Project Pond
I finished a previous post about the garden by saying:
All in all, other than sorting out the water feature I think I’m now on top of the chores in the garden and just have to keep it looking tidy.
https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2023/04/bank-holiday-planting/
Water Feature Re-Location
So, with the garden somewhat under control, it was time to turn my attention to the water feature. Rather than just fix it I decided it was time for a project!
The water feature has always looked nice where it was but it was just a little too far from the electricity supply. This meant that I had to extend the cable to the pump. Again, not a massive job except for the fact that the connection was always a weak spot. It didn’t matter what connector I used and what its water-proof rating was, over time moisture would get in and the pump would stop working. My project, therefore, was to move the water feature closer to the power socket.
Moving a water feature is a fairly big job in itself. First, it had to be dismantled, then drained and then dug up.
A new location had to be decided upon and then a hole big enough for the sump had to be dug.
The old cables had to be excavated. The sump had to be installed and levelled the pump had to be re-wired, new armouring for the cables had to be routed, laid and buried and the cable had to be fed through it. Finally, the pump had to be installed, the sump had to be filled with water and the water feature itself had to be assembled.
Lots of it is hard, heavy work so I was glad to have the help of Morgan now and then. I think he quite enjoyed getting his hands dirty really.
The water feature itself still needs some finishing touches in the form of some cobbles over the top of the grill, but I’ll need to buy some next time I’m near a garden centre. I also need to move some of the garden lights to make a feature of it at night. Otherwise, it looks good in its new home and so far is working well. Hopefully without any joins in the cable it’ll keep working for longer.
Time for a Pond
We’d always wanted a wildlife pond really, but plumped for a water feature back in 2010 because at the time Morgan was only 5 years old and a pond seemed like something of a liability! Morgan is now a fully grown 18-year-old and probably less likely to stumble and fall into a pond than I am and probably more capable of getting himself out of it should he do so!
So, with the safety issues no longer a concern and a big hole where the water feature used to be, now seemed like the perfect opportunity for a pond. It wouldn’t be quite as simple as just filling the hole with water though.
I, therefore, set to pricing up suitable membranes and decided that we’d go for it. The next job was to dig it out a little more so as to make it bigger, deeper and to create some planting shelves.
Pond Positioning
It’s not in the perfect position as there are willow trees close by, some of which might overhang the pond and also lots of bamboo beside it too. Bamboo roots are known for their strength and invasiveness and will eventually puncture a pond liner. Willow leaves contain salicylic acid which is released when they rot, so keeping them out of a pond is advised. I should be able to cut them back sufficiently to minimise the problem.
Other than that it’s in a little dip in the ground so will at least look quite natural and it was surrounded by bog plants such as marsh marigolds and yellow flag irises anyway. I’ve had to dig most of these up to create room for the pond but will hopefully replace some of them. The yellow-flag irises may be a little too large and boisterous though so I don’t mind getting rid of these really. We have others elsewhere in the garden so we won’t be losing them completely and it’ll give me an opportunity to try some other, smaller irises there instead. There is some refinement to make and I’ll need to remove some bamboo and tidy up an area behind the pond a little, but so far I have the basic shape of the pond in place.
The other issue once it’s full might be access to the area behind it as it’s hemmed in on both sides. I’ll need to either scramble around behind the compost bin and through a stand of willow or put planks across the pond and hope I don’t fall in!!
Next Steps
The liner and membrane should arrive this week. Once it has, I’ll make a few refinements to the pond and remove the vegetation from about 6 inches all the way around the edge of it so that the liner and membrane can extend out beyond the water’s surface. Once the liner and membrane are in place I’ll fill it with water, replace some of the vegetation and then start thinking about buying some pond plants.
I’ll buy some oxygenators, probably a small pond lily and some marginal plants too. Hopefully, it’ll look nice and provide a habitat for yet more wildlife.
Robot Safety
I’ve already mentioned the fact that Morgan’s safety was no longer an issue. We do however have a robot lawn-mower called Hector in the back garden that would easily fall into the pond! This can be avoided by moving his perimeter wire so that he can’t get too close to it. I’ll do this, but I think I’ll also add a physical barrier in the form of some fake log edging as well, just to be on the safe side. I will probably front this with some gravel or chippings so that he can mow right to the edge of the grass.
Considering this is quite a big garden project and I only decided that it might be a good idea on Saturday, we’ve made pretty good progress so far. I think Anna assumed it would be a summer-long project. You know, me, once I have a good project to get stuck into things tend to move quite quickly!
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[…] Project Pond wasn’t my only garden project at the weekend. I also had a somewhat more relaxing project in the form of a bonsai tree. Whilst at Charlies Garden Centre in Aberystwyth I rescued a poorly looking fern and a frost-damaged conifer. They were reduced in price and needed some TLC. The Fern was planted into a shady part of the garden where it has other ferns for company. The Conifer was to become a bonsai project. […]
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Well have to visit when it’s finished ! ….I bet it’ll take you longer now you know that lol