Garden pond

well a washing up bowl or baby bath [a little larger] will be ok for a while and relatively cheap to replace when it goes brittle.

You may consider a plastic dish washing tub, a 18 gallon storage container, a plastic under bed storage container which shallow water plants thrive in. On the down side the water in such small containers will become smelly and foul very quickly so it must be flooded with fresh water every several days from a nearby garden hose. Also no fish or frogs can survive in such conditions.

Thank you. I didn’t know about the smelly water. How come the tv experts don’t mention that even though they sometimes suggest a washing up bowl? Could I add a drop of Milton (baby bottle cleaner) to the water or will it kill things?

We would like to have a mini pond (tiny water feature) in our garden and found details in an RHS 'The Garden' magazine this month.

Would you like me to put a photo of it, along with details, on here for you?

any sterilising fluid will harm/kill any wildlife that visits. I must say the old washing up bowls kicking around the garden tend not to be too bad until lots of leaves fall in it. It will need topping up quite regularly unless we have a typical British summer!

Oh Shirley that would be great, thank you.

So no Milton then. Ok

Right, just about to put it on for you. I think you will need to enlarge it to read the text . . . :o)

I do wish that these garden shows and magazines comeback to their very attractive creations a year later....no...even half a year later to show how these ideas hold up to nature’s propensity to create chaos.

Me too, Loosestrife. They are obviously only interested in the immediate outcome. They should say if plants are thugs, Japanese anemones are a case in point. Nor do they say how grasses spread their seed and grow to big clumps which are extremely difficult to dig up and split. Certainly in my garden.

Shirley I didn’t receive the photo etc. Where did you put it?

Arbuthnot, it is still on view. I clicked on garden photos to find it third row down, 2 members have 'Liked' it. Let me know if you find it please.

I clicked on garden pictures, Shirley, but there’s no sign of garden ponds. I must be looking in the wrong place.

It is now on the 4th row down on garden pictures and has 4 'Likes'. The photo shows a magazine article of a mini pond being built. Not sure why it isn't showing for you.

Definitely not showing for me. Not to worry, I’ll find out some other way. Thank you for trying.

This is a link to the RSPB article on mini ponds (it mentions using an old washing up bowl too!)

https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/nature-on-your-doorstep/garden-activities/create-a-mini-pond/

Thank you, Bamboo. It’s copied and saved. Now all I need to do is ‘urge’ Him Indoors to get a move on!