Wayside Water Gardens

Wayside Water Gardens, a pond and koi specialist near Worksop

Wayside Water Gardens is a family-run business based on Doncaster Road in Oldcotes, near Worksop, Nottinghamshire. The company presents itself as a specialist in water gardening and koi, and its own material dates the activity back to 1965, describing the firm as "specialists since 1965" and as an established family business of 55 years. It operates both a physical store and an online shop, with click-and-collect available.

The range is organised around four broad blocks: live fish, aquatic and artificial plants, pond construction and equipment, and water treatments and maintenance. The store describes a large selection of koi from 3 to 16 inches in size, alongside sturgeon and goldfish.

Fish and feeding

Live fish form one of the central lines. Beyond koi, sturgeon and goldfish, the catalogue includes a dedicated fish food section: floating pellets in sizes from 2mm-3mm up to 10mm and above, mixed-size floating sticks, flake food, a high-growth-and-colour food, winter wheatgerm, sturgeon food and other sinking pellets, fish treats, bulk bags and feeding accessories.

Plants and planting materials

The plant offer is divided by growing habit and function: artificial plants, bog garden plants, floating plants, marginal plants, oxygenating plants, water lilies and ferns. Alongside the plants themselves, the shop stocks planting products such as planting baskets, floating plant islands and aquatic compost, plus planting socks, lily sacks, fabric planting pockets and aquatic baskets.

Pond construction and water features

For pond building, the catalogue lists flexible liners, preformed ponds in fibreglass and plastic, wildlife pond kits, timber pond kits and timber sleepers, water blades and koi pond viewing windows. A fittings and pipe section covers solvent-weld fittings in 1¼, 1½, 2, 3 and 4 inch sizes, bottom drains, valves, tank connectors, solvent cement, flexible hose and hose fittings, hose clips and rubber boot fittings. Electrical items include lighting, pond heaters, switch boxes and cabling, together with sealants and paints. Water features are represented by waterfalls and streams, and the store highlights a selection of spouts, copper bowls, slate monoliths and stainless balls.

Pumps, filtration and aeration

The equipment range is extensive. Pumps are grouped into filter, waterfall, fountain, feature, drainage, dry run and solar models, with spare parts available. Filtration covers pressure filters, box filters, moving bed filters, all-in-one units, filter bags, filter foams, spare parts and wall brackets. Ultraviolet clarification is handled through UVC units, UV bulbs and spares, and aeration through air pumps, air stones and air pump spares. Among the highlighted products are Oase Filtoclear pressure filters, including the 2026 FiltoClear 60,000 and 90,000 models presented in the shop's blog, and koi pond viewing windows offered in several dimensions.

Cleaning, heron defence and water treatments

Maintenance lines include heron defence (heron scarers and pond netting), skimmers, spawning aids and pond vacuums. The testing and treatment section covers filter starters, algae and blanketweed treatments, duckweed treatments, foam and cloudy water treatments, sludge treatments, parasite treatments, fungus and bacteria treatments, koi medications, dechlorinators, water testing and stabilisers, water buffers, test kits, thermometers and topical application treatments. The blog also documents the introduction of Cloverleaf Aqua-Vet+ medication for parasitic and secondary bacterial problems as temperatures rise.

Buying from the shop

Products can be purchased in store and online, with click-and-collect offered. The catalogue shows individual prices for items such as planting socks, aquatic baskets, filter brackets, pressure filters and viewing windows, and some lines appear as out of stock or available for pre-order at the time of writing this profile.