Yeah I really don't want to use any chemicals if possible. The soil right around the pond seems to have a fair amount of very very fine gravel mixed in so appears quite loose and sandy. I could remove some and mix in soil from the rest of the garden maybe though the plants currently around there seem to have no problem growing there.
@Hostafan1 so is it ok to use tap water to top up the water level? We haven't managed to get a water butt yet and I imagine even if I could sort it right now it would take a while to collect enough to make a difference to the water level
I've got to admit, it would be far better to wait until autumn/winter, as I hinted at in my initial post, but I also understand how you want to get stuck in. At our last house, we had a huge pond which then fed into a smaller one. That smaller one was so congested [it had been made very shallow anyway] that it was pretty useless in many ways. A bit of clearing and tidying, and it made a huge difference. I did it at this time of year. It was slightly different because it was spring fed, so there was always fresh water going through, but there was hardly any depth of water, because of the huge build up of stuff going into it.
The steps/ladder for access and exiting is vital. If you want, and the soil around the edges isn't suitable, you can dig an area out and make a bog garden at one end, or along one side. That will give you scope for other types of planting too.
The other thing I'd say re your newer photos is - that could be the hideous pendulous sedge in the middle. If so, I'd get rid of that pronto. What do others think? There could be some nice stuff too of course, so it's a case of getting plants out and checking what there is.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Excellent advice already, especially from @Jellyfire. I'm of the view that it's OK to do the work now; as Jellyfire said, leave the plants on the edge so the creatures can crawl back in. When you split the plants put back only some as you really have too many now. Doing it now will also have the benefit of this years growth so the plants will enter autumn in a strong condition.
My favourite plant for planting beside a pond is dwarf comfrey. It's evergreen leaves flop into the pond in an attractive way hiding the liner or in your case the rigid structure. It flowers for weeks and is very attractive to pollinating insects.
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
Oh I completely missed your 1st post @Fairygirl so I just parroted half of what you said! Autumn would be easier, but as @Redwing said if you do it now then the plants should romp away again over the summer.
I just use tap water @Rustyleaves, if I waited for enough rain here then I would be waiting a long time. We don't have chlorinated water though so best practice is to try and either use rainwater, or let tapster sit for a while first. Ive never quite understood where I would let that amount of water sit though so I just shove the hosepipe in and hope for the best. It doesn't seem to have done the wildlife any harm whatsoever and we have never had an issue with green water.
Round the edges Id just use plants you like, if its very dry and stony then maybe some mound forming saxifrages or the like, but that would take a while. anything that will flop over will of the job really. It also depends whether you want evergreen or not. I just have grass growing into mine so Im not best placed to give advice on that bit
No problem @Jellyfire. You went into far more detail than I did I made a new pond at this time last year, so it meant decanting everything from the little one I had. Easy enough to do when it's a smaller size. I think I probably emptied the little one before doing the new one, so it was a couple of months earlier than this. I'm inclined to do something when the mood takes me though.
I agree re the tapwater too. We're lucky here that our water is good, and we also get plenty of rain, but it can take a while to fill a reasonable sized pond. Filling and leaving for a while is usually fine. The alternative is to have a few trugs and fill those, but it adds to the cost if you don't already have them! I have a mix of plants round the new pond, and again, I'm fortunate that I can plant moisture lovers easily. Saxifrages are great for covering edges.
White saxifrage and a white Arabis beside mine - planted last spring.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks. It's 'beached' all the way round @Jellyfire The ground is so bad here, I'd have needed a digger to get the depth I would really have liked. Solid clay, with hardcore and blaes on top, then all paved. I took that all away and did a lawn over it, just by raising it a few inches. On a whim, I took that away a year ago and did the new pond. It's fine though - the shallow edges are ideal for all sorts of insects and birds. The birds, in particular, have been very busy in it recently, keeping themselves clean while dealing with their little 'uns
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It's fine though - the shallow edges are ideal for all sorts of insects and birds. The birds, in particular, have been very busy in it recently, keeping themselves clean while dealing with their little 'uns
That’s what it’s all about! Well it always looks lovely anyway! My edges are the polar opposite of yours, if you were being generous you could describe them as naturalistic, if you were being less flattering ‘out of control’ would cover it. Like yours, the wildlife love it though. We even get bank voles and water shrew living around the edges now because of all the cover
Your ponds both look lovely @jellyfire and @fairygirl. Not sure if I'll manage to get ours in as good condition but I can hope! Thanks for all the tips. Definitely want to work on improving the edges to seem more natural and get some good access points. I'll start with topping up the water though. Last summer when we went away for a week, the weeds grew so high so fast you couldn't even see there was a pond when we got back, so wish me luck for this summer!
It's surprising how quickly you can make big changes @Rustyleaves, once you get stuck in. Clearing weeds and anything invasive, so that you can see the pond, and what you're working with, will make a big difference. Wildlife of any kind needs a bit of security as it leaves the pond too, so your surrounding planting is also important. A few evergreens will mean there's cover all year round - whether that's shrubs or alpines or anything else. As with @Jellyfire 's pond, it's very much a case of 'if you build it, they will come' depending on your location of course. My garden is small, and fairly open, so it will be quite different from many others, but there's plenty of nearby cover, round the perimeters, and close by the pond itself, so it's great for all sorts of creatures. Voles would be lovely Jellyfire, but unlikely here, though we have shrews in this area, so maybe they'll put in an appearance one day.
Good luck with it @Rustyleaves - and come back if you have plants needing an ID, or if you want suggestions for other plants or ideas etc
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
The soil right around the pond seems to have a fair amount of very very fine gravel mixed in so appears quite loose and sandy. I could remove some and mix in soil from the rest of the garden maybe though the plants currently around there seem to have no problem growing there.
@Hostafan1 so is it ok to use tap water to top up the water level? We haven't managed to get a water butt yet and I imagine even if I could sort it right now it would take a while to collect enough to make a difference to the water level
At our last house, we had a huge pond which then fed into a smaller one. That smaller one was so congested [it had been made very shallow anyway] that it was pretty useless in many ways. A bit of clearing and tidying, and it made a huge difference. I did it at this time of year. It was slightly different because it was spring fed, so there was always fresh water going through, but there was hardly any depth of water, because of the huge build up of stuff going into it.
The steps/ladder for access and exiting is vital.
If you want, and the soil around the edges isn't suitable, you can dig an area out and make a bog garden at one end, or along one side. That will give you scope for other types of planting too.
The other thing I'd say re your newer photos is - that could be the hideous pendulous sedge in the middle. If so, I'd get rid of that pronto. What do others think?
There could be some nice stuff too of course, so it's a case of getting plants out and checking what there is.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
My favourite plant for planting beside a pond is dwarf comfrey. It's evergreen leaves flop into the pond in an attractive way hiding the liner or in your case the rigid structure. It flowers for weeks and is very attractive to pollinating insects.
I just use tap water @Rustyleaves, if I waited for enough rain here then I would be waiting a long time. We don't have chlorinated water though so best practice is to try and either use rainwater, or let tapster sit for a while first. Ive never quite understood where I would let that amount of water sit though so I just shove the hosepipe in and hope for the best. It doesn't seem to have done the wildlife any harm whatsoever and we have never had an issue with green water.
Round the edges Id just use plants you like, if its very dry and stony then maybe some mound forming saxifrages or the like, but that would take a while. anything that will flop over will of the job really. It also depends whether you want evergreen or not. I just have grass growing into mine so Im not best placed to give advice on that bit
I made a new pond at this time last year, so it meant decanting everything from the little one I had. Easy enough to do when it's a smaller size.
I think I probably emptied the little one before doing the new one, so it was a couple of months earlier than this.
I'm inclined to do something when the mood takes me though.
I agree re the tapwater too. We're lucky here that our water is good, and we also get plenty of rain, but it can take a while to fill a reasonable sized pond. Filling and leaving for a while is usually fine. The alternative is to have a few trugs and fill those, but it adds to the cost if you don't already have them!
I have a mix of plants round the new pond, and again, I'm fortunate that I can plant moisture lovers easily. Saxifrages are great for covering edges.
White saxifrage and a white Arabis beside mine - planted last spring.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The ground is so bad here, I'd have needed a digger to get the depth I would really have liked. Solid clay, with hardcore and blaes on top, then all paved. I took that all away and did a lawn over it, just by raising it a few inches. On a whim, I took that away a year ago and did the new pond.
It's fine though - the shallow edges are ideal for all sorts of insects and birds. The birds, in particular, have been very busy in it recently, keeping themselves clean while dealing with their little 'uns
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Clearing weeds and anything invasive, so that you can see the pond, and what you're working with, will make a big difference.
Wildlife of any kind needs a bit of security as it leaves the pond too, so your surrounding planting is also important. A few evergreens will mean there's cover all year round - whether that's shrubs or alpines or anything else.
As with @Jellyfire 's pond, it's very much a case of 'if you build it, they will come' depending on your location of course. My garden is small, and fairly open, so it will be quite different from many others, but there's plenty of nearby cover, round the perimeters, and close by the pond itself, so it's great for all sorts of creatures.
Voles would be lovely Jellyfire, but unlikely here, though we have shrews in this area, so maybe they'll put in an appearance one day.
Good luck with it @Rustyleaves - and come back if you have plants needing an ID, or if you want suggestions for other plants or ideas etc
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...