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My pond.

rogi

By rogi

11 comments


Hallo all. 3 or 4 years ago I thought I would like to have a pond in the garden…so I went to ebay to see what I could get as a pre-formed one…not too expensive and one in this area where I could go and pick it up…I found one going for about a tenner and in the next town to us..I arranged to go and pick it up…it is not that big….about 1.50 mtr X 0.80 X 0.75..(l X w X d)…..but I do have a small car and was just able to get it in…any how I got it home with some very big ideas about it….but these ideas didn´t realy develope until about 2 weeks ago…it had been put behind the tool shed…me thinking all the time where to put it, then about a fortnight ago my son was with me in the garden and said how about puttting that pond in, it will only take about an hour to dig the hole..I had to laugh because I knew that it would take a bit longer and also knowing that where the garden is was a brick yard about 50 years ago…and after digging about 30 cms down we hit clay…and then the fun started…anyway here are a few photos of how it all went..


Pond in the place it was going to go…


clearing the ground…


my son digging the hole….see that clay at the bottom…


after a few hours of getting the clay out we put the pond in the hole and filled it with water to let it settle down…


then I started to put a few stones and slabs around it…they were made by me using different cardboard boxes as forms…


this is how it looked today…in spring I will add a couple of pond plants etc etc and then let nature take its way..

More blog posts by rogi

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Next post: My pond 8 months later.



Comments

 

Looks good. Fill it to the top to exert a good pressure against your backfill and to keep the sides of the pond from crimping in. Next year you can place your plants and from spring to fall I would add water to it via a garden hose overflowing the pond about a quarter of its volume each week, more often in the summer prevent stagnation. If you add fish, you will need a pump, but frogs provide a lot of great action too without the pump.

28 Oct, 2015

 

You'll never regret it - even the smallest pond is a magnet for standing staring. Well done for making all your own "stones" too. If you want some frogbit next year send me a PM in the spring.

28 Oct, 2015

 

Oh, brilliant! You'll be amazed at the amount of wild life you're going to get into your garden now. Keep us posted and we'll done you oh, and you son of course lol!

29 Oct, 2015

 

Forgot to mention that your pond's main life force is a microscopic one. Over time biofilms will develop which will enable to sustain all life in it and keep your aquatic ecosystem going. What I am saying is that a pond is not a bathtub it is not meant to be kept clean nor should the water be crystal clear. Now, before spring, is the time to start informing yourself And your son about the wonderful things that go on in a pond. May I suggest a microscope for your son and yourself to see the worlds within the world of your pond.

29 Oct, 2015

 

Well done Junior, did you help with the digging Roger or were you supervising, lol, either way its a job well done and as already said will bring new life into your garden, I love my ponds and often spend ages just looking...

29 Oct, 2015

 

Thank you all for taking a look at my blog and taking interest in it.

@ Loosestreife2....I filled it up with water from the water tank....rain water that runs of the shed roof....with a 2 gallon watering can..I have no idea how many times I filled the can....I filled it up to the top today as you advised me to. I don´t intend putting fish in it as we have a lot of herons around here that live down at the river about half a mile from here...a friend of mine has a big pond with fish in it....he wondered where all his fish were disapearing to...maybe cats..until he went down to his garden and saw a heron having its breakfast !. I intend the pond to be a biotope and not a "show" pond.

@ waddy...I´m looking forward to the wildlife moving in.

@ Steragram...the stones I made were more or less made on the hypertufa principal.

@ Lincslass...yes I do have a good son...he helps me a lot in the garden when I need it.... btw I´m thinking about doing another blog about our holiday this year in Lincolnshire and Rutland.

But now I have a question...you all seem to have good knowledge about ponds.....what plants can I put in the pond that will not get too big and take the pond over?.
Thanks in advance for any answers.

29 Oct, 2015

 

There are miniature water lilies that would be happy there and you might like a basket with blue water loving irises. You'll need some oxygenators - Canadian pondweed grows very quickly but is easy to pull out when it gets too big . I mentioned frogbit which is a floater that has small white flowers. That spreads quickly too but it gives necessary shade and is easy to pull out when it spreads too much. A few ramshorn snails would be good too (those are the flattish ones, not the ones shaped like winkles) It would be worth visiting a pond supplier as there are some very attractive plants rather like rushes that would grow in another basket. Or you might like a marsh marigold.

29 Oct, 2015

 

Lucky you ....I have always wanted a pond. It will be a great project for the spring.

29 Oct, 2015

 

Thanks for the help Steragram. Now I will just have to wait until next year.

@ Linda235.....just go ahead and make one...and have as much fun making it as I did...lol......

30 Oct, 2015

 

There are pics on here from people who have made mini ones in tubs Linda- give it a try!

30 Oct, 2015

 

@ Linda235. I made a mini garden pond out of an old sink...it attracts wild life. Have a look at the blog I made about it.

31 Oct, 2015

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