Wildlife pond

Love to have animals around? Perhaps you're being plagued by them? All your tips here...

Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter

User avatar
oldherbaceous
KG Regular
Posts: 13798
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:52 pm
Location: Beautiful Bedfordshire
Has thanked: 248 times
Been thanked: 286 times

Same thing happened when I dug my pond, many years ago, Tigerburnie...where do these things appear from, so quickly!
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

Most of them can fly...…………….
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

Quite a bit more work done around the pond today, using the excess pond liner hanging over the edges, I have created some bog plant areas. If you imagine a letter M shape, I have made a trench and the folded in the liner still connected to the main pond, then back filled with soil for the boggy margin plants. This might need a few holes puncturing in it if it becomes too wet, but for now I have left it as is.
DSC02679.JPG
DSC02679.JPG (304.66 KiB) Viewed 8200 times
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
Westi
KG Regular
Posts: 5892
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:46 pm
Location: Christchurch, Dorset
Has thanked: 652 times
Been thanked: 230 times

That is going to look brilliant! Liking the bog edges!
Westi
Stephen
KG Regular
Posts: 1869
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:03 pm
Location: Butts Meadow, Berkhamsted
Been thanked: 2 times

That looks very good.
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

I intend to have some plants that will spill over the rocks to soften the edge and hide the liner, the water will still come up a few more inches as it's not up to the overflow level yet.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

One of the pond plants has a flower on it, a Water Hawthorn, caught this bee having a rest on it today.
BM1K1424.jpg
BM1K1424.jpg (174.8 KiB) Viewed 8029 times
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
Robertorton
KG Regular
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat May 09, 2020 12:37 pm

Make sure you put plenty of cover in it, like lillies etc or you will end up with a hole full of ragweed. You will be surprised how quickly life moves in
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

We have several plants with floating leaves, just they are all small at the moment, out lily has almost got leaves to the surface, the water is still cold yet, it was snowing in Montrose this morning, so everything in the garden is slow getting going, hopefully the weather will warm up a bit. We can see insect larvae wiggling in the water and diving beetles and a couple of pond skaters have moved in already. More plants and seed are on order, hopefully they will arrive this week.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
ZelicCzack
KG Regular
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2022 2:55 pm

That's a fine pond, well done!
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

Smooth Newts back in the pond, no pictures yet as they seem to be egg lying, don't want to disturb them.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
User avatar
Primrose
KG Regular
Posts: 8048
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:50 pm
Location: Bucks.
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 276 times

When I put a micro mini pond in our garden i was astonished that within two or three weeks a couple of newts had arrived in It. I was thrilled but had absolutely no idea we had newts in the garden.. How do they live without a permanent water supply or do they only need to be in water in the breeding season?
Last edited by Primrose on Mon Apr 10, 2023 7:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
oldherbaceous
KG Regular
Posts: 13798
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:52 pm
Location: Beautiful Bedfordshire
Has thanked: 248 times
Been thanked: 286 times

I saw a big clump of frog spawn in my Mum’s pond, seems the wretched Heron has missed a couple of frogs, thank goodness…
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
robo
KG Regular
Posts: 2805
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:22 pm
Location: st.helens
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 56 times

My wife made a pond a few years ago it started off as a 25 gallon drum and now it’s a decent size pond in between it was a shallow pond made out of visqueen she went out with the grandson one day and came back with 6 smal fish two turned into koy one reached about 12 pounds till the heron killed it by which time it had killed every plant I put in you can’t have lilies with Koy
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic