Fabulous! We inherited a very small wildlife pond and my 16 year-old suggested he design, dig and plant up a much larger one. It is the best thing we ever did for the garden (especially as it required zero effort from me!) It has increased the wildlife visiting the garden and has brought us lots of pleasure. Within 12 months we had frogs and tadpoles, newts, grass snakes, lots of damsel and dragonflies, waterboatmen and much much more. I have no idea how they all found it so quickly.
Age doesn't make you forgetful. Having way too many stupid things to remember makes you forgetful.
I was shocked recently to realise all of my fish had disappeared. I sat and sulked for a few weeks then decided the heron was not going to get the better of me. I really do not like netting a pond but it seemed the only option. Then I remembered I had some very fine black netting so I draped it over the pond, held down by lumps of granite. Brilliant, the rocks blended into the paving surround and the netting is so fine you cannot see it. I sat back feeling very pleased with myself until I found one dead fish floating in the water. But the heron did not get its snack. So far no other fish have been killed. I am hoping the heron has learnt it cannot extract the fish from my pond. Fingers crossed
Fabulous! We inherited a very small wildlife pond and my 16 year-old suggested he design, dig and plant up a much larger one. It is the best thing we ever did for the garden (especially as it required zero effort from me!) It has increased the wildlife visiting the garden and has brought us lots of pleasure. Within 12 months we had frogs and tadpoles, newts, grass snakes, lots of damsel and dragonflies, waterboatmen and much much more. I have no idea how they all found it so quickly.
Looks fantastic! Do you mind telling me how have you arrenged this beauty? I mean from the very beginning. I'm planning to make a small pond at my backyard, have no idea whare to start. A good advice would help me a lot. thx
Looks fantastic! Do you mind telling me how have you arrenged this beauty? I mean from the very beginning.
I'm planning to make a small pond at my backyard, have no idea whare to start. A good advice would help me a lot. thx
Thanks. I can't help much: it was my son's idea, his project and I had precious little to do with it. He did a lot of research on the website to decide what plants he would ideally like to incorporate to attract the wildlife, then designed the pond to suit those criteria. One corner is very deep (for a water hawthorn), one whole side is a gently shelving beach, for birds and hedgehogs, round some of the edges are shelves of different levels, for different kinds of plants. The side edged with a wood pile has worked particularly well for wildlife. When it was first dug/pond liner laid it looked awful, but it soon settled in and established itself.
If I had the time again, I would change the layout a bit and have more planting around the edges, rather than having a path around 3/4 of the pond.
Do ask if you have specific questions.
Age doesn't make you forgetful. Having way too many stupid things to remember makes you forgetful.
Do you consider having some small freshwater fish in that pond? Cause I was told, I should get a water pump for that. And that's something overwhelming for me, huh
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@WestCoast thank you!
I sat back feeling very pleased with myself until I found one dead fish floating in the water. But the heron did not get its snack. So far no other fish have been killed. I am hoping the heron has learnt it cannot extract the fish from my pond. Fingers crossed
I'm planning to make a small pond at my backyard, have no idea whare to start. A good advice would help me a lot.
thx
If I had the time again, I would change the layout a bit and have more planting around the edges, rather than having a path around 3/4 of the pond.
Do ask if you have specific questions.