Waterfall

I know some members do have Koi in their ponds but they are fast growing, eat a lot and also produce waste a lot and, in my opinion, are not for "natural" ponds where natural means can be used to keep the balance of the water.

Hi bb, I set out to make a Wildlife pond, or as least as close as I could get, rather than a formal pond as I'm not one for straight lines and concrete. But other members have some absolutely beautiful formal ponds and love them. Like gardens, ponds are a personal thing and you can decide if you want a Wildlife pond, a Formal Pond, or a compromise/hybrid of the two. Let me just say that I started with an area of Builders wasteland in the corner of my "garden" as it was then after about 5 years of the House being built. We'd got most of the garden into a semblance of what we thought we wanted but down in the SouthWest corner we had left that area. So I done some research on water gardening, had a vague idea of how big and deep I wanted the pond to be. So, with the help of my Son-in-Law I started digging over a weekend. I was still digging on the following Wednesday!!! The pond is approximately 15' X 22' and just over 3' deep.
I wanted it fairly deep so that during the Winters it wouldn't freeze solid and kill any fish or other inhabitants of the pond. I was also convinced that natural filtration was the way to go and not chemical or gravity type filters and, for me, it has worked fantastically well.
I also knew I wanted to plant up the banks and marginals of the pond so as I dug out the pond I made vertical sides on 3 sides down 10" and then made a shelf at that depth 9" wide to take the baskets of marginal plants that I was going to put in to take the nutrients out of the water to keep it clear. The 4th side of the pond had a 18" slope from the bank until it dropped off to the 3' depth so that anything that fell in had a way of getting out. To make it safe as possible for the Kids I put a fence around the pond, with a gate, and then planted a jasmine hedge to soften it. Even then it looked raw and new for a season or two before the plants growing on the banks and in the marginals made it look fairly natural. I used rock I was lucky to get from Bala where they were blasting a road through a mountain. Some weighed up to 70/80 lbs and nearly broke my back and the springs of my car!! But it was worth it. I planted the rocks around the sides of the pond, leaving gaps, after covering the edges of the liner with soil and then planted between the gaps. It's amazing how fast Nature will cover the remaining bare soil of the banks by itself and I left it to do the job.
Unfortunately, I haven't found any pics of the digging, or of it just finished but here's what some of it looks like now. I tend to concentrate on the plants etc rather than the pond itself

The fence and gate to the pond area.


Part of the South side with Ferns, Irises, Marsh Marigolds, etc, planted.

The garden slopes slightly from the House and so the pond, being at the bottom of the garden, is about 18* to 2' lower that the lawn. So I have a bench in the paved area which is gradually getting covered in Ivy, Jasmine, and Clematis.

These guys have been in the pond without upsetting the balance for some years now.

They get on with the guys down below without too much trouble.

Marsh Marigold in the margins. There are two forms, single and double flowered.

Ferns have loved the semi shade and dampness of the banks along with the Flag Iris which have spread from the marginals to the banks.

Part of the East side bank.

Part of the Bog garden fed with water seeping through the dry brick wall.


Blue Angle Hostas liking the semi shade and damp bank


Which ever way you go in style, shape, depth, planting etc it will be your pond and I promise you it's worth the effort, the time needed to let the plants soften and make it look as though it's been there a hundred years..

 

There have been one or two Herons around over the year, WT, but they don't seem to like landing in closely planted areas and there's no real gaps in the marginals for them to wade. I also have two Cats that, while being bossed about by the Blackbirds, Pigeons, and Tits etc, do not tolerate Magpies or Herons in the garden.

 

They are big birds!!! I saw one while I was fishing a lake in Leicestershire last year that faced off a Swan. The Swan was taking umbrage with the Heron for being in it's territory and started approaching the Heron hissing and with it's wings outspread. The Heron straightened up, looked at the Swan and opened it's wings..............and the Swan backed off!!

 

Thanks, Anzia. It's on of my favourite sitting places in the garden as the Jasmine/Clematis hedge blocks views of the garden and house making it feel very snug and peaceful. Sitting there with a glass of Red and listening to the waterfall is very soothing