Not in the pond, no. Next to where your liner is clear of the water at the moment. Because you have a slight slope behind the pond, you could just dig enough soil out to make a more level area there, following the curve of the pond - a bit like doing a shelf within the pond itself. The liner would then sit flat, and you can bring the soil back in to cover it, and make it easier to plant there. Or make a deeper hollow, lined and with a few holes, and have some bog planting, to link the whole thing together. You might be able to cover the 'joins' more easily that way too. Good pond plants which will give some height are also a good idea. Some of the ones which are evergreen - Acorus for example, might be useful.
Normally, you would bury the liner by digging a little slit/trench around the edge, and folding it into that. It holds the liner securely, and also means you can plant right up to the edge of the water. Because you've cut it a bit short, it makes that impossible, but what I'm trying to describe is basically making the pond slightly smaller, so that you have a bit more liner to play with ,and therefore disguise more easily.
Apologies if it's not clear! Re your plants like Campanula, or any of the alpines we've mentioned, all perennials take a few years to reach maturity, so you're maybe expecting far too much this soon. Unless they were big plants you put in, they won't be at full size for another year or two.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you Fairygirl - I think I see what you mean. The liner did used to be much bigger but that looked even worse and I didn't think of the tucking it in to the trench trick. So then I thought "perhaps it will be better if i cut it shorter"... ahh well, should have come here before taking the scissors to it!
Whatever I go for I think you're right and digging out the area behind the edge of the liner (so that it's more level) definitely needs to happen!
I think it would make it easier for you to have more scope for your planting too, and you can add all the plants we've mentioned for ground covering options - the Aubretias and Arabis etc for the drier areas, and you can play about with other plants which need moister conditions. Different heights etc too. When I did my new pond last year, I was able to move mature plants, including ones which had struggled a bit the previous winter - a Libertia and an Uncinia for example, and they add some extra all year round colour. Hopefully the winters won't be severe enough for a while because they're a bit more exposed, and I wouldn't want to lose them. I stuck a few pots of various things in at different points too, including some annuals, which helps while the newer, smaller plants are growing. Lots of spring bulbs were put in and around planting as well. This was it in August, four months after doing it
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I've given up on winter as the pond's out of view and I'm rarely out admiring either the view or the wildlife when it's cold and miserable.
I've struggled with the same issue gilla and this year am trying lots of marginals on shelves IN the pond coupled with some "weeping" grasses outside the pond which together I'm hoping will mask enough of the liner to look good at a glance and hopefully on closer inspection. No idea whether it'll work, but let's give it a go. The grasses are hakonechloa which I suspect will work, but no idea how long it'll take as I think they're quite slow growing. I'll experiment with some yellow creeping jenny in the meantime.
I would lift the liner up and scrape out behind it so the slope is shallower then pile gravel/stones on the slope. Some will go in to the water but.... Or once the slope is shallower, you could lay the plastic gravel pave things down and fill with gravel. or lift the liner and flatten the soil underneath, put large rockery stones down, take the liner up the back of the stones and backfill with soil.
'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
Thank you Hogweed, Fairygirl and everyone for your suggestions, I'm going to tackle trying to level it out a bit behind the liner before planting with some of the suggestions here. No idea how I will make this work with the rest of the area behind as I can't reduce the level of the whole area, but let's see how it goes! Rob I really like the hakonechloa, I think mixed with some of the other ideas here that could work really well!
Fairygirl - your pond is lovely, very natural in its surroundings which is what I'm trying to achieve!
Hakonechloa is a great plant, but not evergreen, and need moisture to do well, so don't put it somewhere that any liner's still showing They're best in some shade too.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Ah I see... I think the only reason the soil is dry there is because it's on a slope - the rest of the soil in the area behind the pond is fine, BUT it is definitely a pretty sunny spot, as is all of my garden. I do ideally also want evergreen as well, because I spend most of my time in the garden between September-March! It's a south facing garden with no shade and is hotter than the surface of Mercury between April to September Waiting till I can afford to buy some mature (ish) trees but of course will take years before they take affect. My l10-15 year plan is to move to Scotland and not have to worry about the baking summers we get down here now
If last summer is anything to go by, better head further north than I am. I can't stand the heat, and last year was unbearable for me. We're not designed for sun in the west of Scotland I'm hoping it was a blip. The Carexes I mentioned earlier will be good, as they're mostly evergreen plants, with a few exceptions- the small ones like Evergold etc are. Just check if you're buying. All bomb proof re hardiness. Libertias would probably suit you in those conditions too. The gold one is good for a brighter look, but they come in plain green too. Little white flowers in late spring. That little Uncinia I have [ rubra Everflame] is also evergreen, and a good rich, red, bronzy colour. If you don't get really cold winters [ie colder than here] they're both fine. I've even got a couple of seedlings from the Uncinia as back up, as they both struggled last year. If you have other planting around it, the Hakonechloa will do fine. Dry soil and full sun is less suitable for it, but some sun, and with wetter soil is fine, although they get a bit bleached. Lovely plant.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You're in the South West aren't you Fairygirl? That's where I'll be moving to I've just fallen in love with it and go every year, although everyone tells me to explore further North. The way our weather is heading, I might need to go to Greenland for the weather to be 'just right'
Thanks for the suggestions, I've written them all down and now have a long list! Will come back and share some pics later in the year when it's all planted up.
Posts
Because you have a slight slope behind the pond, you could just dig enough soil out to make a more level area there, following the curve of the pond - a bit like doing a shelf within the pond itself. The liner would then sit flat, and you can bring the soil back in to cover it, and make it easier to plant there.
Or make a deeper hollow, lined and with a few holes, and have some bog planting, to link the whole thing together. You might be able to cover the 'joins' more easily that way too.
Good pond plants which will give some height are also a good idea. Some of the ones which are evergreen - Acorus for example, might be useful.
Normally, you would bury the liner by digging a little slit/trench around the edge, and folding it into that. It holds the liner securely, and also means you can plant right up to the edge of the water. Because you've cut it a bit short, it makes that impossible, but what I'm trying to describe is basically making the pond slightly smaller, so that you have a bit more liner to play with ,and therefore disguise more easily.
Apologies if it's not clear!
Re your plants like Campanula, or any of the alpines we've mentioned, all perennials take a few years to reach maturity, so you're maybe expecting far too much this soon. Unless they were big plants you put in, they won't be at full size for another year or two.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Whatever I go for I think you're right and digging out the area behind the edge of the liner (so that it's more level) definitely needs to happen!
When I did my new pond last year, I was able to move mature plants, including ones which had struggled a bit the previous winter - a Libertia and an Uncinia for example, and they add some extra all year round colour. Hopefully the winters won't be severe enough for a while because they're a bit more exposed, and I wouldn't want to lose them. I stuck a few pots of various things in at different points too, including some annuals, which helps while the newer, smaller plants are growing. Lots of spring bulbs were put in and around planting as well.
This was it in August, four months after doing it
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
or lift the liner and flatten the soil underneath, put large rockery stones down, take the liner up the back of the stones and backfill with soil.
Fairygirl - your pond is lovely, very natural in its surroundings which is what I'm trying to achieve!
They're best in some shade too.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I can't stand the heat, and last year was unbearable for me. We're not designed for sun in the west of Scotland
I'm hoping it was a blip.
The Carexes I mentioned earlier will be good, as they're mostly evergreen plants, with a few exceptions- the small ones like Evergold etc are. Just check if you're buying. All bomb proof re hardiness.
Libertias would probably suit you in those conditions too. The gold one is good for a brighter look, but they come in plain green too. Little white flowers in late spring. That little Uncinia I have [ rubra Everflame] is also evergreen, and a good rich, red, bronzy colour. If you don't get really cold winters [ie colder than here] they're both fine. I've even got a couple of seedlings from the Uncinia as back up, as they both struggled last year.
If you have other planting around it, the Hakonechloa will do fine. Dry soil and full sun is less suitable for it, but some sun, and with wetter soil is fine, although they get a bit bleached. Lovely plant.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks for the suggestions, I've written them all down and now have a long list! Will come back and share some pics later in the year when it's all planted up.