but it can resolve a number of issues and avoid future regrets. Live with this for a few days. You will then be able to make adjustments, and satisfy yourself that this is absolutely the best place, the best size and the best shape for your water feature.