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Hi,
Bought a lovely home with a garden pond but it's not very wildlife friendly at all. Currently it is walled off in a raised area so no wildlife can access it!! To combat this I plan to put logs and other bits around the wall to help wildlife climb up.
The other major issue I have is it's very STEEP. No slopes at all... the pond must be about 1 - 2 foot deep. I'm not 100% sure to be honest, but I would like to be able to create slopes.
That brings me onto yet another problem, this pond is really small, maybe 100cm long and 60cm wide? Basically it is just SO small and this wouldn't be a huge problem if it wasn't for the fact that the sides are so steep.
OK, my third and final problem is that the area surrounding the pond is a rockery!! Nowhere to put irises or other emerging plants the ground seems to have some kind of weird plastic layer underneath but then it is covered by bark chippings and large rocks. There doesn't appear to be much soil....the rocks are just there to cover the sides of the pond.
I need some ideas. How am I meant to create slopes on a pond like this? If I use planks of wood, will it be a shallow enough gradient? Can I create a beach by piling up some pebbles etc or is this really not the right shape for it?
Ps. Starting again is not an option right now, maybe in ten years time, who knows.Any advice appreciated, thanks.
I love Columbidae.
My friend was in a similar boat when he moved into his house in Kent. He contacted a local pond company and got their advice. 2 years down the line he has a lovely pond.
Hi Fieldfare, I can't help, asI have no pond or knowledge regarding one. We have a few posters here who have ponds, hopefully someone will be able to offer advice from their own experiences.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Regarding slopes, which I agree seems important given the steep sides, this RHS piece on small container ponds suggests you could use 'a stack of large stones, but bricks, logs or a plank of untreated wood covered in chicken wire work well too'. I see what you mean about gradient and shape, but anything should at least help wildlife get in and out more safely! As the piece also says, rocks near the pond provide cover for wildlife, but if you want to plant irises, this guide to pond plants suggests some can be planted in the water perhaps?
A 5 year old post. I think badgerboy, to his credit, was doing some polite marketing and is 'thatpondguy' he's linked to. I can't think why a 'friend' would have a link to a pond company from years ago!