my new wildlife pond

[2502]

Hi Everyone, I'm new to this forum - and to gardening.
I'm about to start digging a wildlife pond in my garden and could do with a little advice.
It will be placed at the bottom of a slope, it is a perfect place to have a (I'm trying very hard not to say water feature) gentle waterfall from an old butlers sink set at an angle into the pond. I have read on different websites that this is a good idea and a bad idea, I have also read that it doesn't matter??
Could anyone give me a more concrete answer please?
Would I also be right in thinking that it would be ok to make part of the surrounding area a bit of a rockery and the rest grassy with a gentle slope into the water?
Your help will be much appreciated, thank you.

[davidsherwin]

Hi there i am also new to this fourum. First of all doing a rockery is one of the best things to do because frogs,toads and newts love hiding in them also tall grass is very good baby frogs emerging hide there .because it is at a slope a good layer of gravel around the sides to drain the water when it rains so chemicals dont enter your pond and destroy and kill your wildlife
and plants

[2502]

Thank you for the advice, I'm about to knock an old york stone fireplace out which will be great for a rockery - and save me taking it to the dump.

[Tursiops2]

Hi 2502, welcome to the forum

There's nothing wrong with adding a waterfall to wildlife pond - it aids oxygenation, and creates a habitat in its own right. Sounds like a nice little set up you're planning. Have you any photos of its location?

Originally Posted by 2502

Thank you for the advice, I'm about to knock an old york stone fireplace out which will be great for a rockery - and save me taking it to the dump.

Don't do that, recycled York stone is in demand and worth money! If you don't want to sell it, at least put it on Freecycle. How much have you got? If you're near Suffolk I might take it off you myself
T2

[ilia123]

I think if the pond is large enough so that >50% of the water is still it shouldn't be a problem. A lot of flora and fauna has evolved so that it survives best in still water.

[bobbarber]

Originally Posted by ilia123

I think if the pond is large enough so that >50% of the water is still it shouldn't be a problem. A lot of flora and fauna has evolved so that it survives best in still water.

Very true Ilia, water lilies especially dislike moving water...bob

[2502]

It should be big enough so that half it it remains still, it will only be a gentle fall of water anyway, I'm more worried about it's effect on the wildlife that will hopefully be using the pond rather than the plants.
I'll try and get some pictures of the location loaded in the next couple of days so you can see it.
There isn't that much York stone (and I'm in Brighton) and it's only about fifteen feet from the intended rockery so it will save me carting it off somewhere and also stop me pulling something by hoiking whopping great lumps of rock back to the garden.
Thank you all for all your advice, it's all really appreciated.

[2502]

I've been out taking some snaps

[2502]

Looking down the sope of the garden form the house



Looking up the garden towards the house



A couple of the slope and the wall the pond will sit next to