# Pond



## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

My OH and I are going to try and make a wildlife pond for my friend. It needs to be done quickly, so that he hopefully will still be able to see it mature. It's going to be quite small, probably about 3ft by 3ft as the main pond and then some stepped terraces leading to a beach like area. This will be about another 3ft in length, making the pond about 6ft long in all.

I want to plant it up with a few tallish plants and have a little floating weed. Around it I'm going to plant some native wild flowers bought in by plugs. Knapweed will be the main plants as he loves them.

Any help or suggestions welcome


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

What a lovely thing for him and the wildlife 

I only have some yellow flag iris and oxygenating weed in mine and it’s set within a flower bed so surrounded by lots of planting giving shelter and cover for the frogs etc.

It’s much smaller than yours so I can’t have too much vegetation actually in the pond.

One thing I would recommend though is a solar pump as the little one I put in last year really has helped keeping the water clean and aerated. It just has a spout about 6” high for the water to bubble out of but does the job.


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Lurcherlad said:


> One thing I would recommend though is a solar pump as the little one I put in last year really has helped keeping the water clean and aerated. It just has a spout about 6" high for the water to bubble out of but does the job.


Yes I was wondering about one of them. he loves the sound of water, so an added bonus.
I might get one for my pond

Do you know what type of oxygenating weed you have?


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Just the bog standard 
*Elodea densa (Anacharis) *


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

That's the one that's choking up some of our natural ponds!

It's classed as an invasive species


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

rona said:


> That's the one that's choking up some of our natural ponds!
> 
> It's classed as an invasive species


Oh no 

I bought it yonks ago from a pond shop. I guess like all these things, in the right place they are ok, it's when people dump stuff in the countryside that problems arise.

It does need regular pruning but does an excellent job of oxygenating the pond and as cover for the fish.

I'm nowhere near natural water courses and any that I remove periodically gets composted so I don't think I'm likely to be adding to the problem


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Do you think this would be too much for a small pond?

https://www.devonpondplants.co.uk/product/nymphaea-candida/

https://www.devonpondplants.co.uk/product/nuphar-lutea-pumila-least-lily/

https://www.devonpondplants.co.uk/product/persicaria-amphibia/

https://www.puddleplants.co.uk/product/hair-grass-eleocharis-acicularis/


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Couldn’t open the last link but the first three, being dwarf should be ok.

I like Frogbit - a tiny lily like plant leaf wise but with tiny white flowers.

Need to buy some more as although perennial (they
drop to the bottom in winter) it failed a year or two ago.

Have you got pictures of your project to show yet?


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Lurcherlad said:


> Couldn't open the last link but the first three, being dwarf should be ok.
> 
> I like Frostbit - a tiny lily like plant leaf wise but with tiny white flowers.
> 
> ...


Last one is Hair grass (Eleocharis acicularis). I think it will just stay at the bottom of the pond for creatures to hibernate in.

I did look at frogbit, but decided against until we see what the rest looks like when in. If there is too much, I'll just move something to my pond

For various reasons, it's been on hold but hoping to start it next week or even later this week


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## bunnygeek (Jul 24, 2018)

I got my pond plants for my tiny (70 litre!) wildlife pond from here, they're guaranteed native.
https://pondplantgrowersdirect.co.uk/

I have Hornwort and Milfoil to oxygenate and some Corkscrew Rush as a marginal plant. My pond is quite shaded so a bit more restricted on planting.

Iris can take up a lot of space with their roots apparently.


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Made a start

IMG_8424 by jenny clifford, on Flickr


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

bunnygeek said:


> I got my pond plants for my tiny (70 litre!) wildlife pond from here, they're guaranteed native.
> https://pondplantgrowersdirect.co.uk/
> 
> I have Hornwort and Milfoil to oxygenate and some Corkscrew Rush as a marginal plant. My pond is quite shaded so a bit more restricted on planting.
> ...


I'll take a look thanks


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I was thinning out some of the weed in the fish pond and was delighted to see a nymph of dragon fly


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

This morning another surprise ...

Two dragonflies(?) not long emerged from their nymph bodies


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Ruddy pond still isn't finished, it's been far too hot out there for me. However, we now have plants and the Marsh marigold has buds and today I saw a water beetle scuttle to the bottom.
Pity my friend didn't see it as water beetle is what he's said he'd love to see


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Well it's in place and had a couple of Damsels on it and the birds are using it. It now has a bog garden on one side and a wild flower lawn that has just germinated.
Couldn't get many pond plants, as they were either sold out or it's the wrong time of year. Will get more in the spring.
My friend has already had loads of joy from it though, and is very excited about his new lawn 
IMG_0808 by jenny clifford, on Flickr

IMG_0809 by jenny clifford, on Flickr

IMG_0810 by jenny clifford, on Flickr


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Looks really good - well done! 

The local wildlife will love it too.


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Lurcherlad said:


> Looks really good - well done!
> 
> The local wildlife will love it too.


Will look better next year, just hope my friend will see it


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I really hope so.


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## winter (Dec 16, 2012)

Lovely looking pond, hope the wildlife enjoy it.


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

My friends Cremation today, no service, so I went to spend some time at his house.
At almost the exact time that the cremation was taking place, I walked past his pond .......................................................................................................................................
and saw ..............................................................................................................................................................................................a newt. ......................................................................................................................
I couldn't believe it and burst into tears. First time I'd really got upset about him dying.

So now, I've had doves when mum was cremated, rare butterflies at Alfie's grave just two days after burying him and now a newt for my friend. He would have been so so chuffed


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

A difficult day, Rona 

But a lovely sight in the pond 

On the day of my mum’s cremation the cactus she had relegated to the greenhouse because it never flowered, decided that was the day it would and it threw out a beautiful pink bloom 

It does make you wonder


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