Fairygirl - thanks for the good wishes about the op - you're right about the heat though,it's the only thing that gives me half an hour's relief, got a microwave pad. I would love to talk to Punkdoc about my stream - took some photo's today and desperately need to get someone in to widen it before we get too much rain - the lining is all over the place and it's just horrific in a particular area. Hate the use the word 'cowboy' but in retrospect I think they rushed it somewhat.
this is the section near the culvert at the beginning of the stream when it was first installed (with the pond) about 8 years ago, nice and wide ....
This is what the same section looks like today:
The grass did grow over the lining but it always struggles there because it's so wet. I've just put some rocks on to hold it down temporarily. The worst problem is at one point the lining has creased so badly and we can't straighten it out, think it's due to being trapped under a rock the nieghbour put in when the side caved in after heavy rain.
The rest of the stream (all 300') is now nice and clear and doesn't seem to have narrowed as much but it was compacted with mud. Lost my favourite trowel somewhere -
I don't even know what type of person to seach for, when I google 'pond's it's all stuff about fish ponds, don't know if I need a builder or what. I hope I might be able to chat with Punkdoc when he's better.
I'd think almost any chap with a spade could help with that @ren.b. It's now easier to see what you have there, and it's certainly too narrow to be much use. It looks like someone's just tried to make a small culvert/run off and botched it - cowboy effort as you say. There isn't enough of an incline by the look of it either, for it to be much good. Difficult to judge, but it would almost have been better to have had a proper pond there to help, with a better run off to areas further down. That's what we had in the previous house - a very large, main pond set into a slope, with a channel leading to a 2nd pond [which had been allowed to get completely choked up] and then a run off down to the boundary where the excess dispersed. Ours was fed by a spring [all the water supply was well and spring in that area] so there was a constant flow all year round. We cleared the 2nd pond, which wasn't terribly deep, but the other planting in the surrounds also helped soak up excess. It looks as if that's what's been the intention with yours too, but they haven't excavated well enough. Ours was all on a slope, rather than being stuck in between two levels roughly the same, which is what yours appears to be too. I think I might have described that on your other thread? We've got a bit sidetracked from the V. bonariensis! Perhaps we could continue on that one and @punkdoc might be able to help soon
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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It's now easier to see what you have there, and it's certainly too narrow to be much use. It looks like someone's just tried to make a small culvert/run off and botched it - cowboy effort as you say. There isn't enough of an incline by the look of it either, for it to be much good. Difficult to judge, but it would almost have been better to have had a proper pond there to help, with a better run off to areas further down.
That's what we had in the previous house - a very large, main pond set into a slope, with a channel leading to a 2nd pond [which had been allowed to get completely choked up] and then a run off down to the boundary where the excess dispersed. Ours was fed by a spring [all the water supply was well and spring in that area] so there was a constant flow all year round. We cleared the 2nd pond, which wasn't terribly deep, but the other planting in the surrounds also helped soak up excess. It looks as if that's what's been the intention with yours too, but they haven't excavated well enough. Ours was all on a slope, rather than being stuck in between two levels roughly the same, which is what yours appears to be too.
I think I might have described that on your other thread? We've got a bit sidetracked from the V. bonariensis!
Perhaps we could continue on that one and @punkdoc might be able to help soon
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...