Planting up a pond

Fuschia girl

Hi there, looking for some plant suggestions for use in my new garden pond, approx 2.5mx1.2m in size and 1.2m deep at its deepest point, with shallow shelf around the edge kidney shaped, sunny position

Looking for ideas for marginals as well as a suggestion for a water lily that isn't too invasive

Thanks

rje66

What type of pond is it and how is the edge constructed??. Got a pic?

I asked the same questions here a few years ago.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=95201149

I really miss that pond to be honest.
I have BIG plans this year for another but have at least 2 other expensive projects to get done first.

rje66

This is my one, your might be at ground level and less formal. I sometimes think I've too many plants. You also need to consider pump and filtration. Algae and blanket weed are a pest and need constant maintenance.

magicbastarder

Have had a pond for five years now, no pump of any sort, never had an issue with blanket weed or algae. Do you have fish in yours?

rje66

Yes, and as with plants, probably too many. I have pump and filters which help.

magicbastarder

if you don't have fish in the pond, a pump is probably not necessary.

macraignil

Posted a video clip of my own pond here a few days back when it was frozen and had a wagtail walking about on it. I made the pond to encourage wildlife so not included any fish or filters or pumps. The only plant I have introduced to the pond itself is the groundcover plant creeping jenny that was already growing elsewhere in the garden and I read makes a good marginal plant for ponds. The one I have is the aurea type with the brighter leaves and it has done well to make the edges of the pond look better but is not very obvious on the video clip. Sorry I can't recommend any water lily as I only introduced this one plant so my pond would not get too cluttered and to avoid having to clean it out which seems to be working fine so far.

digsy32

Hi,
Does anyone have any recommendations of where to buy pond plants online?

Or, how long do you need to wait before pond plants become available in the year?

Thanks

Fuschia girl

Thank you to all who responded, I appreciate the time you took to do so.

My pond as such, is still in the planning stage, it will be this years project.

It will be a wildlife pond as distinct from a specific fish pond. It will be in the ground and I am also planning to have small gravel/rock areas around the edges to allow a sunny space for wildlife. Beyond that there may be a bog area as well. The area is sited in a sunny enough space

magicbastarder

digsy32 wrote: »

Hi,
Does anyone have any recommendations of where to buy pond plants online?

we tend to go to pond hobby in north county dublin, but there are two caveats; one the lockdown, and two, they don't open during the winter except by prior appointment. might be worth ringing or mailing them, though?

hirondelle

I would just add (seeing as OP mentions possible bog margin) NOT to plant bulrush! I'm gone pond mad- the attached pond is 10x7m, dug two years ago and I put in some bulrush, but after two years I already need to reduce it substantially.

I am currently digging a bigger pond 15x8m (again by hand- I'm thinking of it as Covid mental and physical health initiative) and will certainly not be adding any bulrush to it even though my instinct would to plant it up quickly so it doesn't look bare.

Flag irises I think might also be too vigorous, some of the fancier foreign ones would work on the margins (or in the bog margin itself).

I previously rescued some marsh cinquefoil and bogbean from the edge of a BnM bog (they were about to be removed from a drain) and these are absolute gems of native plants suited to margins. They propagate themselves well. Water Mint is another- and a great pollinator plant.

On the other hand, I have bought three decorative water lillies- and two of them completely underperform, so I wouldn't be as concerned about introducing a few (they seem to cost a a lot of money so that would limit it anyway!).

You can keep your flag iris under control with a big pond basket.

15m x 8m !!
What sort of depth?
They said you'll dig 3 ponds in your life before you get it right.
My next one is my last.
Going to try get it a Japanese feel to it.

rje66

Lovely pond there, its probably bigger than my garden. Do you get much in the way of newts,frogs dragon flies etc.

hirondelle

rje66 wrote: »

Lovely pond there, its probably bigger than my garden. Do you get much in the way of newts,frogs dragon flies etc.

I'm guessing you are asking me rje66? We are really lucky to have the garden we do. We are in a rural part of Kildare so we get newts, frogs, dragonflies (and because we are right beside a bog) we also have lizards. One of the reasons I am going again with a bigger pond is that we had a pair of mallards use the pond last year as a loveshack, but they didn't nest near it once they had paired up, so I want to see if a bigger pond will entice them to make a proper go of it.

hirondelle

BrownFinger wrote: »

You can keep your flag iris under control with a big pond basket.

15m x 8m !!
What sort of depth?
They said you'll dig 3 ponds in your life before you get it right.
My next one is my last.
Going to try get it a Japanese feel to it.

I know- lunacy. I'll go 1.2m at the deepest. This will technically be number four so I must be on borrowed time.:eek:

The flaggers as you say are fine in the pond in a basket- I was thinking for the OP about using them in the bog garden addition- I would be a bit nervous unless you could mow around them to keep them in check- and I might be being overcautious..

magicbastarder

my second pond was attacked by foxes - they pulled up the butyl liner and chewed it like a rubber toy.

hirondelle

magicbastarder wrote: »

my second pond was attacked by foxes - they pulled up the butyl liner and chewed it like a rubber toy.

Ah here, there's no need for that! That must have been incredibly annoying.

I'm taking a punt on the new pond- I know a farmer who had to dig out a large hole to put in a slurry tank and now has tonnes of blue marl clay- I'm going oldschool and seeing will this work. The canals are lined with the white version of it so I am hopeful. I am bringing a huge amount of labour on myself but it will be interesting to see if it works (Plan B is then to get the liner and line it retrospectively, but I am saving about €800 by not getting a liner). The marl will need to be +30cm and needs to be compacted. Apparently when they were building the canals, they lined the bottom with marl and then walked cattle or sheep up and down it to compact it.

magicbastarder

hirondelle wrote: »

Ah here, there's no need for that! That must have been incredibly annoying.

it is. the level is now down about an inch and a half as they punctured it; i tucked it back in but didn't try a full repair in case they returned, which they did, twice.
i assume they might have spotted a frog in there and went after it. but i have on two occasions found half chewed water lily flowerbuds on the lawn also.

hirondelle

magicbastarder wrote: »

it is. the level is now down about an inch and a half as they punctured it; i tucked it back in but didn't try a full repair in case they returned, which they did, twice.
i assume they might have spotted a frog in there and went after it. but i have on two occasions found half chewed water lily flowerbuds on the lawn also.

You want to encourage wildlife, but that is wildlife just taking the mick.

magicbastarder

the PVC lined pond has been in the back garden for six years now, once attracted fox attention, but they did very little damage and never returned. the rubber must be more palatable to them.

hirondelle

magicbastarder wrote: »

the PVC lined pond has been in the back garden for six years now, once attracted fox attention, but they did very little damage and never returned. the rubber must be more palatable to them.

I've seen hares licking car tyres so there must be something to it!- Wasn't even winter when salt might be the draw.

Bill Hook

Fair play to you Hirondelle, that is a really lovely pond.

On the wish list here (after the polytunnel hopefully gets sorted out this year). I'd love a natural swimming pool/wildlife pond: your new pond sounds like it could be big enough to swim in.

How long did it take you to excavate the pond in the photo?

hirondelle

Bill Hook wrote: »

Fair play to you Hirondelle, that is a really lovely pond.

On the wish list here (after the polytunnel hopefully gets sorted out this year). I'd love a natural swimming pool/wildlife pond: your new pond sounds like it could be big enough to swim in.

How long did it take you to excavate the pond in the photo?

Thanks Bill- you've hit the nail on the head, 15m constitutes a swimming pool in my book! And from the pictured pond as another poster suggested, without fish the pond has settled down really well and only protracted sunshine leads to algal growth (which is easy to skim), so swimming in the new pond would be enjoyable.

The digging is a crazy endeavour though. I actually kept a note of the hours digging (me, wheelbarrow, spade, shovel and fork)- 25 hours in total to dig 7x10x1.5m. Bizarrely, it took 28 hours to fill it by hose with normal water pressure. It is holding 65 tonnes of water, but still.

I've lifted most of the sod on the 8x15 and I'm finding it much slower going- 15 hours already- so I reckon it is going to be more than 100 hours, especially as I am partially backfilling it with marl. I am using the dug out soil to recontour the surrounding bit of garden to get the surface water

I am rather obsessed with the "lazy bed" (cultivation ridges is a much better term!) landscape of the west, and I am in awe of the amount of sheer hard work it took to dig and maintain the thousands of ridges- this spurs me on to dig one little ol' pond and not be whinging to myself about it!

hirondelle

hirondelle wrote: »

I would just add (seeing as OP mentions possible bog margin) NOT to plant bulrush! I'm gone pond mad- the attached pond is 10x7m, dug two years ago and I put in some bulrush, but after two years I already need to reduce it substantially.

I am currently digging a bigger pond 15x8m (again by hand- I'm thinking of it as Covid mental and physical health initiative) and will certainly not be adding any bulrush to it even though my instinct would to plant it up quickly so it doesn't look bare.

Flag irises I think might also be too vigorous, some of the fancier foreign ones would work on the margins (or in the bog margin itself).

I previously rescued some marsh cinquefoil and bogbean from the edge of a BnM bog (they were about to be removed from a drain) and these are absolute gems of native plants suited to margins. They propagate themselves well. Water Mint is another- and a great pollinator plant.

On the other hand, I have bought three decorative water lillies- and two of them completely underperform, so I wouldn't be as concerned about introducing a few (they seem to cost a a lot of money so that would limit it anyway!).

Did you build the moon gate yourself? Very impressive looking. On my list of things to build.

hirondelle

MAXFANTANA wrote: »

Did you build the moon gate yourself? Very impressive looking. On my list of things to build.

I did, ta. Probably like yourself, saw a pic of one and said that would be nice! I don't have any particular skills but was able to make a formwork sandwich held by battens- the arch was the only hard part. Delighted with it.

Bill Hook

100 hours of digging:eek:

The footprint for our (yet to be purchased) polytunnel is roughly 12m x 7m and it took us about 25 hrs to lift the sod and level (the not very hilly) site.

Big fan of lazy beds here too. Grew potatoes in one the first year we were here while waiting to assemble the materials for the nodig vegetable beds. We have made all the flower borders lazy-bed fashion by lifting and turning the sod without actually digging or breaking up the soil.

For anyone digging a pond get yourself a 5 foot crow bar and a pick axe!
I think I'll rent a mini digger .