Stream & pond advice
Blairmhor
Posts: 2
Having been in my house for 3 years now & after managing to get the lawn to a semi-suitable standard from a shoulder high grass paddock, creating & tidying up some borders & building a raised veg patch, I'm keen to sort the stream next.
Having dug the stream out fully twice in previous years, the problem of unwanted grass continues to present itself - this I believe is due to the fact the stream widens at a point where the flow reduces significantly & thus, deposits a lot of silt, seeds / cuttings from neighboring fields.
The first image below shows where the stream enters the garden.... The main issue for me here is removing the weeds on the sides & then choosing what to plant on the side - this is manageable & the bed of the stream remains clear of weeds / grass so no real problem although, any advice on what to plant here would be gratefully received!
The second & third images below show where the stream widens & as mentioned above, the flow of water reduces significantly resulting in heavy growth of grass & weeds.....
Obviously, spraying with pesticides isn't an option so if anybody could provide some guidance / advice, it would be great - I'm not keen on spending 2 weeks digging it out again only for the grass to return some months down the line. I have considered digging it out and laying a membrane however, I feel that the deposits may lie on the membrane & the problem return.
Another option I have considered would be to divert the flow of the stream water completely & create a pond, isolated from the stream.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Posts
The images aren't working. Try to copy and paste, if you're using a PC.
To post pics on here you need to click on the green tree icon and follow the instructions
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Odd, they're showing on here when I view the post!
Anyway, images now below (hopefully) in the same order as detailed above.
Thanks for pointing this out!!
Looks like a lovely natural stream to me. Does it ever flood or rush over the edges of the bank? If not, that's why you are getting the natural deposits of soil and silt. A pond fed by the stream (and has an exit from the other end) sounds lovely.. but you'll still be digging that out every few years as well. (You may need to check into the legality of building a pond fed by a shared stream, as it will affect those downstream of you). The water forget-me-not is lovely (myosotis scorpioides), I'd just plant a bunch of that, weed around it until it's established, then let nature take it's course.