planting in and around a natural pond
plant pauper
Posts: 6,904
Hi all. I've recently taken over a new garden with ....doo doo dooooo.... A POND!
I know nothing about ponds and it's enormous! The planting around it is shocking so in an effort to make it look less like a wallow I've been lookin up books! I'm starting simple! I purchased some candelabra primula for damp, wet and boggy conditions. I also purchased some arum pips and in my quest for knowledge, I find that these can be planted in the water. Then I find a post somewhere else on here from Verdun saying he lifts his out to over Winter.
Is that necessary V because acces to this beast is well nigh impossible. Apart from everything else waders don't come in a size four!!
What do I plant it in, how do I get it there, how do I get it out, would it like to just stay on dry land and admire the pond from the shore??? It goes on and on.
I've only bought two sorts of plants and already Im in deep water! See what I did there? 
Posts
My arums are planted "on dry land" and they're fine.
If you're near Devon,I've got tons of them grown from seed and primulas a plenty too.
Fraid I'm in Norn Iron but I hear you pair do an excellent B&B!!!!
I can read!
Dry land makes my heart sing! Going out from the pond I have boggy, less boggy, a bit dryer then hard crust! Verdun doesn't seem to rate the cold and wet much for them over the Winter so I'm thinking somewhere between less boggy and a bit dryer as I'm highish uppish and it does get pretty chilly. Maybe I'll add a dollop of mulch too.
I had to leave you a small apology on the "cats off" thread.
Apart from the plants already mentioned there are many others that grow very well in my boggy area, including Lythrum, Astilbe, Acorus, Iris sibirica, Angelica gigas and Eupatorium
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Unfortunately I don't have a good size specimen V, only twelve babies. I was going to plant them in three clumps and leave spaces for other things in between. Yes/no? I know that means waiting but that's ok by me.
Boggy soil? BOGGY SOIL? I have natural springs all over the place, I'm in Fermanagh (the lake district of Norn Iron) and there's an actual peat bog about half a mile from me. I've only been able to cut my "big grass" three times this year because I was in over my ankles in places (notice I'm careful not to call it lawn). I had beautiful delicate little flowers all over the "lawn" and when I looked they were growing as marginals in the water of my wallow! Can't remember what they were now but they are definitely water plants.
Dampish!
I'm hoping my primula thrive as I love them and I've bought about a dozen. Unfortunately there's a lot of trailing and hauling to do before it's ready for planting. The man who lived here before was in poor health but before that he was an avid gardener so although it's very out of hand it does throw up little treasures now and again.
I hope you'll be on stand-by for my endeavours as I don't know anyone one with a pond like this. I do know one person with a sunken bath pond!!!!
I'm not saying I have big ideas but I've started gathering the ingredients to make a jetty. I can't get any further than a couple of feet out from the edge and it's forty feet long and about twenty five wide. No scoffing but I've resorted to wearing my late dad's waders over my own shoes! Underfoot is treacherous so I can only do that when someone else is here.
And anyway...what's wrong with size 4 feet? I'm dainty I am!
My younger daughter has size 4 feet too. She gets some bargains in the sales.
My poor niece has size two and a penchant for high heels. Ne'er the twain...because ladies start at three. I made her wear her granda's waders over her shoes and get in and weed. She's only little....I could take her easy!!!
Unfortunately it's 4 1/2 feet deep in the middle and she's only 5 feet!