Jennifer Aniston, also known as Rachel from my favorite show, Friends, has one of the most famous homes/gardens on the internet right now. Rachel Green never had a garden, and Aniston is clearly making up for it. Really, this Bel Air property is having a moment; from the Japanese-inspired planting to the roses, people are trying to copy it in even the tiniest of spaces. But it’s her koi pond (pictured below) that is really doing some heavy lifting, especially when it comes to the Japanese aesthetic.

It’s the kind of feature that looks like it required some serious money and expertise, but it actually starts with one pretty straightforward question. As Kendahl Kreps, Director of Marketing at Oase North America, puts it: “Do you want fish?” Everything else follows from there.

Start With the Right Questions

Before even thinking about logistical questions like what size, depth, and budget you’re working with, it’s helpful to get clear about what exactly you want from a water feature. Kreps says to ask yourself, “What do I want from this? Sound? Aesthetics? Nature habitat? All of these things can help you decide what kind of water feature you should go with.”

Joe Zawistowski, founder of Black Koi Water Features and a certified Aquascape contractor with 25 years and over 300 ponds behind him, agrees: “A pond that fits your lifestyle is one you will enjoy for decades.”

If the answer is fish, you’ll want to head toward a proper koi pond. If it’s sound and movement without the maintenance commitment, a pondless waterfall delivers almost the same experience. “A pondless waterfall gives you the sight, sound, and planting of a full water feature without an open body of water,” says Zawistowski. “Most of the water sits invisibly in a buried reservoir under a floor of rocks, and the pump recirculates it continuously. No fish, almost no maintenance, and the footprint can be as small as ten by ten feet.”

The Non-Negotiables

Two things you absolutely can’t compromise on when it comes to a koi pond are depth and filtration. Koi need a minimum of 18 inches (45 cm), but Zawistowski pushes for three feet (90cm): “Three feet eliminates successful heron hunting because herons wade to strike and can’t reach fish at that depth.”

Aiza, a sustainability writer at GreenerPulse, adds that depth also matters for temperature stability: “Shallow ponds heat up and cool down too fast, and the fish get stressed."

When it comes to filtration, every expert is on the same page. “Prioritize filtration,” says Jacob Romkee, landscape expert at Thumbtack. “A poor filtration system can undermine the whole project.” Aiza is equally direct: “The filter is the worst place to save money.”

Almost every first-time pond owner will encounter an algae problem. Kreps recommends a combined UV and mechanical filter system, like this TotalPond system on Amazon. She says, “UV bulbs and filter foams polish the water to make the fish look as if they are floating.”

If you don't have fish in your pond, a floating solar-powered fountain, like this Mademax design, is a simple, affordable way to add movement to the water. It can also help improve circulation and aeration, keeping the pond fresher and reducing stagnation.

Small Garden? No Problem

While you may think you need to have a full koi pond to get the same look as Jennifer Aniston, it’s actually not the only option. If you have a small space in an urban garden or patio, a container pond or raised feature can give you most of the same benefits. Romkee has seen genuinely creative approaches: “I’ve seen people turn bathtubs, hot tubs, tiered fountains, and even disguised kiddie pools into water features.”

Aiza and Zawistowski are quick to point out one big caveat, both claiming that a smaller water volume is much less forgiving. They tell me that temperature swings happen much faster and water quality can shift very quickly, so a container pond actually requires more attention and maintenance, not less, as you might assume.

Planting Around It

Plants around the pond are essential to making it look embedded in the garden rather than simply dropped into it. Zawistowski uses marginal plants like iris and pickerelweed to soften the edges, water lilies to shade the surface and suppress algae, and, for the surrounding landscape, weeping and upright Japanese maples, catmint, ornamental Carex grass, and coneflowers.

Romkee adds ferns, Japanese iris, and creeping ground cover as strong options, with one firm disclaimer: “I’m much more cautious about bamboo because it’s so hard to get rid of once planted.”

Getting the Japanese Look

Jennifer Aniston’s koi pond works so well because of the restraint she and her designer, Stephen Shadley, used. Kreps says, “An asymmetrical pond shape, a few carefully selected stones, controlled planting, and one strong focal element such as a bridge or sculptural rock.”

Aiza puts it even more simply: “Resist the urge to add three fountains.” Still water, well-placed stone, and a limited plant palette make a complete formula. The engineering, as Zawistowski says, should disappear entirely, “so the feature looks like natural erosion rather than something that arrived on a truck.”

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