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During last year's end of April holiday, we hired a mini digger to build a pond and dug a rough hole.
We weren't expecting the next step to take over a year to get around to! Having decided that our rough hole in the ground wouldn't really cut it, we bit the bullet and hired 2 men who knew what they were doing with a digger, and who turned the rough hole into this:
They added a shelf along one side and a shallow area at one end which will become a bog garden. We covered the excavation with a layer of sand:
We created a wall to separate the pond from the bog garden:
My parents came over for a pond-lining party:
During the course of last Sunday we got the underlay and liner in place and began to fill the pond.
The bog garden got a filling with water to flatten the liner. This will be pumped out when we create the bog:
The other half and I still have to conclude our argument about where to build up a rockery for a waterfall that will go around/down the middle of/next to the bog garden and I think we need to increase the height of the wall and shore up a low point in the banking, but it's already been idyllic to sit on the edge of the pond in the sunshine, dangling our feet in the water and watching the sky reflected in the water's ripples, and the water reflected on the branches of the willows at the edge of the pond.
It's now payday and my fingers are itching to get out my bank card and splurge on plants! I can't wait to see it planted up and see what moves in!
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
Its really establishing itself now Maisie, its a haven for wildlife, water dwellers and insects, well done, nice update.
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Regards, Hazel
Its still looking good and the water looks clear enough, Maisie, I cleaned out or little pond today and have quite a lot of frog spawn so will have to move some of it to a large container I use for the birds to bath in, I have done this before or I will loose it to the newts when the tadpoles emerge :(
Jim
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I can see you're going to have a great time now M, with good weather to come & fine tuning everything to just how you want it (including the wiring/plumbing) ... Look forward to further updates with great interest!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Have you had a good spring and summer with your pond, Maisie?
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
We have had a superb summer, thank you! Sadly the spawn didn't seem to come to anything, but the plants have established beautifully and impressively, there have been dragonflies by the dozen, and the lilies are fabulous. I have spent many summer lunchtimes sunbathing on the grass or just sitting on the bench enjoying the pond this summer. Let me dig out some up to date photos...
Flora-wise, the bog garden/rockery beds have absolutely exploded. From being 6in high max, they're huuuge!
The pond plants have also established and spread:
And the plants along the wall are growing well and doing their thing, esp the buddleias:
Pondlife:
Wow! You would think the pond had been there for years, looking at those plants. What a great job you did.
It's been fascinating watching the dragonflies hatch!
Sorry if the pics come out the wrong way round!
Maisie, it looks absolutely wonderful, so natural & pretty ... am a green as your greenery!