Ideas please for pond and surrounding

We have built a new house and I would like to put in a small pond about maybe 6 x 8' for the water plants I already have, and also to add some. Leaving the pre-molded pond with the old house when we move. Maybe a 4 x 8' would be better or 4 x 6??? I don't want people to have to walk way out around it from the front steps to the breezeway.

I have added a pic. please don't laugh at my drawing as I just can't draw with a mouse!!!
This is the SSE side of the house. To the left not in the pic, but you can see a bit of shade from, the garage. Between the garage and house there is a breezeway. The log in front of the bed to the left is 13 1/2'. The log across the side of the steps is 5 1/2'. At the end of the first empty flower bed is the front door (Hubby calls it the back and won't actually be used a lot) and porch/steps. The wall behind the steps on the right extends out some where the house has its two spare bedrooms. So, there is protection from all day sun by the structure of the house. The house is a creamy color with avacado shutters and such. Hubby and I are not in to brass and glass.
I don't want a square or round pond...I have drawn one roughly in...as one idea. I have a banana 'Rojo' that I want to plant sortof in the space where I drew that in. I will probably want some of my semi-shade woodland flowers in there too if they can take that much sun and the soil type...all sand. I will have to take rocks from our present house over to use...any size...or I will have to buy them... Eeeeeek!! I haven't found even a small rock yet (not even when they were drilling the well!) other than what they put in our driveway! OH...we also have two of the aged bronze looking herons that I would like to put there. They are maybe 1 1/2 to 2' tall.
Please take a look and give all/any advice you can share.! I would also like to post this over in Water Gardens for maybe some other ideas there!
The house is between the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in zone 7b-8.
TY
Deb

This message was edited Aug 11, 2009 12:33 PM

Hi, I think that you can soften the corner area behind the pond with some tall ornametal graases that will sway in the wind. Also add plants with lots of color. Hydrangeas or roses are always good, they can go on the side with the wall. I'm just learning too ,but stellaodora day lillies, purple cone flowers, and low growing candy tuft are nice too.

Great start. I would actually build the whole area up in the corner and make about 2' waterfall from real stone and make the pond area consume the whole area ( to the end of the house). Not so much the water but the landscaping around it. boggy plants etc... I would use real stone, slate and wall stones. I am not a fan of those plastic instant ponds, so pond material is much more suited for the shape you design. It would be fantastic. I will see what I can generate up.

Michael