Garden and Pond re-design (part 12) Enjoy!

By diydick

16 comments

Just to re-cap this was my 2 ponds with a stream inbetween.

Top pond

Bottom Pond

Then the top pond came out and I replaced it with a waterfall

A few plants and grass added.

At night

Waterfall and stream removed and trees cut down.

Bottom pond taken out to make way for bigger one

Making it bigger

Had to get old pipes out from under ground and pond walls just caved in.

Had to rebuild walls of pond using bricks to support the earth,wetting the earth and tamping down to compact solid,this took several days.

Basic shape rebuilt took ages.

Trees needed a trim,branches will come in useful later.
Hello Pearl,aren’t you cold with no clothes on?

Dug up and re-routing electrics for lighting etc.

Putting bottom drain in which will go to new external
pump and then to filters.

Building top up with cement base for stones to sit on and to level and strengthen.

Getting new underlay and liner in.

A few rocks around edge layed loose so liner can be fitted and filled with water to get as many creases out as possible……Not easy!

Then decided to fit a side skimmer to help remove floating debris,leaves etc.

Cementing in edge stones and building waterfall

Filter/pond emptying pipe

Pipework in for skimmer

Pipework to pump/filter

Tidying liner edges to stop rain run off water getting into pond,branches at top will be used for an extra edging.

Home made filter build

Pump and valve build

Water return pipes to pond and waterfall

Wood (branches) edging,cut to size and treated then put in.

So this is how it looked by the end of Summer 2011

I have taken many more photos of the re-build and several stages I missed out,a lot of this was trial and error,planning what the next stage should be,sourcing and buying parts for it,knowing where I was able to bury pipes and electrical cables in respect of how I was going to landscape and plant around it all.Also moving rocks from A to B to C and getting rid of lots more soil which I had to bag up and keeping enough for re-landscaping,which got in the way most of the time.
Hard work and frustrating at times……but I love it!

Then in May 2012 I made further changes to the pump position,the waterfall and the filtration,pipework and cables that were buried, most of it came out,again!
Thats enough for now.
I shall continue in Part 13 where landscaping, pathways and more plants were put in.

Hope you like my blog.

Richard.

22 Apr, 2013
6 likes

Comments

Dianebulley

Really good. You are a perfectionist gardener, definitely.

22 Apr, 2013

Stroller

Yes I did like your blog Richard I found it fascinating. You have done a lot of hard work.

22 Apr, 2013

Lulu33

Now isn't that really called a swimming pool. Great work. Looks wonderful.

22 Apr, 2013

Diydick

Thanks for your nice comments Diane,Stroller and Lulu.
I keep trying to get it exactly right D,it has been hard work and many times i have aches and pains doing it S, and I have fancied a dip on the odd occasion Lulu lol.

23 Apr, 2013

Karensusan63

My! What a huge amount of work...absolutely brilliant! WishI had your patience Dick! When the walls caved in I can just imagine your frustration...was the air blue? Lol!

23 Apr, 2013

Sanbaz

So much work Diy... dont know how you manage it, i was going mental having to redo my pond 3 time lol and smaller than yours, it all looks fab and look forward to next blog :o)

23 Apr, 2013

Diydick

Thanks Karen and Sandra,
I suppose I manage it as I am a bit of a workaholic,like a challenge and always like to have some project on the go,I have to be doing something.
I do wish I would just relax now and again and enjoy it though!
When the walls caved in Karen yes the air was a bit blue as it was many times.Each stage of these type of projects I think to myself OMG what have I started and how on earth am I gonna finish it lol.But with determination I get there in the end.

24 Apr, 2013

Grandmage

Loved your blog and welcome back Diy. have missed your goings on but what a lot of work you've been doing, fantastic, you are quite a perfectionist aren't you? Well done.

26 Apr, 2013

Dandan

Do you still have plants in your pond?

26 Apr, 2013

Diydick

Hello again Grandmage and thank you for the welcome back,it has been awhile,glad you liked it.Yes there has been a lot of work going on.
Diane also thinks I am a perfectionist gardener,well I don't know about gardener...but I will not stop changing things until i am happy with it.
No more major changes this year though.......he says,
just a few little projects.
Will try to get more pix on here soon of the "finished" garden.

26 Apr, 2013

Diydick

Hi Dandan,yes I still have some plants but lost quite a few when I re-done the pond.I currently have some Lillies and Irises which are just coming back after the Winter.
I did have some Houttuynia cordata "Chamelean" around the outer edge (shown in the second pic),they have red,cream and green leaves which I really liked,but none of them survived the move.
I would like to get some more to go around the pond edge in the gravel.

26 Apr, 2013

Lulu33

Lol, I managed to sit down in the veg patch this eve, after gardening solidly for two days...aching back. Then the cat sits on my lap and I want to move and do something but feel quilty because she is feral and needs the odd cuddle!
I am wondering if to buy some more lobelias and put them in the pond as a failsafe against those blasted slugs!

26 Apr, 2013

Dandan

Since I rebuilt mine all I've had is an iris grow. I've replaced the lily with a water hawthorn because they don't mind moving water as much. But now I'm going to double the size of my pond I think too! Keep up the hard work it looks brilliant!

26 Apr, 2013

Diydick

Hi Lulu,sound like a plan to me,if they don't drown the frogs will probably eat them if you have any.

Hi Dandan,I did respond to your blog on pond build about linking two ponds together,but wasn't really sure how you intended to do it.

27 Apr, 2013

Diydick

Sorry Dandan,forgot to thank you for your kind comment.
Thanks.

27 Apr, 2013