Have you got a wildlife pond?

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Have you got a wildlife pond?
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Have you got a wildlife pond?

Pond? Well, 7 acre lake, but the staff take care of that

[ 0 ]

Yes, several

27%

[ 5 ]

Yes

27%

[ 5 ]

An ornamental pond

[ 0 ]

Water feature without chemicals

16%

[ 3 ]

Just bird bath/saucers of water/washing up tub

11%

[ 2 ]

None of the above

11%

[ 2 ]

I have a stream/river/beach!

[ 1 ]

Total Votes : 18

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Message

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 10:51 am Post subject:
I have a stream!

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 11:36 am Post subject:
JB, I've put in an option just for you then! Andy, I shall read your articles tonight...then I have to be careful not to repeat anything. I'm probably going to get the OH to do it because he's the one that did all the hard work, I just sit by the pond and look mermaid-like

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 11:54 am Post subject:
Ta!

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 12:31 pm Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

I just sit by the pond and look mermaid-like

You'll probably fall in one day.

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 12:51 pm Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

JB, I've put in an option just for you then!

Andy, I shall read your articles tonight...then I have to be careful not to repeat anything. I'm probably going to get the OH to do it because he's the one that did all the hard work, I just sit by the pond and look mermaid-like

If you need to repeat it then do so, I really don't mind.

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 12:52 pm Post subject:
Best thing we ever did,gardening wise! I am waiting for all the frogs to turn up and get laying. It's amazing just how quickly the wild life find it. We get dragonflys, damselflys and darters and were in the middle of Brum

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 12:57 pm Post subject:
been plotting to put something in for years, but garden size wise it is not easy jema

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 1:00 pm Post subject:
I'm not sure what ours qualifies as, it's about 5'square and partially raised. We've got some big stones in it so the birds can drink, and the sinks with herbs in are round it. We get frogs, damsel flies, dragon flies, and occasional toads(though they didn't breed in it last year). I've got a long term plan to make a big pond in our otherwise useless front garden.

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 2:13 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

been plotting to put something in for years, but garden size wise it is not easy

jema

you can sink a washing up bowl and that should attract a few frogs ect .

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 05 2:33 pm Post subject:

Or you could install a pot pond on your giant deck!

Ours is a half a trug/bucket buried in some soil in a half a barrel. The soil is planted up a bit with reeds etc, the water contains several plants as close to the edge as possible; frogs manage to get in and out quite well and we've had several damselflies hatch from it. Plus it's mobile. And you can build and plant it in a day.

Will definitely have to get Treacodactyl to do this one!

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Fri Feb 04, 05 6:48 pm Post subject:
Here's the one at the bottom of my garden- it's getting a clean out this year

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Fri Feb 04, 05 8:40 pm Post subject:
I've got a plastic seed tray hidden in a shady corner of the garden, I made little steps up to it and inside it with stones. I get frogs in it every year! And I love my bird bath, it's lovely watching them all have a good splash.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sat Feb 05, 05 1:35 pm Post subject:

Two horrible water features here (himslef is anti- digging!) One of those bubble fountain things that just doesn't bubble, and a really horrible pre-fabricated two half barrels and a fake pump afair, that himslef liked (he usually has quite good taste) that sounds like a drunk peeing in the pond on a saturday night. it's in my new veg patch, and so is going (hurrah!)

I am thinking of combining the two in a shady spot near the patio where it is diffcult to grow stuff. I'll sink the larger of the two barrels, put the stones from the bubble fountain in for steps, and put the bubble fountain mechanics, just breaking the surface of the water (for a gentle trickly-type noise, as opposed to a running bath!) I'll keep the pump, and maybe combine it with the remains of the bubble pool, filled with stones. If it doesn't sound right, then I'll plonk it in the ivy. I'll put a pot plant for the paito in the smaller barrel. That's another project for my summer hols then (like I needed another one!).

Any ideas for land plants that look watery for planting around the edge of the barrel. Need to like shade, soil OK. I'm not fussed about flowers, prefer green with water, and have lots of blue and white relaxing annuals in the bed already.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Feb 06, 05 7:34 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

Any ideas for land plants that look watery for planting around the edge of the barrel. Need to like shade, soil OK. I'm not fussed about flowers, prefer green with water, and have lots of blue and white relaxing annuals in the bed already.

Ivy is a good bet. Plenty to choose from and they can make a good mat for animals to live in. The ivy can grow into the water and make the edges look more natural and it is easily moved & clipped.

Another plant I use is Bugle (ajuga). It also creeps and can grow over the edge of the pond. Dies dow a bit in winter,

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Sun Feb 06, 05 10:10 pm Post subject:

You could consider watermint. I think it's a marginal...ours is currently mostly underwater, but in spring to summer the flowers are lovely and welcomed by bees.

We've also planted some seed-grown watercress in the edges of the pond, allegedly it helps with clearing the pond but if nothing else, it looks nice, is native (ish) and provides more cover and food for the pond life.

Bugle is my favourite edging; shiny leaves and blue flowers...but it does die back and as TD says, ivy is an effective edging. Even though I'm not fond of ivy as a plant on its own, the frogs and insects definitely appreciate the cover.

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